Start Free Trial
Home › Crypto › Wallets › Electrum

⚡ Electrum review: security, features and score

64/100SCORE · CMixed recordSelf custody, seed phrase Grade C, fair

Experienced Bitcoin users who want a lightweight, long proven client.

The facts

DEVELOPER
Electrum Technologies
LAUNCHED
2011
TYPE
Desktop and mobile
CUSTODY MODEL
Self custody, seed phrase
KEY MODEL
Seed phrase, multisig, hardware, or watch-only
CHAINS
Bitcoin only
PLATFORMS
macOS, Windows, Linux, Android
OPEN SOURCE
Full
AUDITS
Open source since 2011
HARDWARE SUPPORT
Ledger, Trezor, Coldcard, BitBox
SWAP COST
None built in.

What it can do

✗Dapp browser
✗Staking
✗NFTs
✗Built in swap
✗Bridging
✗Buy with card
✓Testnets

How the score breaks down

security26/30
chains7/20
usability11/20
features10/20
transparency10/10

Each dimension is explained on the methodology page.

Where it is strong and where it is not

✓ Strengths
  • Running since 2011 and fully open source
  • Very lightweight
  • Multisig and hardware support
  • Fine control over fees
✗ Weaknesses
  • Years of phishing campaigns aimed at its users
  • Dated interface
  • Bitcoin only

Incident history

2018 to 2020

Attackers ran malicious Electrum servers that pushed fake update messages to users, tricking them into downloading malware. Millions of dollars were lost. The flaw was in how updates were surfaced rather than in the key handling, and it has since been changed.

Only ever download Electrum from electrum.org. Fake versions distributed through search ads and update popups have stolen a great deal of money.

Reputation and reviews

A reputation score out of 100, kept separate from the feature score above. It reflects what users actually report over time rather than a star rating scraped on one day.

REPUTATION
74/100
Mixed record

The oldest Bitcoin wallet still in wide use, and technically excellent. Its reputation is dented by years of phishing campaigns exploiting its update mechanism, which caught a lot of people.

Check current reviews yourself

Star ratings change constantly, so we link to the sources rather than printing a number that is out of date the day after it is written.

App Store↗Google Play↗Trustpilot↗Reddit r/CryptoCurrency↗Source code and issues↗

If something goes wrong

COMMON FIXES
Transaction stuck pendingYour transaction has sat as Pending for minutes or hours and nothing is moving.Transaction failed but the gas was still takenThe transaction reverted, you got nothing, and the fee left your wallet anyway.Token is not showing in my walletThe block explorer shows the tokens arrived, but the wallet shows nothing.I sent tokens to the wrong networkYou withdrew to your address but picked the wrong chain, and the balance is not where you expected.
RISK WARNING Crypto assets are highly volatile and largely unregulated. You can lose everything you put in. Nothing on this page is financial, investment or tax advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Do your own research and never commit money you cannot afford to lose.
← PREVIOUS
Sparrow
NEXT →
BlueWallet