Every XMR swap starts and ends in a wallet. You need one to receive Monero after a BTC to XMR swap, and you need one to send Monero when you go the other way. Pick the wrong wallet and a 20-minute swap turns into an evening of waiting for a sync bar.
This isn't a ranking of every Monero app out there. It's a short list of wallets we're comfortable pointing people to, with the trade-offs that actually show up when you swap.
What matters in a wallet when you swap
Most wallet reviews talk about design and coin counts. For swaps, four things matter more:
- Sync speed. Monero wallets have to scan the blockchain to find your payments. A wallet that takes an hour to catch up is a wallet that "loses" your swap for an hour.
- Subaddresses. A fresh subaddress for each swap keeps your incoming payments from being linked to each other. Any serious Monero wallet supports them, but some make it easier than others.
- Seed backup that you'll actually do. If the backup step is confusing, people skip it. Then a broken phone means lost coins.
- Remote node or your own node. Running your own node is the most private option. Connecting to a remote node is faster to set up. Good wallets let you choose.
Feather Wallet (desktop)
Feather is our first suggestion for anyone on a computer. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and even Tails, it syncs quickly because it connects to a remote node by default, and it has Tor built in if you want to hide your IP address from that node.
A few details that make it nice for swaps:
- It uses Polyseed, a 16-word seed that also stores the wallet's creation date. Restoring is much faster, because the wallet knows where to start scanning.
- It works with Ledger (Nano S, S Plus, X) and Trezor (Model T, Safe 3) hardware wallets.
- Coin control lets you choose exactly which outputs to spend, which matters if you care about mixing old and new funds.
The downside: there's no phone version. If you only use a phone, skip to Cake Wallet.
Cake Wallet (phone, plus desktop)
Cake Wallet is the easiest way to hold Monero on a phone, and it's what we'd suggest to someone buying XMR for the first time. It's available on iOS and Android, with desktop versions as well, and it holds Bitcoin too, so you can keep both sides of a swap in one app.
Creating a new subaddress takes two taps, which makes good privacy habits easy. It also supports Trezor hardware wallets on Android.
What to watch: Cake is a multi-coin wallet, so take a second to make sure you're on the Monero wallet, not the Bitcoin one, before copying a receive address. It sounds obvious. It's also the single easiest mistake to make at 1 a.m.
Monero GUI (official desktop wallet)
The official wallet from the Monero project. It's the most conservative choice and the one to use if you want to run your own full node, which means downloading the whole blockchain (well over 100 GB) but never trusting anyone else's server.
It has a "simple mode" that connects to a remote node instead, if you just want to get started. The interface is plainer than Feather's and syncing is slower, but it's the reference implementation, and it supports both Ledger and Trezor devices.
If you're restoring an old wallet in Monero GUI, set the restore height to roughly when you created it. Leaving it at zero makes the wallet scan years of blocks it doesn't need to.
Monerujo (Android)
Monerujo has been around for years and does one thing: Monero on Android. It's light, it's open source, and it doesn't try to be anything else. A good pick if you want a focused mobile wallet and don't need Bitcoin in the same app.
Hardware wallets
For larger amounts, keep your Monero on a hardware wallet and use one of the apps above as the interface.
| Device | Works with |
|---|---|
| Ledger Nano S Plus, Nano X | Monero GUI, Feather |
| Trezor Safe 3, Safe 5, Model T | Monero GUI, Feather (Safe 3, Model T), Cake Wallet on Android |
| Trezor Model One | Not supported |
Trezor's own Suite app doesn't support Monero, so you'll always pair the device with a third-party wallet.
Quick picks
| If you… | Use |
|---|---|
| Swap from a computer | Feather |
| Swap from a phone | Cake Wallet |
| Want to run your own node | Monero GUI |
| Use Android and only need Monero | Monerujo |
| Hold a larger amount | Any of the above with a Ledger or Trezor |
Before your first swap
Whatever you choose, do these three things before you send or receive anything:
- Write the seed phrase on paper and keep it somewhere safe. Not in a screenshot, not in your notes app.
- Let the wallet finish syncing. An unsynced wallet shows a zero balance even when the coins are there.
- Copy a receive address from the wallet and paste it into the swap form. On QuietSwap, the address gets checked before you can continue, so a typo shows up straight away.
Then you're ready to swap BTC to XMR or swap XMR to BTC.
FAQ
Can I use a Bitcoin wallet for Monero?
Only if it explicitly supports Monero. A regular Bitcoin wallet can't read Monero addresses or hold XMR.
What is a Monero subaddress?
An extra receiving address that belongs to the same wallet. Subaddresses start with 8. Using a new one for each swap keeps payments from being linked to each other on your side.
Why does my Monero wallet show zero after a swap?
Usually because it's still syncing. Let it finish. If the swap shows as complete and the wallet is fully synced, check that you're looking at the right account and that you restored from the right seed.
Are exchange wallets OK for Monero?
They work, but you don't control the keys, and several large exchanges have stopped supporting Monero entirely. A wallet you control is safer for swaps.