If you want to receive or send Bitcoin you will need a Bitcoin Wallet. A Wallet is software that interacts with the blockchain. If you additionally want to receive and send via Bitcoins second layer protocol Lighting, you will require a wallet that has Lightning support. Down below we list three of our favorite Lightning-enabled Bitcoin wallets in no particular order. Obviously, there are many other great options, but we had to choose…
BlueWallet
If you are looking for a great Lightning-enabled Bitcoin wallet, you WILL stumble upon BlueWallet. BlueWallet is a swiss army knife of Bitcoin wallets. It offers many different features and is highly customizable. Often developers need to make a choice between ease of use vs. self-sovereignty, privacy, and trustlessness. BlueWallet offers both. It is incredibly easy to use and user-friendly by default. Experts can adjust the settings so it basically becomes fully non-custodial, private, and trustless.
BlueWallet comes with a non-custodial main layer wallet as well as a custodial-by-default Lightning option. The keys for the main layer wallet are stored on your device only. More advanced users can connect BlueWallet to their own Lightning node so that even the Lightning Wallet is non-custodial. Unfortunately, BlueWallets Lightning integration does not offer LNURL or Lightning-Address support yet, so receiving without sending an invoice first is not possible.
Bitcoin Beach Wallet
Bitcoin Beach Wallet was designed as an open-source community banking solution for merchants and people from El Zonte, the famous Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. It is developed by Galloy and is available all around the globe. Bitcoin Beach Wallet is designed to empower unbanked people and is focused on user experience and ease of use. That is why the wallet is fully custodial.
The wallet supports both main layer and Lightning transactions. But because the concept of different protocols tends to confuse beginners, it does not differentiate between the two. Users only have a single balance. The “send” function will understand if the address scanned belongs to the main layer or Lightning, and choose the right protocol in the background.
Bitcoin Beach Wallet also offers a static tip page as well as a static Lightning Address. Both allow a user to receive tips without the need to generate an invoice every time. Then there are some features that focus on developing a local bitcoin ecosystem. An integrated map shows local businesses around you that accept Bitcoin.
Breez
Breez is a Lightning-focused Wallet that is again completely different than the two wallets above because it is a non-custodial Lightning wallet. The app spins up a lightweight Node on your phone, giving you full control. There certainly are limitations when it comes to running a Lightning node on a mobile phone, like connectivity for example. Also being a non-custodial wallet, it requires you to open Lightning Channels (most of it is done automatically for the user, but you will have to pay the mining fee). It still is a very good alternative to other mobile wallets. It might even be the best choice if you value self-sovereignty.
But wait, there is more. the wallet also ships with an integrated Point of Sale (POS). Merchants can use the POS to accept Bitcoin via Lightning Payments in their stores. Additionally, the app includes an app store. Here users can find a ton of Lightning-related services.
Conclusion
As you can see there are many different Lightning Wallets. Every single one has its own use cases and target audiences. You should pick the one that suits your needs best.
Not included above is Starbackr Wallet. Every Starbackr user has access to Starbackr Wallet by default. It is designed to be used in combination with our web app and enables use cases like one-click payments. Additionally, Starbackr Wallet comes with a Lightning Address (<Starbackr Username>@starbackr.me). This address can be used to receive Lightning Tips directly to your wallet.
