Notes 
Decentralized servers, encrypted, cached blockchain for improved speeds.
Reviewed by Marco Wollank
Electrum
electrum.org 3 ratings so far*
Rate Electrum: No account needed
Threat level
Hardened
A hardened pick. Worth the effort once you have chosen to shrink your footprint on purpose. Enough for most people. Threat levels
Our take
A veteran lightweight Bitcoin wallet, fast because it doesn’t download the whole chain, and flexible with hardware-wallet support and its own decentralized servers. The flip side of that lightweight model is that, by default, you connect to public servers that can see which addresses you query, so privacy-conscious users should point it at their own node. Pick Electrum when you want a mature, no-frills wallet that runs everywhere and you’re willing to configure your server. Beginners who want hand-holding may prefer something more guided.
GitHub at a glance
spesmilo/electrum MIT bitcoinbitcoin-walletelectrumlightninglightning-networkpython
Stars
8,651
+11 this week
Forks
3,495
406 watching
Last commit
today
healthy
Star history
Issues
84% closed
1,143
open
6,135
closed
+12 / -22
opened / closed, last 4 weeks
Opened vs closed, last 12 weeks
Commits, last 26 weeks
919 commits, active 26 of 26 weeks
353 contributors since Aug 2012
Languages
- Python 89.8%
- QML 7.9%
- Shell 1.7%
- Other 0.6%
Updated daily from the GitHub API. Star tracking since Jun 15, 2026.
Website at a glance
electrum.org
C score 50
Basic website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 3d ago
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
Electrum alternatives
Cake Wallet Open-source, non-custodial wallet for Monero and Bitcoin where your keys never leave the device.
Edge Touch ID (fingerprint) support, offers in-app buy and sell.
Sparrow Wallet Built-in trustless CoinJoin. Easy to use and offers users a quick start guide .
Wasabi Non-custodial, privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet for Desktop, that implements trustless CoinJoin.
Electrum license, in plain English
MIT Permissive
Do almost anything: use, change, and ship it, even inside closed-source products. The only condition is keeping the copyright notice.
Permits
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Private use
Requires
- License and copyright notice
Does not provide
- Liability cover
- Warranty
Why it matters: Permissive licensing lets anyone reuse this, including inside closed products. That is freedom to build on, but no guarantee that downstream copies stay open.
Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.
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