Electrum review
Updated September 28, 2026 · HodlCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Electrum is an open source software wallet for anyone who wants to hold their own keys and back them up with a seed phrase. It costs €0 to download and covers 1 coin, so holders who need a broad asset list or a support desk will look elsewhere.
Key facts
- Best for
- A self-custody software wallet that costs €0 to download
- Wallet type
- Software↗
- Price
- €0↗
- Custody
- Self custody↗
- Coins supported
- 1↗
- Open source
- Yes↗
- Backup options
- Seed↗
- Legal entity
- Electrum Technologies GmbH↗
- Headquarters
- Germany↗
- Founded
- 2011↗
- Support channels
- Community↗
- Features
- Self-custody
- Official website
- electrum.org
Facts checked September 26, 2026, 2 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
- Elsewhere
- WikidataWikipediaXf-droid.org
Pros and cons
Pros
- Price of €0 to download, with custody staying with the holder: self custody
- Open source, so the code can be read and checked
- Backups use a seed, the most common method in the wallets ranked
- A named company behind the wallet, working since 2011
Cons
- Support runs on community only, so questions are answered by other users
- Only 1 coin is supported, which rules out multi-asset storage
- Wallet type is software, so storage depends on the machine you install it on
Who it suits
- Holders who want control of their own keys and can keep a seed backup safe
- Readers who value open source software and a long operating history
- People comfortable troubleshooting their own software and relying on community answers
Who should look elsewhere
- Trezor, if you want keys kept in a hardware device rather than on a general computer
- Bit2Me, if you prefer a mobile wallet to desktop software
- bynex, if you would rather a provider look after custody and recovery
The company behind it
Electrum comes from Electrum Technologies GmbH, based in Germany, and has been shipping wallets since 2011. Having a named company behind the software matters for anyone who wants a counterparty to hold responsible, though support itself is limited to community channels. Questions are handled in public by other users rather than by a staffed desk.
How Electrum compares
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.2
9.3 vs 9.7
9.3 vs 9.5
9.3 vs 9.6
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0Trezor is a hardware wallet, the other route if you want keys kept in a device instead of on a general computer.
9.3 vs 8.2
9.3 vs 9.7
9.3 vs 9.5
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 8.8
9.3 vs 8.7
9.3 vs 8.7
9.3 vs 8.6
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 8.3
Frequently asked questions
What does Electrum cost?+
Electrum is a software wallet with a price of €0, so the download itself is the only cost. That is why the cost part of the score, 8.1, sits well above the offer part at 1.1. Nothing has to be bought before you store a key.
Does Electrum hold my coins?+
Custody is listed as self custody, and self-custody is the main feature. There is no provider balance to lose; what matters is the seed you write down at setup. Anyone who cannot store that safely offline should use a custodial wallet instead.
How many coins does Electrum support?+
The coin count is 1, which places Electrum at 96 of 108 brands on this measure. Multi-asset holders who expect a long token list will find it narrow, and should compare hardware wallets instead.
How do I recover an Electrum wallet?+
Backups use a seed, the most common backup method across the wallets ranked here. Recovery therefore depends on the accuracy of the seed phrase you wrote down, which is why keeping it offline and out of reach of others matters more than any support channel.
How do I get help with Electrum?+
Support runs on community, so questions are answered by other users rather than by a staffed desk. The documentation covers recovery and signing questions in detail, but for a personal problem you are on your own with the seed phrase and the software.
Is Electrum open source?+
Yes, Electrum is open source, so the code that holds and signs with keys can be read and checked by anyone. Combined with self custody, that keeps the security question in your own hands rather than in a provider's systems.
Which devices can run Electrum?+
Electrum is a software wallet, so it runs on a machine you control rather than a dedicated signing device. That keeps hardware spending at €0, and the same backup method, a seed, applies whichever computer you install it on.
Sources
- docs.electrum.org/en/latest/faq.html checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Backup options, Coins supported, Features
“The seed is a random phrase that is used to generate your private keys.”
- electrum.org checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Custody, Founded, Headquarters, Legal entity, Open source, Price, Support channels, Wallet type
“Your private keys are encrypted and never leave your computer.”
Compiled from 2 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.