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Wasabi Wallet vs. Samourai Wallet: Which is Better for Privacy?

In the world of Bitcoin privacy, two names stand out: Wasabi Wallet and Samourai Wallet. Both are excellent choices for users who want to protect their financial anonymity, but they have different approaches and features. In this article, we'll break down the key differences to help you decide which one is right for you.

The Core of Privacy: CoinJoin

Both wallets use CoinJoin as their primary privacy-enhancing technology. CoinJoin is a process that mixes the transactions of multiple users together, making it extremely difficult to trace the origin and destination of individual coins. However, the implementation of CoinJoin differs between the two wallets.

  • Wasabi Wallet: Uses a trustless CoinJoin implementation coordinated by a central server. The coordinator never has custody of your funds, and the mixing process is designed to be highly efficient and secure. Wasabi is known for its large anonymity sets, which means your coins are mixed with a large number of other users, providing strong privacy.
  • Samourai Wallet: Uses its own implementation of CoinJoin called Whirlpool. Whirlpool is also a trustless process, but it's designed to be more mobile-friendly and offers a different set of features.

Key Features Compared

Wasabi Wallet

  • Desktop-First: Wasabi Wallet is primarily a desktop application, available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. This makes it a good choice for users who prefer to manage their Bitcoin on a computer.
  • Large Anonymity Sets: Thanks to its popularity and the efficiency of its CoinJoin implementation, Wasabi Wallet typically offers very large anonymity sets, which is a key factor for strong privacy.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Wasabi Wallet has a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy for beginners to start using CoinJoin.
  • Tor Integration: All traffic from Wasabi Wallet is routed through the Tor network by default, providing an extra layer of privacy.

Samourai Wallet

  • Mobile-First: Samourai Wallet is designed for Android devices, making it a great choice for users who want to manage their Bitcoin on the go.
  • Whirlpool: Samourai's CoinJoin implementation, Whirlpool, is designed for continuous mixing. Once you fund your Whirlpool, your coins will be continuously mixed with other users' coins, providing ongoing privacy.
  • Post-Mix Spending Tools: Samourai offers a number of tools for spending your mixed coins without compromising your privacy, such as Ricochet and Stonewall.
  • Dojo* For advanced users, Samourai offers the ability to connect to your own Dojo, which is a full Bitcoin node that you run yourself. This provides the ultimate level of privacy and sovereignty.

Conclusion: Which One Should You Choose?

The choice between Wasabi Wallet and Samourai Wallet depends on your specific needs and preferences.

  • Choose Wasabi Wallet if: You are a desktop user who values a large anonymity set and a user-friendly interface. Wasabi is a great choice for users who want to perform occasional CoinJoins to enhance their privacy. For the best experience with Wasabi, we recommend using a premium coordinator like Swiss Coordinator.
  • Choose Samourai Wallet if: You are a mobile user who wants continuous mixing and advanced post-mix spending tools. Samourai is a good choice for users who are more technically inclined and want to have more control over their privacy.

Ultimately, both wallets are excellent tools for protecting your financial privacy. The best way to decide is to try them both and see which one you prefer.