If you want Monero on your phone, Cake Wallet is the wallet almost everyone recommends first — and it's one of the only mobile Monero wallets that's fully open source on both iOS and Android.
Here's what it does well, where it falls short on privacy defaults, and how to set it up correctly.
Cake Wallet
Best Mobile
A free, open-source, non-custodial mobile wallet for Monero with support for Bitcoin, Litecoin and several other coins. Includes a built-in exchange, Tor support and a clean, beginner-friendly interface.
iOS & Android
Open Source
Tor Support
Multi-coin
Built-in Exchange
Default Node Caveat
Key Features
- Multi-coin support — Monero, Bitcoin, Litecoin and more in a single app, useful if you're managing a BTC→XMR swap workflow end to end.
- Built-in exchange — swap between supported coins directly inside the app without leaving it.
- Tor connectivity — Cake Wallet can route traffic over Tor, though unlike Feather it isn't force-enabled by default.
- Open source on both platforms — rare for a mobile crypto wallet; most competitors keep at least one platform closed.
- Seed-based recovery — standard 25-word Monero seed, fully self-custodial.
Setup Guide
- Step 1 — Install Cake Wallet only from the official App Store or Google Play listing, or F-Droid for Android.
- Step 2 — Choose "Create New Wallet," set a strong PIN/biometric lock, and write down the seed phrase offline.
- Step 3 — Go to node settings and switch from the default remote node to a trusted third-party or self-hosted node.
- Step 4 — Enable Tor in settings if you want network-level IP protection on top of Monero's built-in privacy.
- Step 5 — Fund the wallet, for example by swapping BTC to XMR into a fresh receiving address.
Privacy caveat: Cake Wallet connects to a default remote node controlled by the Cake team unless you change it. That operator can technically see your IP and the blocks you request. Switching to a custom node closes this gap.
Cake Wallet vs Feather
Use Cake Wallet when you need Monero on the go — it's the strongest fully cross-platform mobile option available. Use Feather when you're on desktop and want the strictest privacy defaults out of the box, since Tor and node rotation are already enabled without any configuration.
Best practice: run Cake Wallet on mobile for day-to-day use, paired with Feather or Monero GUI on desktop for larger balances and maximum privacy defaults.