Best Monero Wallets Compared — Feather vs Cake vs GUI (2026)

TL;DR: Feather Wallet is the best desktop wallet (Tor, coin control, power features). Cake Wallet is the best mobile wallet (cross-platform, built-in exchange). Official GUI is the safest beginner choice. All three are open-source, non-custodial, and community-trusted.

Quick Pick — Which Wallet For You?

Desktop Power User
Feather
Tor built-in, coin control, fastest sync
Mobile Daily Use
Cake Wallet
iOS + Android, built-in exchange, clean UI
Beginner / First Wallet
Monero GUI
Official, simple, well-documented
Android Privacy
Monerujo
Tor/I2P support, Android-native, lightweight

Full Comparison Table

Feature Feather Cake Wallet Monero GUI MyMonero Monerujo Stack Wallet
TypeDesktopMobile + DesktopDesktopWeb + MobileAndroidMobile
Open SourceYesYesYesPartialYesYes
Non-CustodialYesYesYesYesYesYes
Tor SupportBuilt-inVia OrbotManualNoBuilt-inNo
Coin ControlYesNoNoNoNoNo
SubaddressesYesYesYesLimitedYesYes
Built-in ExchangeNoYesNoNoSideShiftYes
Hardware WalletTrezorNoTrezor/LedgerLedgerNoNo
Offline SigningYesNoYesNoNoNo
MultisigNoNoYesNoNoNo
Seed Type25-word + 14-word Polyseed25-word25-word13-word (legacy)25-word25-word
Node SelectionAuto + manualAuto + manualLocal/remoteCentralizedAuto + manualAuto
WindowsYesYesYesYes (web)NoNo
macOSYesYesYesYes (web)NoNo
LinuxYes (AppImage)YesYesYes (web)NoNo
AndroidNoYesNoYesYesYes
iOSNoYesNoYesNoYes
Privacy Score10/108/109/105/108/107/10
Ease of Use7/109/106/109/108/109/10

Individual Wallet Reviews

Feather Wallet Desktop Top Pick

The power-user's Monero wallet. Feather is built by tobtoht, a long-time Monero contributor. It's the most feature-rich desktop wallet available — built-in Tor routing, coin control for managing UTXOs, offline transaction signing for air-gapped setups, and even a built-in mining toggle.

  • Built-in Tor (one click)
  • Coin control for privacy optimization
  • Fastest wallet sync
  • Polyseed (14-word seed) support
  • Offline TX signing for cold storage
  • CCS/Reddit/News feeds built in
  • Desktop only (no mobile)
  • No built-in exchange
  • Slightly steeper learning curve

Best for: Privacy-focused users, P2P traders, power users, anyone running their own node.

Download: featherwallet.org

Cake Wallet Mobile Desktop Top Pick

The most versatile Monero wallet. Cake supports iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, and Windows. It includes a built-in exchange (powered by ChangeNow, Trocador, and others) that lets you swap between XMR, BTC, LTC, and more directly inside the wallet. Clean, modern interface.

  • Cross-platform (mobile + desktop)
  • Built-in exchange (swap in-app)
  • Beautiful, intuitive UI
  • Active development team
  • Supports BTC, LTC, ETH alongside XMR
  • Tor via Orbot (Android)
  • No coin control
  • Exchange uses third-party services
  • No hardware wallet support
  • No offline signing

Best for: Mobile users, beginners wanting exchange access, multi-coin holders who want XMR as primary.

Download: cakewallet.com

Official Monero GUI Desktop

The reference implementation maintained by the Monero Project. Simple and reliable. Supports connecting to a local node (maximum privacy) or remote nodes. Has basic multisig support and hardware wallet integration (Trezor + Ledger). Not flashy, but battle-tested.

  • Official — maintained by core team
  • Hardware wallet support (Trezor/Ledger)
  • Multisig support
  • Local node integration
  • Best documentation
  • Slower sync than Feather
  • No built-in Tor
  • Basic UI
  • Desktop only
  • No coin control

Best for: Beginners, users running a local node, hardware wallet users, people who want "the official one."

