Phoenix Wallet review
Phoenix Wallet is a self-custody Bitcoin wallet integrated with Lightning, developed by ACINQ SAS, a French company based in Paris. Users can create the wallet without an account or identity verification. Although ACINQ's node can see the destination and amount of your payments, optional Tor usage can prevent your IP address from being visible to it. Sending payments over Lightning incurs a cost of 0.4% plus 4 sat, while receiving payments is free. In our view, Phoenix Wallet suits people who want easy Lightning payments and accept that ACINQ sees them.
No ID, by design
Phoenix Wallet never asks for ID by design, per its own pages. You hold the keys.
Latest release: Android-v2.8.4 (2026-10-02)
Choose Phoenix Wallet if
Who Phoenix Wallet suits, from the values on this page.
Phoenix Wallet suits you if
- You want to trade with no account and no ID: Phoenix Wallet never asks for ID, by design.
- You want to keep your own keys: on Phoenix Wallet, you hold the keys.
- You want to pay or get paid over Lightning.
- You want open-source software.
Phoenix Wallet might not be the right fit if
- You want Monero: Phoenix Wallet does not list it.
- You want a service with no incident on record: Phoenix Wallet had one in 2024.
Inside Phoenix Wallet
Screenshots taken November 3, 2026
What you get with Phoenix Wallet
Yes, no or partly, from our dataPrivacy 2 of 6
- No IDYesBy design
- No accountYes
- Tor built inNot statedNot statedPhoenix Wallet's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Onion addressNoNone published
- I2P addressNoNone published
- Works without JavaScriptNot statedNot statedPhoenix Wallet's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
Coins 2 of 4
- BitcoinYes
- MoneroNo
- LightningYes
- ZcashNo
Custody and code 2 of 3
- You hold the keysYes
- Open sourceYes
- Address screeningNot statedNot statedPhoenix Wallet's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
When can Phoenix Wallet ask for your ID?
Never, by design, per Phoenix Wallet's own pages. Labels come from each provider's terms, never from our guess.
- 1Never, by designPhoenix Wallet is on this stepNo company holds your order, so nobody can ask
- 2Only if you chooseID only for extras you opt into
- 3If a payment is flaggedNo ID by default; checks when a risk system flags you
- 4Above a limitID once you pass a stated amount
- 5AlwaysID before you trade, deposit or withdraw
If a check comes and you do not pass it
No KYC hold described; ACINQ's node may close channels or reclaim liquidity at any time, and the user can close channels or, as a last resort, force-close unilaterally (funds back on-chain after a 720-block delay, about 5 days)
“The peer reserves the right to close channels, or reclaim liquidity from channels at any time.”
Not stated on Phoenix Wallet's pages: what triggers a check, fee on refusal, refund policyPhoenix Wallet's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no.
Checked October 22, 2026
What Phoenix Wallet costs
| What | Phoenix Wallet |
|---|---|
| Trade fee | Sending via Lightning 0.4% + 4 sat; receiving via Lightning free; receiving with insufficient liquidity or requesting liquidity 1% + mining fees; channel creation 1,000 sat; on-chain sends and receives pay mining fees |
| No-ID limit | Not statedPhoenix Wallet's own pages we checked do not say, checked Oct 14, 2026. This is not the same as no. |
What Phoenix Wallet knows about you
Who sees what during a trade, and who runs it.
During a trade
No ID check does not make a bank payment private.
Network and who runs it
- Warrant canary
- Not published
Checked October 22, 2026
Track record and code
US exit in May 2024, app listed again in the US App Store; no hack or loss of funds found.
Incidents
- 2024Apr 26, 2024: Announced removal of Phoenix from US app stores on 2024-05-03 and asked US users to empty their wallets; ACINQ cited doubts from US authorities' announcements whether self-custodial wallet providers or Lightning service providers could be treated as money services businesses (statement quoted by No Bullshit Bitcoin).
- License
- Apache-2.0
Checked October 22, 2026
More facts we checked on Phoenix Wallet
- Onion address
- Not published
- I2P address
- Not published
Phoenix Wallet in the US and elsewhere
In the US
US availability: Available
If you are a US person, US sanctions rules apply to you whether or not a service asks for ID.
Outside the US
Where Phoenix Wallet does not serve
2 places in its terms- Restricted Jurisdictions determined by ACINQ (no list published)
- countries subject to UN, US, EU or UK sanctions
Regional rule: Not statedPhoenix Wallet's own pages we checked do not say. This is not the same as no.
