On this page
- How a Stellar wallet works: keys, reserves and trustlines
- Custodial vs self-custody Stellar wallets
- The best XLM wallets compared
- Hardware wallets for Stellar Lumens: Ledger, Trezor, Keystone
- Paper wallets and other risky habits
- Stellar wallet security checklist
- How to receive XLM, and when a memo matters
- Asia notes: exchange withdrawals, travel rule and local wallets
The best XLM wallet is the one that matches how much you hold and how you use it. For everyday holding and sending, a Stellar-native self-custody app such as LOBSTR is the simplest strong choice. For Soroban dApps and DeFi in the browser, Varial (the Stellar Development Foundation’s wallet, formerly called Freighter) or xBull fit better. For savings you rarely touch, a Ledger or Trezor hardware wallet keeps your keys offline. And if you already use MetaMask, Stellar is now built in.
The quiz above gives you a starting point in two clicks. Below, we explain how a Stellar wallet actually works, compare the leading options honestly, flag the ones that have changed or dropped XLM, and finish with a security checklist and the memo rules that catch out so many people.
- Self-custody means you hold the secret key; if you lose it, nobody can restore your funds.
- A Stellar account needs at least 1 XLM to exist, plus 0.5 XLM for each trustline.
- Use a memo when sending to an exchange; your own wallet does not need one.
- Freighter is now Varial, Coinbase Wallet dropped XLM, and the original Ledger Nano S no longer gets the Stellar app.
How a Stellar wallet works: keys, reserves and trustlines
A Stellar wallet does not “contain” coins. Your lumens live on the Stellar ledger, recorded against an account, and the wallet holds the key that can sign transactions for that account. Each account has a public key, a 56-character address beginning with G that you can share freely, and a secret key beginning with S that must never leave your control. Those prefixes are defined in Stellar’s SEP-23 address format, which also covers M addresses (muxed accounts, sometimes used by exchanges) and C addresses for smart contracts. Many wallets back the account up with a recovery phrase, a list of words, instead of showing the raw S key; treat that phrase with exactly the same care.
Stellar has two rules that surprise newcomers. First, an account must hold a minimum balance: two base reserves of 0.5 XLM, so 1 XLM, before it exists on the network at all, according to Stellar’s documentation on lumens. Second, to hold any token other than XLM (USDC, for example), you must add a trustline, which locks another 0.5 XLM. Offers, extra signers and data entries count the same way. That is why a wallet will never let you send your entire balance, and why a token you want to receive can bounce if the trustline is missing.
The upside of this design is that spam and dust are expensive to create, and every account’s state is transparent. Paste any G address into our Stellar explorer and you will see its balances, trustlines and subentry count. For definitions of the other jargon, keep the Stellar glossary open in another tab.
Custodial vs self-custody Stellar wallets
Leaving XLM on an exchange is a form of wallet too, a custodial one. The exchange holds the keys and you hold an IOU-style account balance. That is convenient for trading and for cashing out to your bank, and on a well-regulated platform it can be reasonably safe. But you depend on the exchange’s solvency, its security and its withdrawal policies. A self-custody wallet flips that trade-off.
Self-custody wallet
- Only you can move your XLM; no freezes or withdrawal queues
- Direct access to Stellar dApps, DeFi and the built-in DEX
- Works across borders without asking anyone’s permission
What you take on
- Lose the recovery phrase and the funds are gone for good
- You must handle memos, trustlines and reserves yourself
- Phishing and malicious signing requests target you directly
Many people use both: an exchange account for buying and selling, and a self-custody wallet for anything they plan to hold for more than a few weeks. Our guide on how to buy XLM and withdraw it safely covers the hand-off between the two.
The best XLM wallets compared
The official Stellar developer wallet list names more than a dozen wallets. These are the ones we would actually shortlist for most people, plus one honest line on where custodial accounts fit.