Download: getmonero.org/downloads

Monerujo Android

Android-native Monero wallet with built-in Tor and I2P support. Lightweight, fast, and privacy-respecting. Integrates SideShift for in-app exchanges. The go-to choice for Android users who want strong privacy without Cake's multi-coin approach.

  • Built-in Tor + I2P
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Android-native performance
  • SideShift exchange integration
  • F-Droid available
  • Android only (no iOS)
  • Smaller development team
  • No coin control

Best for: Android users prioritizing privacy, GrapheneOS/CalyxOS users.

MyMonero Web Mobile

Created by a Monero co-founder. MyMonero uses a lightweight client-server architecture — your keys stay local, but transaction scanning happens on MyMonero's servers. Fastest setup (no blockchain sync), but reduced privacy compared to full wallets.

  • Instant setup (no sync)
  • Web + mobile access
  • Created by Monero co-founder
  • Very simple interface
  • Server sees your view key
  • 13-word seed (non-standard)
  • Reduced privacy model
  • Partially closed source
  • No Tor support

Best for: Users who need instant access and accept the privacy trade-off. NOT recommended for large amounts or privacy-critical use.

Stack Wallet Mobile

Multi-coin wallet supporting Monero alongside Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and others. Clean UI with built-in exchange support. Good option if you hold multiple cryptocurrencies and want a single app. Privacy features are adequate but not specialized.

  • Multi-coin support
  • Clean, modern UI
  • Built-in exchange
  • Open source
  • iOS + Android
  • Not Monero-specialized
  • No Tor support
  • No coin control
  • Newer project (less battle-tested)

Best for: Multi-coin holders who want XMR support in their existing wallet.

Privacy Comparison

Privacy matters in wallet selection. The biggest privacy differences between wallets are:

Node connection: Who sees your IP address? Wallets connecting to remote nodes expose your IP to the node operator. Local node = maximum privacy. Tor routing = next best.

View key handling: MyMonero sends your view key to their server, which means they can see all your incoming transactions. Every other wallet on this list keeps your view key local.

Coin control: Only Feather lets you choose which outputs to spend, preventing accidental linking of transaction histories. Every other wallet auto-selects outputs.

Privacy Feature Feather Cake GUI MyMonero Monerujo
IP hidden from nodesTor built-inVia OrbotManual proxyNoTor/I2P
View key stays localYesYesYesNo (server)Yes
Coin controlYesNoNoNoNo
Local node supportYesYesYesNoYes
No telemetryYesYesYesUnknownYes

Wallet Selection Decision Tree

Need maximum privacy?Feather (desktop) or Monerujo (Android)

Need mobile wallet?Cake Wallet (iOS + Android) or Monerujo (Android only)

First time with Monero?Monero GUI (desktop) or Cake Wallet (mobile)

Need hardware wallet?Monero GUI (Trezor/Ledger) or Feather (Trezor)

Want built-in exchange?Cake Wallet or Stack Wallet

Need cold storage?Feather (offline signing) or hardware wallet via GUI

Running your own node?Feather or Monero GUI

Avoid: Web-only wallets (custodial risk), closed-source wallets, any wallet that asks for your email or phone number. If a Monero wallet requires KYC, it's not a real Monero wallet.

P2P Trading — Which Wallet?

For P2P Monero trading (Haveno, XMRBazaar, cash by mail), use Feather Wallet. Coin control lets you manage change outputs, Tor hides your IP, and offline signing works for air-gapped cold storage. For mobile verification of incoming payments, use Cake Wallet as a secondary watch-only or hot wallet.

My setup (arnoldnakamura): Feather for all P2P trades + Cake on mobile for quick payment checks. Both connected to my own Monero node. 683 trades, zero wallet issues.

Contact me on Telegram @arnoldnakamura for XMR/EUR P2P trades — Cash by Mail EU-wide, Face-to-Face in SW Germany.