Checked on 20 October 2026. Every figure comes from the wallet’s own site, help centre, terms, GitHub or official app store listing.
Of the 8 self-custody crypto wallets we checked, Phantom suits Solana users, Rabby suits Ethereum and DeFi power users who want a 0.25% swap fee and open code, Trust Wallet suits beginners on mobile who need many chains, and MetaMask suits anyone pairing a hot wallet with almost any hardware device. None of the eight is built for privacy first.
The uncomfortable common thread is the swap fee. Seven of the eight charge one, and most fold it into the quote instead of showing it as a separate line. Published rates run from zero at Backpack, which dropped its fee in March 2026, to “up to 1%” at Coinbase Wallet, while a DEX aggregator we queried the same evening charged no platform fee at all on a $1,000 swap.
Each wallet's own fee page, terms or code, checked 20 October 2026. Backpack's terms still say 0.85%.
Flexe.io is a marketing and PR agency for crypto and fintech companies that runs user acquisition for wallets and wallet-targeted campaigns for token launches, so we see these apps from the install funnel as well as the user side. The table below is the short version.
| Wallet | Chains (own figure) | Platforms | Published swap fee | Open source | Hardware wallets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phantom | 9 (Chrome listing says 3) | Extension, iOS, Android | 0.85% | No, SDKs only | Ledger only |
| MetaMask | 19 swap networks, “700+” EVM | Extension, iOS, Android | 0.875% | Code public, all rights reserved | Ledger, Trezor, Keystone and 3 more |
| Rabby | 71 EVM networks | Extension, desktop, iOS, Android | 0.25% | Yes, MIT | Ledger, Trezor, Keystone and others |
| Backpack | 15+ (blog); 7 in help centre | Extension, desktop, iOS, Android | 0% since March 2026 (terms: 0.85%) | GPL-3.0, repo frozen since 2024 | Ledger, Trezor, Keystone |
| Exodus | 50+ networks | Desktop, iOS, Android (extension discontinued) | From 0.5%, as a spread | Partly | Ledger, Trezor |
| Trust Wallet | 100+ | iOS, Android, extension | 0.7% (swap page says none) | Wallet Core only | Ledger, via extension |
| Coinbase Wallet | 12 | iOS, Android, extension, web | Up to 1% | SDKs only | Ledger, via extension |
| OKX Wallet | 130+ (help centre: 100+) | iOS, Android, extension, web | 0% to 0.5% | SDKs only | Keystone |
How we compared the crypto wallets
We read each wallet’s help centre, fee pages, terms, security page and GitHub on 20 October 2026, plus the official Chrome Web Store, App Store and Google Play listings. Where a wallet exposes its own chain list through an API, we counted it. Where two official pages disagree, the table shows the help centre figure and the text names the conflict. Self-reported user numbers are marked as such.
Security pages and repositories, 20 October 2026. Backpack's repository says it has had no third-party audit.
At 20:09 Moscow time we also pulled live quotes for a $1,000 USDC swap from two public DEX aggregator APIs, Jupiter on Solana and KyberSwap on Ethereum, and applied each wallet’s published fee to them. That gives a like-for-like fee comparison without connecting a wallet or trading.
Demand is mostly branded. In Bing, “phantom wallet” draws 25,931 searches a month, “exodus wallet” 12,059 and “trust wallet” 9,989, against 417 for “best crypto wallet” (all countries, September 2026). One pattern stood out in the stores: extension ratings sit far below mobile ones, with MetaMask at 2.0 on Chrome against 4.74 on iOS.
Exact-match searches, all countries, September 2026, from our Bing keyword data.
Building a wallet or launching a token: wallet users are the most valuable audience in crypto, and the cheapest to waste money on. Flexe.io is a marketing and PR agency for crypto and fintech companies, and we run wallet-targeted campaigns and user acquisition for wallets and token launches.
Phantom: best for Solana users
Phantom wallet comes from Phantom Technologies, Inc., whose team formed in 2021. Its help centre lists 9 networks, including Solana, Ethereum, Base, Polygon, BNB Chain and Bitcoin, while its Chrome Web Store listing still names 3. Support for Monad ended on 26 August 2026 and for Sui on 24 September 2026. It runs as a Chrome, Brave or Edge extension and on iOS and Android, and it works with Ledger only: Trezor and Tangem are listed as unsupported.
