Blockstream App

What the app does

The Blockstream App is Blockstream’s software walletGlossarySoftware walletA wallet in the form of an app on a smartphone or computer. It stores your keys on a device with internet access – convenient and usually without a purchase price, but more vulnerable than a hardware wallet. Good for smaller amounts and for practising.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 2 – Setting up your first wallet →In the glossary →×; it succeeded Blockstream Green in May 2025.^[2] It is available for iPhone, Android (also via F-Droid), Windows, macOS and Linux, and the code is open source.^[1] Besides regular Bitcoin accounts, it supports Lightning and the Liquid sidechain.^[1],[6]

• Quick start: you can create a wallet in seconds and set up the backup later.^[1] Do it before you receive any significant amounts.
• JadeProvider · Hardware walletBlockstream JadeAffordable open-source hardware wallet from Blockstream: Jade Core without a camera, Jade Plus with a camera for QR signing without a cable.Hardware manufacturer – no financial licence required · reviewed Sept 2026Price: Jade Core $99, Jade Plus $149 (plastic) or $169 (metal) (as of Sept 2026)On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 1 – Hardware wallets compared →Our profile →AdVisit Blockstream Jade* (paid link, opens in a new window)on blockstream.comOnly buy hardware wallets from the manufacturer or an authorised reseller.*Paid link: if you sign up or buy through it, we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. How we make money →× support: a paired Jade hardware walletGlossaryHardware walletA small dedicated device that keeps your private keys offline and signs transactions internally. The key never leaves the device, so malware on your computer can’t get at it.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 1 – Hardware wallets compared →In the glossary →× appears in watch-only mode by default, so you can see your balance and receive without connecting the device.^[2]
• Own node, Tor: you can connect the app to your own nodeGlossaryNodeA computer that runs Bitcoin software and exchanges transactions and blocks with other nodes. Together, the nodes form the Bitcoin network; full nodes check every rule themselves.On the learning path: Stage 1 · Step 3 – How does Bitcoin work? →In the glossary →× and route its traffic through Tor.^[1]

We are an advertising partner only for the Blockstream Jade hardware wallet, not for this app.

Costs (as of September 2026)

The app has no purchase price; Blockstream does not mention any usage fee.^[1] When you send, you pay the network fee. The buy feature takes you to an external exchange, where you complete the purchase on its fees and terms. The bitcoin go straight to your wallet.^[5] With Lightning, the first incoming payment may include a one-off fee.^[6]

Singlesig or 2FA account

You hold the keys yourself. A regular account (singlesig) uses a seed phraseGlossarySeed phrase (recovery phrase)A sequence of usually 12 or 24 words from which your wallet derives all its private keys. Anyone who knows the words has full access to your bitcoin – so they belong in an offline backup and never in anyone else’s hands.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 3 – Backing up your seed phrase →In the glossary →× following BIP39GlossaryBIP 39 (standard for seed words)The widely used standard that turns random data into 12 to 24 words from a fixed list of 2,048 words. Your wallet calculates all its keys from these words – BIP 39 is behind most seed phrases.On the learning path: Stage 5 · Step 3 – Backing up your seed phrase →In the glossary →× with 12 or 24 words and can also be restored in other wallets such as Electrum.^[3]

A 2FA account is multisigGlossaryMultisig (multi-signature)A wallet in which several keys jointly control the bitcoin – for example 2 of 3. If one key is lost or stolen, the bitcoin stays safe. In return, setting it up and backing it up is considerably more demanding.On the learning path: Stage 6 · Step 4 – Inheritance & emergency plan →In the glossary →×: one key is on your device, the second is held by Blockstream on its servers, protected by your two-factor confirmation. If Blockstream is unavailable, a standard 2-of-2 account only lets you spend on your own once a timelock has expired; for Bitcoin, it is around 360 days by default.^[4] A 2FA account can only be restored in the Blockstream App: if you enter its seed phrase in another wallet, you will see an empty wallet there.^[3] For getting started, singlesig is easier to understand.

Liquid and Lightning

• Liquid is not Bitcoin: Liquid is secured by a federation of companies – you are trusting that federation.^[7] You do not need Liquid to save in Bitcoin.
• Lightning is still in beta: according to the help centre, payments may occasionally fail or be delayed.^[6] How Lightning works is explained in The Lightning Network.