Types of Monero Wallets

You cannot hold Monero without a wallet, but "wallet" is a confusing word — it does not actually store your coins (those live on the blockchain). A wallet stores your keys and lets you create transactions. In this lesson you will meet the main kinds of Monero wallets, from official desktop software to phone apps and dedicated hardware, and learn how to pick the right one for your first steps.

What a Wallet Actually Does

A Monero wallet is software (or a device) that holds your secret keys, scans the blockchain for funds that belong to you, shows your balance, and signs the transactions you send. If you are fuzzy on what a wallet is in general, revisit What Is a Wallet. The keys themselves are generated from a single backup phrase, which we cover in Your Seed Phrase.

Wallets differ mainly in where they run, how private they are, and how much they hold your hand. None of these choices changes your actual coins — you can move the same funds between wallets by restoring the same seed.

Desktop Wallets: Official GUI and CLI

The Monero project publishes two official wallets you can get from the official downloads page:

• Monero GUI — a friendly graphical wallet for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Great for beginners who want buttons and menus rather than typing commands.
• Monero CLI — a command-line wallet for advanced users, scripts, and servers. Same power, no graphics.

Both are made by the core project, are fully featured, and can run their own node or connect to a remote one. They are an excellent default if you use a computer.

Other Popular Open-Source Wallets

• Feather — a lightweight, fast desktop wallet popular for its simplicity and built-in privacy features. A favorite for everyday desktop use.
• Cake Wallet — a polished mobile wallet for iOS and Android, also available on desktop, with built-in swap features.
• Monerujo — a long-standing Android wallet, well regarded in the community and supporting hardware devices.

These are mobile or lightweight options that connect to a remote node so your phone does not have to download the whole blockchain. That convenience has a small privacy trade-off, which you can reduce later by running your own node or connecting over Tor.

Hardware Wallets

A hardware wallet is a small dedicated device that keeps your secret spend key offline, signing transactions internally so the key never touches your internet-connected computer. Monero is supported by devices such as Ledger and Trezor, used together with a desktop wallet like the GUI, Feather, or Monerujo as the "viewer." Hardware wallets are the gold standard for protecting larger balances and are covered more deeply in the advanced course on hardware and cold storage.

Custodial vs. Non-Custodial

One distinction matters more than any brand: who holds the keys. A non-custodial wallet (everything above) gives you the seed phrase, so you and only you control the funds. A custodial wallet — like the balance on an exchange — means a company holds the keys for you. That is convenient but it is not really your money in the self-custody sense. We explore why in Self-Custody Philosophy.

Which Should You Pick?

• On a computer, want a safe default? Start with the official Monero GUI.
• Want something light and quick? Try Feather on desktop.
• Mostly on your phone? Cake Wallet or Monerujo.
• Protecting significant savings? Add a hardware wallet.

Whatever you choose, always download from the official source for that wallet and verify it where possible — fake wallet apps are a common scam, as we cover in Phishing and Scams.

There is no single "best" wallet — only the best fit for how you use Monero. Many people use more than one: a phone wallet for spending and a hardware-backed desktop wallet for saving. Next, let's open the hood and look at the keys every one of these wallets is really protecting in Public and Private Keys.