Safe vs Electrum
On coverage Safe is broader (6 chains vs 1). Electrum is Bitcoin-only (minimal attack surface), Safe is multi-asset. The right wallet is the one you will actually use: assess your flow first (holding vs frequent use), then the spec sheet.
| Safe | Electrum | |
|---|---|---|
| Tier | A | A |
| Rating | ★ 4.5 | ★ 4.4 |
| Fund custody | Self-custody (funds in your control) | Self-custody (funds in your control) |
| Type | Smart-contract wallet | Software (hot wallet) |
| Source code | Open-source | Open-source |
| Recovery | Multisig (firmatari sostituibili) | Seed phrase (Electrum seed / BIP-39) |
| Bitcoin-only | No | Yes |
| Supported chains | Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Gnosis Chain | Bitcoin |
| WalletConnect | Yes | No |
| Security audits | Ackee Blockchain, Certora | — |
| Segment | B2C, B2B | B2C |
| Hardware wallet support | — | Yes |
| Regions | US, EU/EEA, UK, APAC, LATAM, MENA, Africa | US, EU/EEA, UK, APAC, LATAM, MENA, Africa |
| Licences & safety | Nessuna (wallet self-custody non-custodial) | Nessuna (wallet self-custody non-custodial) |
Frequently asked questions
Safe vs Electrum: which is better?
On coverage Safe is broader (6 chains vs 1). Electrum is Bitcoin-only (minimal attack surface), Safe is multi-asset. The right wallet is the one you will actually use: assess your flow first (holding vs frequent use), then the spec sheet.
Is Safe custodial or self-custody?
Safe is self-custody: you keep the keys, while Electrum is self-custody.