Sparrow Wallet: keys, security, fees and reviews
In short
- Key control
- Non-custodial: keys are created and kept on the user's computer or hardware wallet; software wallets are normally encrypted and unlocked only while signing.
- Fees
- Wallet: Open-source software under Apache 2.0 with no listed wallet fee; the site links a Donate page. Bitcoin network fees are chosen by the user.
- Risks and caveats
- There is no support team; help comes from the documentation and the community.
- Checked
- 31 October 2026
Visitor ratings: do you like Sparrow Wallet?
Key facts
- Official site
- sparrowwallet.com
Key facts checked on 31 October 2026 against official sources.
What is Sparrow Wallet
Sparrow Wallet is a free, open-source desktop Bitcoin wallet for Windows, macOS and Linux, aimed at users who want detailed control over transactions, privacy and hardware-wallet signing. It is developed by Craig Raw and has been released on GitHub since April 2020.
Who holds the keys
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Key control | Non-custodial: keys are created and kept on the user's computer or hardware wallet; software wallets are normally encrypted and unlocked only while signing. |
| Seed phrase | BIP39 mnemonic seeds, watch-only xpub keystores and common hardware wallets can be used as keystores. |
| Wallet encryption | Wallet files are encrypted with Argon2 password hashing tuned to take at least 500 ms. |
Features and supported networks
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Desktop app for Windows 10+, macOS 11+ (Apple silicon and Intel) and Linux; Sparrow Server for headless systems. |
| Supported networks | Bitcoin only (mainnet, plus testnet, regtest and signet). |
| Hardware wallet support | Common hardware wallets over USB (Trezor, Ledger, BitBox02, Jade) and airgapped via QR codes or SD card (Passport, SeedSigner, Keystone, Coldcard), plus smartcards. |
| Multisig | Single-sig and multisig on common script types, with full PSBT support. |
| Coin control | Full coin and fee control, labelling of transactions, inputs and outputs, and a byte-level transaction editor that doubles as a block explorer. |
| Privacy (CoinJoin, Tor) | Connects to public servers, a private Electrum server or the user's own Bitcoin Core node; Tor proxy supported. The Whirlpool CoinJoin client was removed in April 2024. |
| Payments | Send and receive to PayNyms (BIP47). |
Security and audits
- Sparrow is open source on GitHub (sparrowwallet/sparrow) under the Apache 2.0 licence.
- Release binaries are signed with Craig Raw's GPG key, and Sparrow includes a Verify Download tool; binaries are reproducible since version 1.5.0 (September 2021).
- Sparrow is a desktop application and deliberately avoids browser technology to reduce the attack surface.
Security incidents
No security incident is recorded in the sources checked on 31 October 2026 (the company’s own channels and incident databases): api.llama.fi/hacks, hacked.slowmist.io/search, rekt.news/leaderboard, github.com/sparrowwallet/sparrow/releases.atom, api.github.com/repos/sparrowwallet/sparrow/secur, t.me/s/SparrowWallet
Fees
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Wallet | Open-source software under Apache 2.0 with no listed wallet fee; the site links a Donate page. Bitcoin network fees are chosen by the user. |
History
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 12 April 2020 | Initial release v0.5: a transaction editor without wallet functions. |
| 28 January 2021 | Version 1.0.0 released. |
| 23 September 2021 | Version 1.5.0 added Samourai Whirlpool CoinJoin and reproducible binaries. |
| 25 April 2024 | Version 1.9.0 removed the Whirlpool client and other Soroban-related features. |
| 18 September 2024 | Version 2.0.0 released. |
| 29 October 2026 | Latest release, version 2.5.6. |
Risks and caveats
- There is no support team; help comes from the documentation and the community.
- Download files should be verified against the signed manifest to make sure they have not been tampered with.
- Bitcoin only: other coins are not supported.
About the developer
- Developer
- Craig Raw, who signs the release binaries.
- Founded
- 2020 (first GitHub release on 12 April 2020).
Official links
- Website: sparrowwallet.com
- Download: sparrowwallet.com/download
- Docs: sparrowwallet.com/docs
- Source code: github.com/sparrowwallet/sparrow
Questions and answers
Is Sparrow Wallet self-custodial?
Yes. Keys stay on the user's computer, encrypted, or on a connected hardware wallet.
Is Sparrow Wallet open source?
Yes. The code is on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 licence, and release binaries are GPG-signed and reproducible.
Which coins does Sparrow support?
Bitcoin only, including multisig, PSBT and hardware wallets over USB, QR codes or SD card.
Does Sparrow still support CoinJoin?
No. The Samourai Whirlpool client was added in September 2021 and removed in version 1.9.0 on 25 April 2024.
Does Sparrow charge fees?
No wallet fee is listed; the open-source app links a Donate page, and users pay Bitcoin network fees that they set themselves.
Sources
- Sparrow Wallet — Home
- Sparrow Wallet — Features
- Sparrow Wallet — Download
- Sparrow Wallet — Documentation
- GitHub — sparrowwallet/sparrow
- GitHub — Sparrow release v0.5
- GitHub — Sparrow release 1.5.0
- GitHub — Sparrow release 1.9.0
- GitHub — Sparrow release 2.5.6
More in this section
How voting works
Votes are anonymous and carry no text. Each device has one vote per item; press the same button again to remove it. Cloudflare Turnstile checks that a person is voting. We keep a random device ID in a cookie and a salted hash of the IP address to limit abuse — no names, no accounts. Votes are visitors’ opinions, not investment advice.
Page updated: