Phantom

Phantom (phantom.com) is the leading self-custodial multi-chain crypto wallet, with 20+ million users as of July 2026. Originally launched in 2021 as a Solana-first wallet, Phantom has since expanded into a full multi-chain wallet supporting Solana, Ethereum, Bitcoin, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Sui, and most major EVM ecosystems, becoming the wallet of choice for a new generation of crypto users who came in via Solana and want one wallet that handles everything they hold.

Phantom's positioning is the "money app that'll take you places" — not just a wallet but a full crypto-finance super-app with built-in Swap (cross-DEX aggregator), Buy / Sell (fiat on-ramp), Prediction Markets (Polymarket-style), Perps (perpetual futures trading), Earn (staking), NFT collection management, the in-wallet Explore tab for trending-token discovery (Phantom's most distinctive feature — a curated, ranked leaderboard of tokens trending across the supported chains), and Phantom Cash (a USDC-denominated cash account with card + send + Apple Pay / Google Pay spend support).

This combination of (a) the best mobile-first crypto UX in the directory (Phantom's iOS app is widely regarded as the gold standard for crypto wallet mobile UX) and (b) Phantom's deep Solana heritage + 20M+ driving user base make Phantom the second most popular self-custodial wallet after MetaMask (and the most popular in the Solana ecosystem, where Phantom is the default). Equipped with Phantom Copy Trade, top-trader leaderboards, fake-account detection, and a 4.8/4.9-star rating across the App Store and Google Play, Phantom has consistently been one of the most-downloaded crypto wallets in the year since Solana's 2024-2026 surge.

Standout facts: 20M+ users (as of July 2026). Multi-chain support (Solana, Ethereum, Bitcoin, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Sui). 4.8-4.9 star App Store / Google Play ratings. Full hardware wallet integration with Ledger + Keystone + Trezor. Built-in scam detection (Security Scanner) flagging malicious transactions in real-time. Phantom Cash (USDC cash account + Phantom Visa Card). Prediction Markets and Perps built directly into the wallet (rare in self-custodial wallets). Phantom Terminal (desktop trading terminal). Top-rated mobile app. Free to download.

Trading - Buy, Sell, Swap, Prediction Markets, Perps, all in one wallet

Phantom's trading surface is broader than virtually any other self-custodial wallet: Buy / Sell (fiat on-ramp via card / Apple Pay / Google Pay / bank), Swap (cross-DEX aggregator that finds best execution price across Solana and EVM DEXs), Prediction Markets (Polymarket-style markets built into the wallet — go long or short on real-world events), Perps (perpetual futures contracts — go long or short with leverage directly in the wallet), and Phantom Terminal (a desktop trading terminal at trade.phantom.com).

Explore tab - trending token discovery

Phantom's Explore tab is arguably its most distinctive feature: a curated, ranked leaderboard of tokens trending across the supported chains. Explore surfaces trending tokens, top traders, and apps in one place — meaning Phantom users discover new tokens inside the wallet itself rather than having to go to X / DEX Screener / Jupiter / external aggregators. This is a meaningful UX advantage vs MetaMask, Trust Wallet, and most competitors — Phantom's Explore tab is the in-wallet equivalent of DEX Screener + Jupiter + a top-trader leaderboard in one place.

Multi-chain - Solana + EVM + Bitcoin in one wallet

Phantom supports Solana, Ethereum, Bitcoin, Base, Polygon, Arbitrum, Optimism, Sui, and most major EVM ecosystems in a single wallet. This makes Phantom a strong default for users holding across multiple chains — particularly users who came in via Solana (Phantom's origin) and want one wallet that also handles their EVM holdings. The Solana UX is Phantom's deep specialty; EVM / Bitcoin support is solid but not as deep as ecosystem-native wallets.

Spend, Send & Save - Phantom Cash + Visa Card

Phantom Cash is Phantom's spend / send / save product: a USDC-denominated cash account with the Phantom Visa Card (spend everywhere Apple Pay, Google Pay, or VISA is accepted), peer-to-peer send (pay friends in seconds), and a savings surface around stablecoins. The Prepaid Debit Visa Card is issued by Lead Bank, with Bridge Ventures LLC as Program Manager — Phantom is the Platform Provider. Phantom Cash is currently US-only (rolling out gradually). Apple Pay / Google Pay supported.

Self-custodial - you control the keys, Phantom never has access

Phantom is fully self-custodial: "Self-custodial means you control your funds. We never have access." Phantom (the company) cannot access user private keys, cannot move user funds, and cannot recover a lost wallet (the user holds the seed phrase / recovery material themselves). Same model as MetaMask, Trust Wallet — the user is the only party able to access or recover the wallet.

Scam detection - flags malicious transactions instantly

Phantom's built-in Security Scanner runs every pending transaction and DApp connection through a risk classification engine and flags malicious transactions instantly. If a user attempts to interact with a known malicious contract, drainer, or flagged dApp, Phantom shows a clear warning before the user signs. This catches many of the most common retail-targeting phishing / drainer attacks. Similar in spirit to Trust Wallet Security Scanner and MetaMask Transaction Shield, with Phantom's approach being pre-transaction risk-flagging.

Hardware wallet integration - Ledger, Keystone, Trezor

Phantom supports hardware wallet integration with Ledger (the de-facto hardware-wallet standard), Keystone (air-gapped QR-signing), and Trezor (the other major hardware-wallet brand). Users who want self-custodial crypto with hardware-grade physical security can pair a Ledger / Keystone / Trezor device with Phantom and use Phantom as the wallet UX while the hardware device signs all transactions. The private keys never leave the hardware device. This is a meaningful advantage vs soft-wallet-only competitors and a key reason Phantom has captured much of the institutional-leaning Solana / EVM user base.