- Site blocks by region
- Restricted Jurisdictions determined by ACINQ (no list published); countries subject to UN, US, EU or UK sanctions
Where you live and the provider's terms
Many services on this page do not serve every country. Some exclude people because of where they live or their citizenship, not only where they connect from. Read the provider's terms before you send funds. If the terms exclude you, do not use the service, and do not try to get around the restriction, for example with a VPN.
Taxes
A service that does not ask for ID does not change your taxes. In the US, the federal income tax return asks a yes-or-no question about digital assets, and you must report digital asset transactions whether or not they result in a gain or loss. In the UK, you may owe Capital Gains Tax when you sell, swap or spend crypto, and you must keep your own records. Rules in other countries differ.
No KYC is not anonymity
"No KYC" here means the provider says it does not ask for ID in the cases its terms describe. It does not make you anonymous. The provider's terms may let it ask for ID later. Regulated exchanges you send funds from or to may have to collect information about who sends and who receives a crypto transfer. Your tax duties stay the same.
Funds can be held
If a provider asks for more information during a swap or a withdrawal, it may hold your funds until it gets it. Its terms decide what happens next. In the UK, a crypto business that asks for information on a transfer to or from a self-custody wallet, and does not receive it, must not pass the funds on. Read what the provider's terms say before you send. Phoenix Wallet's terms say that if a check is requested and not completed: no KYC hold described; ACINQ's node may close channels or reclaim liquidity at any time, and the user can close channels or, as a last resort, force-close unilaterally (funds back on-chain after a 720-block delay, about 5 days).
Checked October 22, 2026
Lightning tools to compare with Phoenix Wallet
Other active services in this category from our list. The shield shows each one's ID rule from its own terms.
Phoenix Wallet side by side
From our privacy data, the same fields for every service| What | Phoenix Wallet | Boltz |
|---|---|---|
| ID rule | No ID, by design | No ID, by design |
| Account | None | None |
| You hold the keys | Yes | Yes |
| Monero | No | No |
| Lightning | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
Checked October 22, 2026
Short answers about Phoenix Wallet
From the data on this page.
Does Phoenix Wallet ask for ID?
Phoenix Wallet never asks for ID by design, per its own pages. There is no account.
Who holds your coins during a Phoenix Wallet trade?
You hold the keys. Self-custody Lightning node on the phone with channels to ACINQ's node; trust-minimized, not trustless (channel funding from incoming Lightning payments requires trust until confirmed); built-in swap-in and swap-out between on-chain and Lightning.
Can you buy Monero on Phoenix Wallet?
No. Phoenix Wallet does not list Monero, per its own pages.
What does Phoenix Wallet cost?
Trade fee: Sending via Lightning 0.4% + 4 sat; receiving via Lightning free; receiving with insufficient liquidity or requesting liquidity 1% + mining fees; channel creation 1,000 sat; on-chain sends and receives pay mining fees.
Who checked this page
Sources, how we read the terms and our process
Sources
- api.github.com/repos/ACINQ/phoenix, for license, checked October 22, 2026
- api.github.com/repos/ACINQ/phoenix/releases/latest, for latest release, checked October 22, 2026
- apps.apple.com/us/app/phoenix-wallet/id1544097028, for US availability, checked October 22, 2026
- github.com/ACINQ/phoenix, for open source, checked October 22, 2026
- itunes.apple.com/lookup, for status, checked October 22, 2026
- phoenix.acinq.co, for Lightning, checked October 22, 2026
- phoenix.acinq.co/content/faq-2-trustnprivacy.md, for custody, custody in detail and warrant canary, checked October 22, 2026
- phoenix.acinq.co/content/privacy.md, for I2P address, checked October 22, 2026
- phoenix.acinq.co/faq, for fees, checked October 23, 2026
- phoenix.acinq.co/privacy, for data collected and onion address, checked October 22, 2026
- phoenix.acinq.co/terms, for ID rule, what happens if a check fails, account, Monero, Zcash, bitcoin, operator, excluded countries and site blocks by region, checked October 22, 2026
- x.com/PhoenixWallet/status/1783878658014249027, for incidents, checked October 22, 2026
How we read the terms
We do not give privacy services a score. We record what each provider's own pages say: when it asks for ID, the limits, who holds your coins and what it costs. Labels come from each provider's terms, never from our guess. How we read the terms
Our process
We take fees, availability, licenses and coin counts from primary sources: Phoenix Wallet's own fee schedules, terms and help pages, and the public registers kept by regulators. Every value carries the date we last checked it. The values on this page were checked between October 22, 2026 and October 23, 2026.
Not legal or tax advice. This page explains how these services work and what their own terms say. It is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by country and change often. Check the rules where you live, or ask a qualified professional, before you use any service listed here.