Phoenix Wallet vs Alby Go
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Phoenix Wallet
This app offers a fast, easy, and secure way to manage Bitcoin. It leverages the Lightning Network for near-instantaneous payments with minimal fees, making it ideal for everyday transactions like buying coffee. It's a non-custodial, open-source wallet designed for user-friendliness.
- Instant Bitcoin payments
- Minimal transaction fees
- Secure Bitcoin storage
- Automatic Lightning channel management
- Non-custodial wallet
- Open source
Read full descriptionHide full description
Phoenix makes using bitcoin easy, fast and safe. Payments are nearly instantaneous, and fees are minimal. You can use it to send payments (e.g. buy a cup of coffee), receive payments, and store your bitcoin safely for day-to-day spending. The bitcoin lightning network means faster payments and smaller fees. Lightning is 100% bitcoin - an open standardized payments layer, engineered to improve speed while maintaining security and decentralization. And Phoenix makes it possible for everyone to use. Lightning channels are managed for you automatically. And inbound liquidity is automatically handled too. If you don't know what any of that means, then this is the wallet for you! Phoenix is a non-custodial wallet, and is fully open source. It was created by ACINQ, one of the pioneering companies in the bitcoin lightning network. And the same company that runs the largest lightning node in the world. Bitcoin is for everyone. Enjoy.
Alby Go
Send bitcoin globally with instant, low-cost payments directly from your phone. This app offers a sleek design for quick transactions and integrates with your lightning node for on-the-go use. Explore endless use cases from everyday purchases to splitting bills with friends.
- Instant, low-cost global payments
- Self-custodial Bitcoin transactions
- Sleek and easy-to-use interface
- Connect to lightning nodes (Alby Hub, Umbrel, Start9)
- Send Bitcoin for purchases, gift cards, and bills
- Internal contact list for easy transactions
Read full descriptionHide full description
WHY ALBY GO: Alby Go works best with Alby Hub, your self-custodial wallet with the easiest to use lightning node, accessible from anywhere to integrate with dozens of apps. SEND BITCOIN EVERYWHERE Instant, low-cost, global payments – sent directly from your phone in a self-custodial way. EASIEST PAYMENTS Sleek app design to transact right away, quickly and nicely. USE YOUR NODE ON THE GO Connect Alby Hub and other lightning nodes like Umbrel or Start9. ENDLESS USE CASES Pay for drinks, buy gift cards, pay for streaming services, zap or split bills with friends thanks to the internal contact list.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Alby Go at 100% against Phoenix Wallet's 57%. Alby Go also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.2). Phoenix Wallet's advantage is ratings volume (75 vs 25). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Alby Go holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 75 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Phoenix Wallet's written reviews are positive against 100% of Alby Go's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Phoenix Wallet | Alby Go |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (75 ratings) | 4.8 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 75 — better | 25 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | ACINQ | Alby Inc. |
Customer experience
Phoenix Wallet
Alby Go
Bugs and requests
Phoenix Wallet
Reported bugs
18 issues- Money not reflecting in account
- Crypto locked in wallet
- Bitcoin sent without user action
- App not opening on iOS
- Funds never arrived after transaction
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- UI display incorrect for amounts
- Transaction pending for over 30 hours
- Seed backup to iCloud not resolved
- Funds stuck for months
- App deleted wallet after upgrade
- Restoring connections indefinitely
- Sat incoming message with 3 z
- Ghost notification badge
- V2 broken, 'restoring connections'
- Receiving not working for days
- Transactions not going through
- App offline, no internet message
- Malware activity warnings
Requested features
7 requests- Add LN Address
- Show preimage in detail
- Add Portuguese language
- Add CZK fiat currency
- Option to connect via TOR on iOS
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Ability to open own channels
- QR code receiving for bleskomat
Alby Go
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Phoenix Wallet
No in-app purchases
Alby Go
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Phoenix Wallet free?
Is Alby Go free?
Which has better reviews, Phoenix Wallet or Alby Go?
Do Phoenix Wallet or Alby Go have ads?
Which is updated more often, Phoenix Wallet or Alby Go?
Other comparisons