The swap fee is 0.85% on most swaps, and the terms state that rates in the app “are calculated with fees applied”. Cross-chain swaps add the bridge provider’s fee on top. The wallet app is closed source, with Kudelski (2021) and Least Authority (2024) audits published. The homepage claims 20+ million users, while the latest milestone on its own about page is 15M+, dated January 2025.
MetaMask: best for Ethereum users with hardware wallets
MetaMask wallet is run by Consensys Software Inc. and has served Ethereum users since 2016. The homepage claims “700+ supported networks”, which counts any EVM network a user can add; built-in swaps work on 19, including Bitcoin, Solana and Tron. It runs as an extension in five browsers and on iOS and Android, and it has the widest hardware list here: Ledger, Trezor, Lattice, Keystone, NGRAVE and AirGap.
The swap and bridge fee is 0.875%, which the support guide says is “automatically factored into each quote”. The code is public on GitHub, but its licence reads “All rights reserved”, so it is source-available rather than open source. Its perps page says MetaMask takes no perps fees, while its help centre lists a 0.1432% taker rate against a 0.045% base rate at Hyperliquid.
Two changes are recent. On 9 September 2026 Consensys Software Inc. announced it will rebrand as MetaMask. On 30 September MetaMask reported a security incident in part of its infrastructure and exited affected staking validators, saying it found no sign that wallets or funds were affected.
Rabby: best for DeFi power users on EVM chains
Rabby wallet is built by OPCODE LABS PTE. LTD., the team behind DeBank. It supports EVM networks only, and its own chain API returned 71 of them on our check date. It runs in Chrome, as a desktop app for macOS and Windows, and on iOS and Android. The code is MIT-licensed, and the repo holds SlowMist audit reports from 2022 to 2026 and Least Authority reports from 2024 to 2026.
The fee schedule in Rabby’s own code is 0.25% by default, 0.12% for trades from $100,000 to $1 million, and zero above that, on stablecoin pairs and on wrapping. The app even shows rivals’ rates of 0.875% and 0.85%. The downsides: no Solana or Bitcoin, no fiat on-ramp, a 20% service fee on its Gas Top Up feature, and a 3.53 iOS rating.
Backpack: best for Solana traders using the Backpack exchange
Backpack wallet now sits beside the Backpack exchange in one mobile app. Its help centre lists 7 networks, including Solana, Ethereum, Base and Sonic, while a March 2026 announcement claims 15+ and its Chrome listing names Monad and Sui. It runs in Chrome, Brave and Edge, on Windows and macOS, and on iOS and Android. It supports Ledger, Trezor and Keystone, and offers MoonPay as its only on-ramp.
The fee is the most confusing in this test. A March 2026 announcement says Backpack now charges zero fees on swaps and bridges on every network, yet its wallet terms dated January 2026 still state a flat 0.85%. Two official documents also disagree on the company: Backpack Technologies Ltd. in the 2026 terms, 200ms Labs Ltd. in a 2023 file still served at backpack.app/terms.
The same announcement calls the wallet “regularly audited by leading security firms” without naming one, while its GitHub security file says it has not had any third-party audit. The public repository has not been updated since February 2024, so outsiders cannot check the code that ships today.
Exodus: best for desktop users who hold rather than use dApps
Exodus wallet belongs to Exodus Movement, Inc., which is listed on NYSE American. It covers 50+ networks on Windows, macOS and Linux desktops and on iOS and Android, with Ledger and Trezor support. Its FAQ says the Web3 browser extension has been discontinued, and on 25 September 2026 it removed WalletConnect and the dApp browser from its mobile app, so it no longer connects to web3 apps.
The fee is the hardest to read in this test. Its support page says “Exodus doesn’t charge any fees” on swaps, then adds that swaps “may include a spread”; the homepage says rates “start as low as 0.5%”. Its Q2 2026 filing shows $18.74 million of swap revenue, 71.5% of all revenue, on about $1.1 billion of swap volume. That implies roughly 1.7%, by our arithmetic. Monthly active users fell 6.7% in Q2 2026, to 1.4 million.