Phantom Terminal - desktop trading

Phantom Terminal (trade.phantom.com) is a desktop-optimized trading terminal: advanced charting, multi-window trading, deeper market depth data, and the full Phantom Swap + Buy / Sell + Perps + Prediction Markets surface in a desktop-first layout. Built for active traders who want a serious desktop trading experience without leaving Phantom.

NFT collection management

Phantom supports viewing, holding, sending, and receiving NFTs on Solana and the supported EVM chains (Ethereum, Polygon, Base, etc.). The NFT collection surface integrates with Phantom's broader trading UX — listings, floor prices, and transfer-all-from-collection flows.

24/7 global support

Phantom markets "Our global Support team is here for you 24/7" — a meaningful support commitment for a self-custodial wallet (many self-custodial wallets provide only community support or email-only support). Phantom's full-time global support team is a meaningful differentiation vs smaller self-custodial wallets.

Self-custodial - you control your funds, Phantom never has access

From the Phantom security page: "Self-custodial means you control your funds. We never have access." Users generate and store their own private keys locally via a 12-word BIP-39 seed phrase, passkeys on newer mobile flows, or a connected Ledger / Keystone / Trezor hardware wallet. Phantom (the company) has NO access to user private keys, NO access to user funds, and NO technical ability to recover a lost wallet (the user holds the recovery material themselves).

Scam detection - flags malicious transactions instantly

Built-in real-time risk analysis: every pending transaction and DApp connection runs through Phantom's scam-detection engine, which flags malicious transactions instantly. If a user attempts to interact with a known malicious contract, drainer, or flagged dApp, Phantom shows a clear warning before the user signs. Catches many of the most common retail-targeting phishing / drainer attacks (especially common on Solana, where malicious token mints and drainer DApps are a major risk).

Hardware wallet integration - Ledger, Keystone, Trezor

For users who want hardware-grade physical security, Phantom integrates natively with Ledger (USB-C + Bluetooth), Keystone (air-gapped QR-signing — the gold-standard for air-gap purists), and Trezor (USB-C). When a hardware wallet is connected, Phantom forms the wallet UX while the hardware device signs all transactions — the private keys never leave the hardware device. This is a meaningful security advantage vs soft-wallet-only competitors and why Phantom has captured much of the institutional-leaning Solana user base.

Operational since 2021 - 5 years securing crypto assets

Phantom has been operational since 2021 (5 years). Despite the massive Solana user base, Phantom has not had a core wallet code exploit. The 5-year track record with the 20M+ user base is a meaningful track record for a self-custodial wallet.

24/7 global support

Phantom's full-time 24/7 global support team is a meaningful security / user-trust credential — when something goes wrong (suspected phishing, lost access, suspicious transaction), the user has a real human to contact rather than just community support.

Wallet - free to download

Phantom is free to download on the App Store, Google Play, Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-Ons, Edge Add-Ons, and the Phantom website. No subscription, no premium tier.

Swap - 0.85% swap fee + network gas

Phantom charges a 0.85% swap fee on swaps executed via Phantom Swap (the in-wallet cross-DEX aggregator). On top of the Phantom swap fee: underlying DEX fee (0.05-0.30%) + network gas. The total cost breakdown is shown transparently in the swap confirmation UI before the user signs. Phantom's 0.85% is competitive with MetaMask (0.875%) and slightly higher than Jupiter's order-book routing on Solana. For active / professional traders, executing swaps directly on Jupiter or the underlying DEX via Phantom's connected browser is cheaper — Phantom's 0.85% integrated swap fee is the cost of the integrated, convenience UX.

Buy / Sell - fiat on-ramp processor fees vary

Phantom's in-app fiat on-ramp uses third-party processors (MoonPay, Robinhood, others — varies by jurisdiction) — fees typically 1.5-5% per transaction plus an exchange rate spread. Phantom takes a referral fee from the processor.

Perps & Prediction Markets - exchange / market fee

Perp fees + Prediction Market fees are set by the underlying leverage / market venue Phantom integrates with (varies). Phantom discloses fees in the order confirmation UI before the user commits.

Phantom Cash + Visa Card - per Cardholder Agreement

Phantom Cash + Phantom Visa Card fees are set per the Cardholder Agreement (issued by Lead Bank, Program Manager Bridge Ventures LLC). May include monthly fees, FX fees, ATM fees — varies. Must be 18 or older. Currently US-only (rolling out).

Network gas - paid to chain, not Phantom

Each transaction signed via Phantom requires network gas paid to the underlying chain validators. Solana: sub-cent. Ethereum L1: $2-30+. Ethereum L2s (Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon): low-cents. Bitcoin: variable. Phantom does not charge gas on behalf of users — the user's wallet pays gas from their account. Gas is shown transparently in the transaction confirmation dialog before the user signs.

Phantom supports multi-chain in a single wallet:

Solana (deep specialty)

• Solana (SOL) — Phantom's origin chain and deep specialty. Best-in-class Solana wallet UX. Full SPL token support, Solana NFTs, Solana DApps via the in-wallet browser.

EVM chains

• Ethereum (ETH)
• Base
• Polygon (MATIC/POL)
• Arbitrum (ARB)
• Optimism (OP)
• Sui (SUI) (newer addition)

Bitcoin

• Bitcoin (BTC) — Phantom has integrated Bitcoin support (receive, hold, send — Bitcoin UTXO model).

For Solana users, Phantom is the default. For EVM-only users, MetaMask remains the standard. For users who use both Solana and EVM (a growing segment of the crypto user base), Phantom is the strongest single-wallet choice — Solana + EVM + Bitcoin in one wallet, with the first-class Solana UX that dedicated Solana users expect.