How to choose a Monero wallet
Guide · October 2026 · not financial advice.
1. Pick your device class
- Mobile (daily spending): Cake or Monerujo. Keep amounts you'd carry in a physical wallet.
- Desktop (savings): Feather or the official GUI. Better backup habits, bigger screen for verification.
2. Pick your node model
- Remote node (default): syncs in minutes, but the node operator sees your IP requesting balance scans. Fine for small amounts.
- Own node / full node: maximum privacy and trustlessness; costs disk space and sync time. Worth it for meaningful holdings.
3. The custody checklist
- Seed phrase written on paper, stored offline in a safe place.
- Never photographed, never in cloud notes, never emailed.
- Test restore once — a backup you've never tested is a hope, not a backup.
- Verify download signatures for desktop wallets.