Trust Wallet: best for beginners on mobile
Trust Wallet launched in 2017 and claims 100+ blockchains. It runs on iOS and Android and as a Chrome or Brave extension, with no desktop app and Ledger support through the extension only. Its security page names CertiK, Cure53, Halborn, Kudelski Security and Quantstamp as auditors and lists ISO 27001 certification. It says it is trusted by over 200 million people on one page and cites 220 million+ downloads on another.
Its own pages disagree on fees: the swap page says it charges no additional service fee, while its comparison page lists a 0.7% swap fee. In December 2025 a malicious version 2.68 of its extension reached the Chrome Web Store through a leaked API key. Trust’s incident update counts 2,520 affected addresses and about $8.5 million, and reimbursement requires ID and KYC.
Coinbase Wallet: best for Coinbase account holders
Coinbase Wallet was renamed Base App in July 2025 and switched back to Coinbase Wallet in September 2026; its terms now name Coinbase Bermuda Technologies Limited. It supports 12 networks, 10 of them with swaps, on iOS, Android, Chrome and the web. The classic wallet closed on 15 August 2026, dropping about 21 networks including Dogecoin, Litecoin, XRP and Stellar, and those users must import their seed phrase elsewhere.
The help centre says the wallet “charges a fee of up to 1% on swaps”, the highest ceiling here, with no default rate published, and DEX aggregators may add their own fee inside the received amount. No audits or user numbers are published. Ledger works through the extension only, the Chrome listing is rated 2.6, and perps and prediction markets are unavailable in the US, UK and Canada.
OKX Wallet: best for multi-chain users outside restricted regions
OKX Wallet is provided by OKX Technology Inc. under Singapore law. Its site claims 130+ chains, its help centre says 100+ and Google Play says 120+. It runs on iOS, Android, Chrome and the web, supports Keystone hardware, and names CertiK and SlowMist audits from 2022 to 2024. Its download page calls web3.okx.com/download the only official link.
Each wallet's own figure, 20 October 2026; several give different numbers on different pages.
Since 12 May 2026 OKX charges an interface fee of 0%, 0.1%, 0.25% or 0.5% depending on the token pair, per its fee table, while its DEX FAQ still says “absolutely no platform fees”. In March 2025 it paused its DEX aggregator “after consulting with regulators” over misuse by the Lazarus group. Its Chrome listing is rated 2.7, and it publishes no user numbers.
Swap fees: what each wallet charges on a $1,000 swap
| Wallet | Published fee | Wallet fee on $1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Rabby | 0.25% | $2.50 |
| OKX Wallet | 0% to 0.5% | $0 to $5.00 |
| Trust Wallet | 0.7% (0% on promo stablecoins) | $7.00 |
| Phantom | 0.85% | $8.50 |
| Backpack | 0% since March 2026 (terms: 0.85%) | $0 (terms: $8.50) |
| MetaMask | 0.875% | $8.75 |
| Coinbase Wallet | Up to 1% | Up to $10.00 |
| Exodus | From 0.5%, spread in quote | From $5.00 (about $17 implied) |
At 20:09 Moscow time on 20 October 2026, Jupiter’s public API quoted 1,000 USDC into 9.3844 SOL with no platform fee and a price impact under 0.001%. Applying Phantom’s 0.85% to that route leaves about 9.30 SOL. The same evening, KyberSwap quoted 1,000 USDC into 0.40777 ETH with about $0.49 of gas; MetaMask’s 0.875% would cut that to about 0.40420 ETH.
These are published fees applied to an aggregator quote, not screenshots of each wallet’s own quote, since wallets may route differently. The gap scales with size: on a $10,000 swap, Rabby’s fee is $25 and MetaMask’s is $87.50. Users pay for convenience, transaction simulation and one-tap routing; anyone swapping often can save by using a DEX directly, such as those in our Solana DEX list.
Fake wallet sites and drainers: how to check you have the real one
| Wallet | Official download | App store developer |
|---|---|---|
| Phantom | phantom.com/download | Phantom Technologies |
| MetaMask | metamask.io/download | ConsenSys AG (iOS), Consensys Software Inc. (Chrome) |
| Rabby | rabby.io | OPCODE LABS PTE. LTD. |
| Backpack | backpack.app | Backpack Technologies Ltd. (iOS) |
| Exodus | exodus.com/download | Exodus Movement, Inc. |
| Trust Wallet | trustwallet.com | DApps Platform Software Services Ltd. |
| Coinbase Wallet | wallet.coinbase.com | Coinbase Wallet; Toshi Holdings on Chrome |
| OKX Wallet | web3.okx.com/download | OKX Technology Inc. |
Our own check found clones ranking for a wallet brand. On 20 October 2026, Bing’s first result for “exodus wallet” was `exodus-eng.com`, above exodus.com, and `v-exodus.com` sat at number six; Google showed `boc-exdusweb.pages.dev` around number nine. Neither engine flagged them. We list these domains as text only and did not open them.