| Wallet | Type | Runs on | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOBSTR | Self-custody | iOS, Android, web | Everyday holding |
| Varial | Self-custody | Extension, iOS, Android | dApps and Soroban |
| xBull | Self-custody | Browser extension | Power users |
| MetaMask | Self-custody, multi-chain | Extension, mobile | Existing MetaMask users |
| Ledger | Hardware | Nano S Plus, Nano X, Stax | Large balances |
| Trezor | Hardware | Safe 3, Safe 5, Safe 7 | Large balances |
| Exchange account | Custodial | Exchange app | Trading, not storage |
LOBSTR wallet
LOBSTR is the best-known Stellar-native wallet. It is self-custody, runs on iOS, Android and the web, and adds a Chrome signer extension for connecting to dApps. It now also supports the XRP Ledger. Inside the app you can buy crypto by card, bank transfer, Apple Pay or Google Pay, sell, swap, set price alerts and protect the account with a PIN and 2FA. Its companion app, LOBSTR Vault, is a separate, open-source signer that turns your account into a multisignature setup, so a stolen phone or leaked key is not enough on its own to move funds. The team behind it, Ultra Stellar, also runs the StellarX and StellarTerm trading front-ends.
Varial wallet (formerly Freighter)
Freighter, SDF’s own wallet, was renamed Varial on 29 October 2026; freighter.app now redirects to varialwallet.com. It began in 2020 as a developer browser extension and is now a non-custodial, open-source wallet for Chrome, Firefox and Brave, plus iOS and Android. Features include sending, swapping, a “Discover” directory of Stellar apps, collectibles, price charts, Blockaid scanning that warns about malicious transactions, and deposits of supported assets from Ethereum, Polygon and Base. Varial charges no wallet fee; normal network fees apply. If you plan to use Soroban smart contracts or Stellar DeFi apps, this is the natural default.
xBull and Albedo
xBull, built by Creit Tech, is an open-source browser-extension wallet popular with power users, with a passkey-based “v2” announced on its site. Its standout trick is hardware signing: the Keystone 3 Pro can sign Stellar transactions through xBull using QR codes, per Keystone’s own guide. Albedo, from the StellarExpert team, is a web-based signer that keeps keys in your browser, useful for quickly approving dApp transactions.
MetaMask and other multi-chain wallets
The biggest recent change: on 29 October 2026, Stellar became a default network in MetaMask’s mobile app and browser extension. Existing users get a Stellar address derived from their recovery phrase, covering XLM, USDC and Soroban tokens. MetaMask’s Stellar support page is refreshingly clear about the quirks: the address is not active until it receives 1 XLM, each trustline locks 0.5 XLM, and cross-chain bridges do not create trustlines, so you must activate a token before bridging it in.
Trust Wallet and Exodus also support XLM; Exodus handles memos and pairs with Trezor. One wallet to cross off your list: the self-custody Coinbase Wallet dropped XLM support in January 2023 (the Coinbase exchange is a separate product). Two more name changes worth knowing: SDF’s Vibrant app now operates as Vesseo, a USDC wallet for a handful of countries outside Asia, and the Solar desktop wallet has seen no code updates since 2023, so we would not start with it today. For stablecoin-first apps such as Beans, see our overview of Stellar apps.
Hardware wallets for Stellar Lumens: Ledger, Trezor, Keystone
A hardware wallet keeps your secret key on a dedicated device and only signs transactions after you confirm them on its screen. For anything you would be upset to lose, it is the strongest option.
Ledger. Ledger’s open-source Stellar app has supported Soroban since version 5.2.0, and version 6.0.0 made blind signing opt-in, which is a good safety default. According to the Stellar app’s release notes, supported devices include Nano S Plus, Nano X and Stax, and support for the original Nano S was removed in version 5.6.0. If you still have an original Nano S, it will not get the latest Stellar app. Ledger’s marketing page also promotes the Flex. You manage the device in the Ledger Wallet app (formerly Ledger Live) or connect it to LOBSTR, Varial or xBull.
Trezor. Trezor’s Stellar page lists Safe 3, Safe 5 and Safe 7 as supporting XLM, managed through Trezor Suite on desktop, web and mobile; Exodus and StellarTerm also work with it. Older Model One and Model T devices are not listed there, so do not assume they work.
Keystone. The Keystone 3 Pro works with Stellar only through the xBull extension, using air-gapped QR signing. It is not native support in Keystone’s own app.
Paper wallets and other risky habits
A paper wallet means writing or printing your Stellar secret key and keeping it offline. It sounds bulletproof, but in practice it carries real risks. Keys are often generated on a website, which may be compromised or simply copied. Paper fades, burns and floods. Anyone who photographs it owns your XLM. And to spend from it, you have to type the secret key into some software, at which point it is no longer offline. A hardware wallet gives you the benefits of cold storage without those weaknesses. If you want a physical backup, write down the recovery phrase of a hardware wallet and store it somewhere safe, ideally in two locations.
