Your wallet is the single most important choice you'll make with Monero. It's not just a place to store XMR — it's your privacy interface. A good wallet manages decoy selection, keeps your view key secure, and makes private transactions effortless. A bad one leaks metadata, undermines your privacy, or worse — isn't actually open source. Here are the best Monero wallets in 2026.
Mobile Wallets
Cake Wallet Top Pick
Cake Wallet is the most popular Monero mobile wallet — and for good reason. It's open source, feature-rich, and available on both iOS and Android. Cake supports Monero natively plus Bitcoin and Litecoin, with built-in exchange via ChangeNOW and other swap providers. Swap through Cake Wallet — supports this toolkit.
- Beautiful, intuitive UI
- Built-in XMR/BTC swap
- Supports subaddresses & multiple wallets
- Restore from seed or date + block height
- Optional FaceID/TouchID unlock
- Regular updates, active development
- Not a full node (relies on remote nodes)
- Slightly slower sync with large wallets
- iOS version has App Store review delays
Best for: Everyday users who want a polished mobile experience. The swap integration makes it the closest thing to an all-in-one Monero app.
Monerujo Android
Monerujo is an Android-only Monero wallet that pioneered features like "PocketChange" (automatic output splitting for better privacy) and SideShift AI swap integration. It's lightweight, fast, and deeply integrated with Monero-specific features that other wallets lack.
- PocketChange for output management
- Support for multiple accounts
- Node-o-matic (automatic node switching)
- Open source, community-driven
- Android only (no iOS)
- UI less polished than Cake
- Smaller development team
Best for: Android users who want advanced Monero features and don't mind a slightly rougher UI.
Mysu iOS
Mysu (formerly MyMonero) is a lightweight iOS/Android wallet that uses a unique "light wallet" protocol — it doesn't scan the full blockchain. Instead, it queries a server that scans on your behalf using your view key. This is faster but introduces a small privacy tradeoff (the server can see which transactions you receive, though not spend).
Best for: iOS users who want the fastest possible sync times and don't mind the light-server model.
Desktop Wallets
Feather Wallet Top Pick
Feather is a desktop Monero wallet (Linux, Windows, macOS) that combines a clean Qt interface with power-user features. It's the spiritual successor to the Monero GUI for people who want a faster, more modern experience. Feather supports offline signing (air-gapped transactions), hardware wallet integration (Ledger, Trezor), and Tor by default.
- Clean, fast Qt interface
- Tor integration built in
- Offline transaction signing for air-gapped setups
- Hardware wallet support (Ledger, Trezor)
- Coin control & output management
- Portable mode (run from USB)
- Requires a remote node (or you run your own)
- Not as battle-tested as Monero GUI
- Smaller community
Best for: Most desktop users. Feather hits the sweet spot of speed, features, and privacy. The Tor integration alone makes it the default choice for privacy-conscious users.
Monero GUI Official
The official Monero Graphical User Interface wallet — sometimes called "Monero Core" or "the reference wallet." It's maintained by the Monero Core Team and is the most battle-tested, audited, and trusted Monero wallet in existence. It can run as a full node (downloading and verifying the entire blockchain) or connect to a remote node.
- Official reference implementation
- Full node mode — maximum privacy & trustlessness
- Hardware wallet support (Ledger)
- Simple and Advanced modes
- Most audited & secure codebase
- Slow first sync (~200 GB blockchain download)
- UI feels dated compared to Feather/Cake
- Resource-heavy in full node mode
Best for: Maximum security and trustlessness. If you run a full node, nobody can see which transactions belong to you — not even remote node operators. This is the gold standard for privacy.
Hardware Wallets
Ledger Nano S Plus / Nano X Recommended
Ledger supports Monero natively through the Monero GUI and Feather Wallet. Your private spend key never leaves the Ledger device — transactions are signed on-device. Setup involves installing the Monero app via Ledger Live, then connecting to Monero GUI or Feather.
- Private keys never touch your computer
- Supports both Monero GUI and Feather
- Recovery via standard 24-word seed
- Widely available, good build quality
- Monero app isn't in Ledger Live (needs external wallet)
- Closed-source secure element chip
- Ledger Recover controversy (optional, but trust issue)
Best for: Securing large amounts of XMR. The hardware wallet + Monero GUI combination is the most secure setup available. Set up your Ledger, connect to Monero GUI running your own full node, and you have an endgame privacy stack.
Trezor Safe 3 / Model T
Trezor added Monero support in 2023 and it's been steadily improving. The Trezor Model T and newer Safe 3 work with Monero GUI and Feather Wallet. Trezor's firmware is fully open source, which is a significant trust advantage over Ledger.
- Fully open-source firmware
- Works with Monero GUI and Feather
- Transparent security model
- Monero support is newer, less mature than Ledger
- Transaction signing can be slow on device
- More expensive than equivalent Ledger models
Best for: Users who prioritize open-source philosophy and are comfortable with slightly less mature Monero integration.
Specialty & Web Wallets
Stack Wallet
Stack Wallet is a multi-coin wallet (Monero, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 50+ others) with a clean interface. It's open source and available on desktop and mobile. The Monero integration is solid, but Stack's multi-coin nature means Monero-specific features aren't as deep as dedicated wallets.
Best for: Users managing a diverse crypto portfolio who want Monero alongside other assets in one app.
CLI Wallet Advanced
The Monero command-line wallet is the most powerful and flexible option. It's the reference implementation, supports every Monero feature, and can be scripted or automated. It's also the most private — no GUI, no telemetry, no unnecessary dependencies.
Best for: Power users, server operators, and anyone comfortable with a terminal. If you're running a Monero node on a headless server, the CLI wallet is the natural choice.
Which Wallet Should You Use?
Your choice depends on your threat model and use case:
- Casual user, small amounts: Cake Wallet on your phone. Fast, easy, private enough for daily use.
- Privacy-focused desktop user: Feather Wallet with Tor enabled. Excellent balance of privacy and usability.
- Maximum security, significant holdings: Monero GUI with your own full node + Ledger hardware wallet. This is the gold standard.
- Developer / power user: CLI wallet on a headless node. Full control, scriptable, zero bloat.
⚠️ Wallets to Avoid
- Any closed-source wallet — You can't verify it's not stealing your keys or leaking your view key. Monero's privacy depends on open source.
- Exchange wallets — "Not your keys, not your coins." Exchanges can and do freeze accounts, get hacked, or go bankrupt.
- Freewallet — Custodial, closed source, and repeatedly flagged by the Monero community as potentially malicious. Avoid.
- Web-based wallets that hold your keys — If you don't control the seed phrase, you don't control the Monero.
No matter which wallet you pick, write down your seed phrase. Store it offline, on paper or metal, in a secure location. Your seed phrase is your Monero. Lose it, lose everything. No wallet provider can recover it for you — that's the price of true self-custody.