Skip to content
buybitcoinsmart
Menu

Phoenix vs Zengo

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

Zengo3.4

The wallet with no seed phrase: two MPC shares replace the private key, which removes one risk and adds a dependency.

Verdict: Phoenix

Phoenix rates higher on our rubric: 4.0 against 3.4 for Zengo.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Phoenix
4.0
Zengo
3.4

Phoenix and Zengo, 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.

Phoenix and Zengo compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactPhoenixZengo
Editorial rating4.0 (favoured on this row)3.4
StatusAvailableAvailable
Made byACINQZengo
PriceFree downloadFree download
Who holds the keysself-custodial, a real Lightning node running on your phone behind a 12 word seedself-custodial MPC, with no seed phrase: one secret share on your phone, one on Zengo's server, never combined
Bitcoin-onlyYesNo
Runs oniOS, AndroidiOS, Android
ScreenNot statedNot stated
ConnectivityLightning only, connecting to ACINQ's nodes, with the option to watch the chain through your own Electrum serverNot stated
ReleasedDecember 2019, alongside ACINQ's Eclair node implementation2018
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

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

Zengo

What works

  • No seed phrase exists, so there is nothing to write down, photograph, or be tricked into typing
  • Two independently created MPC shares, one on your phone and one on Zengo's server, that are never combined
  • Three factor recovery, with a documented option to register a backup for each of the three
  • Zengo says its MPC cryptography is open source, audited and peer reviewed
  • Support is available 24/7 from inside the app, which is rare in self-custody

What to watch

  • Signing requires Zengo's server, so the wallet depends on the company staying reachable in a way a seed phrase does not
  • The wallet app itself is closed source; only the cryptography underneath it is published
  • Recovery runs through your email, your cloud account and a face scan, which is three dependencies instead of one piece of paper
  • Never hacked and 2+ million wallets are Zengo's own claims on Zengo's own homepage, with no independent confirmation
  • Mobile only, with no desktop app and no hardware signing

Frequently asked questions

Is Phoenix or Zengo better?

Phoenix rates higher on our rubric: 4.0 against 3.4 for Zengo. 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 Phoenix and Zengo free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: Phoenix is self-custodial, a real Lightning node running on your phone behind a 12 word seed; Zengo is self-custodial MPC, with no seed phrase: one secret share on your phone, one on Zengo's server, never combined.

Is Phoenix or Zengo bitcoin-only?

Phoenix is bitcoin-only; Zengo supports other assets too. Bitcoin among 1,000+ assets, including Ethereum, Solana, TRON and stablecoins

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

More comparisons

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