MetaMask vs Phoenix

Comparing: two wallets
Decided by: Editorial rating
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26

MetaMask holds real bitcoin since December 15, 2025, but it is still an Ethereum wallet with a BTC address attached.

Phoenix4.0Bitcoin-only

A real Lightning node on your phone from the team behind Eclair, with a published fee table and a privacy tradeoff ACINQ states outright.

Verdict: Phoenix

Phoenix rates higher on our rubric: 4.0 against 3.0 for MetaMask.

Criterion: Editorial rating
MetaMask: 3.0
Phoenix: 4.0

MetaMask and Phoenix, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

MetaMask and Phoenix compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	MetaMask	Phoenix
Editorial rating	3.0	4.0 (favoured on this row)
Status	Available	Available
Made by	Consensys	ACINQ
Price	Free download	Free download
Who holds the keys	self-custodial, keys generated on your device from a 12 word Secret Recovery Phrase Consensys never sees	self-custodial, a real Lightning node running on your phone behind a 12 word seed
Bitcoin-only	No	Yes
Runs on	iOS, Android, Browser extension	iOS, Android
Screen	Not stated	Not stated
Connectivity	Not stated	Lightning only, connecting to ACINQ's nodes, with the option to watch the chain through your own Electrum server
Released	2016	December 2019, alongside ACINQ's Eclair node implementation
Countries on the maker's list	228	No published list
Last reviewed	2026-08-25	2026-08-26

Pros and cons, side by side

MetaMask

What works

Native bitcoin support since December 15, 2025, with a BTC address generated for you automatically
Swaps from Ethereum, other EVM networks or Solana into bitcoin without leaving the wallet
Buying supports debit and credit cards, Apple Pay, PayPal and bank transfer, depending on your region
Keys are generated on your device, and Consensys holds nothing it could freeze or reset
The extension almost every dapp is tested against, so connections rarely break

What to watch

Bitcoin support is native SegWit only: MetaMask's own announcement says Taproot is still to come
The app now bundles perpetual futures at up to 50x leverage, prediction markets and tokenized stocks next to your keys
Those extra products carry their own eligibility rules, which are separate from the wallet and change without notice
A hot wallet in a browser extension or phone app, with no secure element and no offline signing
Bitcoin is one chain among many, and the product's center of gravity is Ethereum

Phoenix

What works

A real self-custodial Lightning node on the phone, not an account on somebody's server
Fees published as a table on ACINQ's own site: 0.4% plus 4 sat to send, free to receive when you have liquidity
Standard BIP39 seed on a BIP84 path, recoverable in Electrum if ACINQ ever disappeared
Built by ACINQ, which develops the Eclair implementation and runs a large routing node
Rotating taproot receive addresses, with swaps that look like ordinary transactions on chain

What to watch

ACINQ's own FAQ says Phoenix offers no privacy advantage over a custodial wallet and that ACINQ knows the destination and amount of payments
Receiving without enough inbound liquidity costs 1% plus mining fees, and a new channel costs 1,000 sat
No on-chain balance, which makes it a spending wallet rather than somewhere to park savings
Recovering from a force close takes roughly 720 blocks, about five days
Wake-up notifications rely on Google services, so GrapheneOS users need the sandboxed Play Services app
Was off US app stores from May 3, 2024 until some point in 2025, which is why some reviews still call it unavailable there

Frequently asked questions

Is MetaMask or Phoenix better?

Phoenix rates higher on our rubric: 4.0 against 3.0 for MetaMask. The rating follows the product rubric published on our about page; the rows above set custody, price and platforms side by side so you can check it.

Are MetaMask and Phoenix free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: MetaMask is self-custodial, keys generated on your device from a 12 word Secret Recovery Phrase Consensys never sees; Phoenix is self-custodial, a real Lightning node running on your phone behind a 12 word seed.

Is MetaMask or Phoenix bitcoin-only?

Phoenix is bitcoin-only; MetaMask supports other assets too. Ethereum and EVM networks, Solana, Monad and Sei, plus native bitcoin since December 15, 2025

The full reviews: MetaMask and Phoenix, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

More comparisons

Every other head-to-head MetaMask or Phoenix appears in.