Official Chrome Web Store listings, 20 October 2026. Check the store ID before installing any wallet extension.
Exodus says to download only from its website and that a genuine Mac build is signed by “Exodus Movement Inc (VK5Q293EVL)”. OKX says any iOS developer name other than OKX Technology Inc. means a counterfeit app. The Trust Wallet incident shows that even an official store can ship a bad build, so keep large balances away from extensions you use daily.
For browser extensions, compare the store ID with the one the wallet publishes. Trust Wallet lists `egjidjbpglichdcondbcbdnbeeppgdph` on its extension page and OKX lists `mcohilncbfahbmgdjkbpemcciiolgcge`, so a listing with the right name and a different ID is a copy. MetaMask states it exists only as a browser extension and a mobile app, which makes any “MetaMask desktop” download fake.
When to move to a hardware wallet
Move savings to a hardware wallet once a balance would hurt to lose, or once you hold for months and sign rarely. Keep a software wallet for daily swaps and dApps, funded only with what you plan to spend, and keep the long-term balance on the device. Check compatibility first: Phantom works with Ledger only, OKX with Keystone, and Coinbase Wallet and Trust Wallet with Ledger only through their extensions.
MetaMask, Rabby, Backpack and Exodus support both Ledger and Trezor, though Exodus Mobile supports Ledger on just six networks. A hardware wallet protects the keys, not your judgement: it will still sign a malicious approval if you confirm one, so read every request on the device screen before pressing the button.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Phantom wallet safe?
Phantom publishes two independent audits, Kudelski in 2021 and Least Authority in 2024, and runs a bug bounty of up to $50,000. Its app is closed source, so outsiders cannot review the full code. Its help centre warns that scammers upload fake apps that can steal funds, so install only from phantom.com/download and read every signing request.
Phantom vs MetaMask: which should I use?
Phantom is the better fit for Solana, with 9 supported networks and a 0.85% swap fee. MetaMask fits Ethereum and EVM users, adds Trezor and other hardware wallets, and charges 0.875% on swaps and bridges. Running both in one browser can cause connection pop-up conflicts, so some users keep each in a separate browser profile.
What is the best crypto wallet for beginners?
For a first mobile wallet, Trust Wallet covers 100+ blockchains, names five audit firms and has a 4.7 iOS rating. Phantom is simpler if you only use Solana. Whichever you choose, write the recovery phrase on paper, never type it into a website, and start with a small amount.
Do crypto wallets charge fees?
Sending crypto only costs the network fee, but built-in swaps carry a wallet fee: 0.25% at Rabby, 0.85% at Phantom, 0.875% at MetaMask, up to 1% at Coinbase Wallet and from 0.5% at Exodus, while Backpack announced zero in March 2026. Most of them include the fee inside the quote, so compare the amount you receive.
Can a wallet freeze my funds?
A self-custody wallet cannot freeze coins held by your recovery phrase, but it can remove features or networks. Coinbase Wallet dropped about 21 networks in August 2026 and told those users to import their seed phrase into another wallet. Stablecoin issuers can still block specific tokens at the contract level.
Who made this comparison
Flexe.io is a marketing and PR agency for crypto and fintech companies, running KOL campaigns, crypto PR and paid traffic since 2018. We buy explorer placements for token launches, so we track which blockchain explorers sell ads, what audience they report and where the free APIs end. No explorer paid to be included, and we earn nothing from the links on this page.
Related reading
If you build or market a wallet, start with our guide to crypto wallet marketing and how to set up wallet targeting. To check what a wallet actually sent, use our 17 blockchain explorers by chain; for swaps without connecting a wallet see our comparison of 8 instant crypto exchanges, and before buying a new token check it in one of the 11 DEX screener tools we compared.