Wallet
BASICSDEFINITION
Software or hardware that manages your keys and talks to the network. Wallets hold keys, not coins — the bitcoin lives on the blockchain.
A wallet generates your seed phrase, derives addresses, watches the chain for your transactions, and signs spends. "Which wallet has my bitcoin" really means "which keys control which UTXOs" — restore the same seed in two apps and both show the same coins.
The taxonomy that matters: hot vs cold (keys online or offline), custodial vs self-custodial (their keys or yours), single-sig vs multisig. Our wallets section ranks the top three in every category.
IN A SENTENCE
“She restored the same wallet on her phone and laptop from one seed phrase.”
Key facts
Common questions
What happens if my wallet app shuts down?
Nothing to your bitcoin — restore your seed phrase in any compatible wallet. The standard (BIP-39) outlives any vendor.
Can I have multiple wallets?
Yes, and you should: a hot one for spending, cold storage for savings.