Cypher Box vs Stacked

Open-source Bitcoin wallet appropriate for beginners who want to gradually reach advanced self-custody. It features a progressive framework that strikes a balance between; security, fees, and UX. Your progression as a user takes four difficulty levels, reflecting your understanding of Bitcoin and the amount of balance you want to secure. The app can be ultra newbie-friendly since it comes with Lightning Network service providers, but as your balance grows, you can transfer your Bitcoin into a more secure environment by creating hot or cold storage vaults. Note: We do NOT custody your funds. Level 1 - absolute beginner: Lightning Account (e.g Strike) - Instant Lightning Network payments with low fees via a custodial or exchange service provider. - Receive small or medium amounts of bitcoin - Threshold-based withdrawals to minimize withdrawal fees and security/counterparty risk. - Seamless withdrawals to self-custodial vaults. (if created) Level 2 - newbie: Lightning Vault (Bark) - Instant noncustodial Lightning payments with low fees. - Receive small or medium amounts of bitcoin - Seamless swap to/from to a custodian(s) or exchange(s). - Lightning capsule refresh reminder to keep balance backed up and under the user’s full control. - Withdraw to hot or cold storage (if created) Level 3 - advanced: Hot or Cold Storage Vault - Generate a 12-word backup - Connect hardware wallet - Receive large to medium amounts of bitcoin (onchain) - Withdraw from Lightning wallets to cold or hot storage - Lightning wallet Top-ups for quick liquidation - Move coins between vaults - Batch, label, and manage coins (coincontrol) Level 4 - power user: Multi-Custodian multi-vault - Diversify funds across multiple Lightning custodians and your self-custodial vaults. - Swap between custodians and non-custodial Bark vault - Manage custodial thresholds to balance risks. Other features: - Interactive bar display to visualize balance in relation to your thresholds - Graphical representation of 'Capsules' or coins (UTXOs) that reflect their size (soon) - Total balance across all checking accounts and vaults Technical specs: - LNURL - SegWit-first - Bip39 - Watch-only vault - PSBT - Private keys never leave your device

Stacked Self-custody POS turns your iPhone into a Lightning point of sale that charges straight to your own lightning address. There is no Stacked account, no API key and no server in between. The app never holds your money — payments go from your customer to your wallet. HOW IT WORKS Enter your lightning address once. When you take a sale, the app asks your own address provider for an invoice, shows it to the customer as a QR code, and watches for it to be paid. The moment it settles you get a receipt. The sats land in your wallet, not ours. TAP TO PAY WITH BOLT CARDS Hold a bolt card to the phone and the invoice is paid by tap. The card's own service does the paying — the POS only hands it the invoice. PRICED IN YOUR CURRENCY Ring up sales the way you always have: type 1 2 5 0 and charge $12.50. The app converts to sats at the live bitcoin price and shows both. Over 150 currencies, or switch to SAT and price in sats directly. The rate comes from public price sources, and the app tells you how old it is — if the price goes stale, charging pauses until it refreshes, so you never sell at a rate you cannot see. YOUR SALES, ON YOUR PHONE Every invoice the till creates is kept on the device, newest first, grouped by day with the day's takings. Each sale shows whether it was paid, is still waiting, expired or was cancelled, and opens to reveal everything recorded for it: the rate it was priced at, the times, how it was paid, the payment hash and preimage. Nothing is uploaded anywhere. WHAT YOU NEED - A lightning address whose provider supports LUD-21 payment verification. The app checks this during setup and tells you if your provider will not work, because without it there is no way to confirm a payment. - An internet connection. - For tap to pay: an iPhone with NFC. WHAT THIS APP DOES NOT DO - It does not hold, custody or move your funds. It cannot spend from your wallet. - It does not issue refunds. Refunds are between you and your customer. - It has no accounts, no sign-up, no analytics and no ads. - It does not sync between devices. The sales list lives on this phone only. OPEN ABOUT THE TRADE-OFF Self-custody means the responsibility is yours. Your lightning address provider is who actually receives your money, and this app is only the till that asks them for invoices. If your provider goes down, you cannot take payments. If you reset the app, the local sales list goes with it.