Other habits to drop: screenshotting your recovery phrase, storing it in a notes app or cloud drive, and approving any transaction you do not fully understand. Stellar payments settle in about five seconds and cannot be reversed, so read before you sign; our page on XLM transfer fees and speed explains why.
Stellar wallet security checklist
Whatever wallet you choose, run through this list once during setup:
- Download the app only from the official website or official app-store listing, and check the developer name.
- Write the recovery phrase on paper or metal, never in a photo, email or cloud note.
- Turn on the wallet’s PIN or biometric lock, and 2FA where offered.
- Send a small test amount before moving your full balance.
- For larger sums, use a hardware wallet or a multisig setup such as LOBSTR Vault.
- Remove trustlines you no longer use (zero balance only) to reduce clutter and free reserves.
- Never enter your secret key or recovery phrase on a website that contacted you first.
How to receive XLM, and when a memo matters
To receive XLM, open your wallet, tap Receive and copy your G address (or show the QR code). If the account is brand new, the first deposit must be at least 1 XLM to activate it; send more so you have room for fees and trustlines. If you want to receive a token such as USDC, add its trustline first and check the issuer, because copycat tokens with familiar names exist on Stellar. Our guide to stablecoins on Stellar explains how to spot the real ones.
Memos only matter in one direction for most people. Receiving into a self-custody wallet: no memo needed. Sending to an exchange: the memo is required, because that is how the exchange identifies which customer the deposit belongs to. Trust Wallet’s documentation makes the same point. Stellar supports text memos up to 28 bytes and numeric ID memos, so copy exactly what the exchange shows. If a deposit seems lost, look up the transaction hash in our explorer and check the memo field before contacting support.
Asia notes: exchange withdrawals, travel rule and local wallets
If you buy XLM in Asia and withdraw it to a self-custody wallet, expect some paperwork. In Japan, exchanges have applied the travel rule since 1 June 2023 under the Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, so a withdrawal screen may ask whether the destination is your own wallet or another exchange, and transfers to some platforms may be restricted. See our Japan XLM exchange guide for which firms list XLM.
In South Korea, exchanges must be reported to the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit and follow its anti-money-laundering rules. Withdrawals to external wallets may involve extra verification, so leave time and double-check the destination; our South Korean exchange guide covers the five won-market platforms. In Indonesia, OJK-licensed Triv supports native XLM deposits and withdrawals, so moving lumens between a licensed platform and your own wallet is straightforward. In Vietnam, a securities regulator official said investors need not move holdings out of personal wallets, but trades must go through licensed domestic providers once those exist.
On the wallet side, the Asia-focused TopNod wallet, which uses key sharding instead of a seed phrase, was announced for Stellar at Consensus Hong Kong in February 2026. We could not confirm a launch date, so treat it as one to watch.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best XLM wallet for beginners?
For most beginners a Stellar-native mobile wallet such as LOBSTR is the easiest start: self-custody, clear handling of memos and trustlines, and apps for iOS, Android and the web. If you already use MetaMask, Stellar is now a default network there. For larger balances, add a Ledger or Trezor hardware wallet.
Is Freighter still available?
Yes, under a new name. On 29 October 2026 the Stellar Development Foundation renamed Freighter to Varial, and freighter.app now redirects to varialwallet.com. Existing wallets keep working; some app-store listings and docs still use the old name.
Does Ledger support Stellar Lumens?
Yes. Ledger's open-source Stellar app supports XLM and Soroban smart contracts, and its changelog names Nano S Plus, Nano X and Stax among supported devices. The original Ledger Nano S was dropped in Stellar app version 5.6.0, so it no longer receives the latest Stellar app.
Do I need a memo to receive XLM in my own wallet?
No. A self-custody wallet has its own address, so a memo is not needed to receive. You do need one when you send XLM to an exchange, because the exchange uses it to identify your account. See how to buy and withdraw XLM for the full flow.
Why can't I send my whole XLM balance?
Every Stellar account must keep a minimum balance: 1 XLM for the account itself plus 0.5 XLM for each trustline, offer, signer or data entry. That reserve stays locked while those entries exist. Remove unused trustlines (with a zero balance) to free it up.
