Sparrow Wallet vs Zengo

Comparing: two wallets
Decided by: Editorial rating
Last reviewed: 2026-08-25

The desktop wallet to coordinate hardware signers and multisig from, with a verification tool that also checks other projects' releases.

Zengo3.4

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

Verdict: Sparrow Wallet

Sparrow Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 4.7 against 3.4 for Zengo.

Criterion: Editorial rating
Sparrow Wallet: 4.7
Zengo: 3.4

Sparrow Wallet 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.

Sparrow Wallet and Zengo compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	Sparrow Wallet	Zengo
Editorial rating	4.7 (favoured on this row)	3.4
Status	Available	Available
Made by	Sparrow Wallet	Zengo
Price	Free download	Free download
Who holds the keys	self-custodial, keys in an encrypted file on your own computer or on a hardware signer, with no account anywhere	self-custodial MPC, with no seed phrase: one secret share on your phone, one on Zengo's server, never combined
Bitcoin-only	Yes	No
Runs on	Windows, macOS, Linux	iOS, Android
Screen	Not stated	Not stated
Connectivity	Public Electrum servers, your own Electrum server, or Bitcoin Core, with Tor built in	Not stated
Released	Not stated	2018
Countries on the maker's list	No published list	No published list
Last reviewed	2026-08-25	2026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

Sparrow Wallet

What works

Bitcoin only, open source and free, with no account and no server holding anything of yours
First-class multisig: build a quorum across several hardware signers and keep the descriptor
Works with hardware wallets over USB or fully air-gapped by QR code or SD card, with complete PSBT support
Full coin control and labels on every transaction, input and output, plus a transaction editor that shows the raw bytes
Every release ships a signed manifest, and Sparrow verifies the next download, Bitcoin Core and hardware wallet firmware from inside the app
Connects to your own Electrum server or Bitcoin Core, with Tor built in

What to watch

Desktop only: there is no iOS or Android app
The UTXO detail and the transaction editor are the point, and they are a lot to meet on day one
No built-in way to buy bitcoin, so the coins have to arrive from an exchange or a peer
Effectively a single maintainer, which is a concentration risk whatever the quality of the code

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 Sparrow Wallet or Zengo better?

Sparrow Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 4.7 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 Sparrow Wallet and Zengo free?

Yes, both are free to download. What differs is who holds the keys: Sparrow Wallet is self-custodial, keys in an encrypted file on your own computer or on a hardware signer, with no account anywhere; Zengo is self-custodial MPC, with no seed phrase: one secret share on your phone, one on Zengo's server, never combined.

Is Sparrow Wallet or Zengo bitcoin-only?

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

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

More comparisons

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