👛 Wallets
What a wallet really is
A bitcoin wallet doesn't hold bitcoins — those live on the blockchain. A wallet holds your private keys, the secrets that authorize spending, and handles the bookkeeping of creating and signing transactions. Choosing a wallet is choosing where your keys live.
Types of wallets
- Hardware wallets — dedicated physical devices that keep keys offline and sign transactions internally. The standard for savings; a $60–150 one-time cost.
- Software wallets — apps on your computer or phone. Convenient for regular use; only as secure as the device they run on.
- Mobile wallets — software wallets optimized for everyday payments and QR codes. Treat like the cash in your pocket.
- Web wallets — accessed through a browser, often with a company holding the keys for you. Most convenient, most trust-dependent: if the company holds the keys, you hold a promise.
The seed phrase
Self-custody wallets give you a seed phrase — 12 or 24 words that can regenerate all your keys on any device. It's the master backup: write it on paper or metal, never type it into anything connected to the internet, and never share it. Every "support agent" who asks for it is a thief.
Choosing
A sensible pattern: a reputable mobile wallet for spending money, a hardware wallet for savings. Start small, practice a send and a restore, then scale up. For the full security picture — and the mistakes that actually cost people coins — see our guide to storing bitcoin safely.
Related: Cryptography · Exchanges