Alby review: Alby Hub, Alby Go, and the browser extension
Alby today is a self-custodial Lightning node called Alby Hub, plus a phone app and a browser extension that spend from it.
Alby is the pick if you want one Lightning wallet that pays from your phone, your browser, and dozens of apps at once. Since January 2025 that wallet is Alby Hub, a self-custodial node you run on a computer, a home node, or a cloud server, and Alby Go and the extension are remotes for it. The trade-off is that you are running a server: it has to stay online, and in September 2026 Alby disclosed a critical flaw in older versions left reachable from the internet. Phone-only users will find Phoenix or Zeus simpler.
I have not run Alby Hub or Alby Go day to day. This review is built from Alby's guides, its open-source code and release notes on GitHub, and its own security announcement.
Disclosure: I work at Blockstream, the company that makes the Jade wallets mentioned here. I joined after many years as a satisfied user. There are no affiliate links on this site.
What Alby is now
Most Alby reviews describe a browser extension with a balance held by Alby. That product is gone. Alby stopped its shared wallet service on January 4, 2025, and Alby Hub replaced it. Alby Inc. now makes four pieces that fit together, as its product overview explains:
| Product | What it does | Holds your keys? |
|---|---|---|
| Alby Hub | A self-custodial Lightning wallet with a built-in node, which you run and connect to apps | Yes, on the machine you run it on |
| Alby Go | A phone app for iPhone and Android that spends from your Hub | No, it stores connection secrets only |
| Alby Extension | A browser extension that pays and logs in on websites using a wallet you connect | No wallet keys; it can hold Nostr, Liquid, and on-chain keys |
| Alby Account | An optional web account for a Lightning address, email alerts, and channel backups | No |
Alby Hub is Apache 2.0 open source and the current release is v1.24.6, from November 5, 2026. Alby Go is MIT-licensed, at version 2.1.0 in the App Store since August 20, 2026, and needs iOS 16.4 or later. The extension is at v3.15.1 and runs in Chromium browsers and Firefox.
Who it is for, and who should pick something else
Alby Hub suits someone who wants their own Lightning node to power more than one wallet: zaps on Nostr, payments in web apps, a phone app, and sub-wallets for family. It runs on Umbrel, Start9, RaspiBlitz, myNode, and other node systems, so owners of a box from my node rankings, such as Start9 or Umbrel, can add it from the app store.
Alby says the Hub needs to be online to send and receive, so it belongs on a machine that stays on. If you want a wallet that lives only on your phone, Phoenix or Zeus is the better fit. My Lightning wallet rankings list Alby as the pick for Alby Hub users for that reason.
Setting it up
Alby's getting started guide has the current screens. The outline, and why each step matters:
- 1Choose where the Hub runs: the desktop app for Mac, Windows, or Linux, the app store on your node box, or a cloud server from the providers in Alby's cloud guide. Pick something that stays online.
- 2Keep the Hub off the public internet. Alby now tells self-hosters to run it on a private network and reach it over a VPN. This is the setting behind the 2026 flaw covered below.
- 3Set an unlock password, then write down the 12-word seed phrase. Alby cannot recover either one for you.
- 4Open your first channel, or let a just-in-time channel open on your first payment.
- 5Connect Alby Go on your phone and the extension in your browser, and give each app a spending budget.
Backups depend on your setup. With the paid Pro plan, channel state is encrypted and backed up continuously, so the seed phrase and your Alby Account restore everything with channels open. With a free account, Alby stores a static channel backup, and recovery force-closes your channels, which can take up to 14 days. Without an account, you must save the newest channel backup file yourself after every new channel.
Is Alby Bitcoin-only?
The wallet holds bitcoin only, but the interface offers more. Since v1.21.5 in March 2026, Alby Hub shows built-in swaps through the FixedFloat exchange that send, receive, and swap more than 70 other coins, and Alby's top-up page accepts stablecoins and other coins. The Hub's own balances stay on-chain bitcoin and Lightning; FixedFloat is a third-party exchange on the other side of the swap.
A setting called Bitcoin Maxi Mode hides those options. I would turn it on during setup. The extension can also hold keys for the Liquid sidechain and on-chain bitcoin, which my rating rules allow.
Hardware wallet support
Alby Hub does not sign with a hardware wallet, because a Lightning node needs its keys online. It has something more useful for savers: auto-swaps. You set a balance threshold, and when your Lightning balance passes it, the Hub swaps the excess on-chain to a bitcoin address or an xpub from your cold storage. Point it at an xpub from a SeedSigner or Passport wallet, and your spending balance tops itself off into savings. Swaps came back in v1.24.3 on October 16, 2026 through a new provider after the Boltz suspension. For a manual sweep, see my guide to moving bitcoin to a hardware wallet.
Privacy
The Hub's built-in LDK node uses Alby's own Electrum server by default, which means Alby's server sees the on-chain addresses your Hub looks up. You can switch it to your own Electrum server, an Esplora server, or Bitcoin Core. If you run Alby Hub on top of an existing LND or Core Lightning node instead, your node's own settings apply.
Apps reach your Hub through Nostr Wallet Connect, and Alby says that because of it your Hub does not need to be publicly reachable. The Lightning address comes from an Alby Account, which you sign up for with an email address, so weigh that before you make it your public address. My Bitcoin privacy basics explain why the servers around your wallet matter.
Fees and costs
Alby Hub, Alby Go, and the extension are free. Alby says it adds nothing on top of network fees. Alby's pricing page lists one paid plan, Pro, at $3.90 a month, which adds a custom Lightning address, unlimited sub-wallets, and encrypted remote backups. A just-in-time channel costs an LSP fee that is deducted from the incoming payment and shown on the receive screen.
Security record
On September 9, 2026, Alby disclosed a critical vulnerability in Alby Hub v1.7.0 through v1.18.5 when the Hub was publicly accessible from the internet. In Alby's words, it could allow an attacker who could reach the Hub's management API to gain unauthorized access and send funds. Alby said one user had been affected, and that every version from v1.19.0, released August 29, 2025, onward is safe from it. Its advice for anyone who ran an affected version online: update, change the unlock password, and delete app connections.
Two days earlier, Alby corrected its own self-hosting docs, which had described the Hub as running on localhost when it listens on all network interfaces. Later releases, including v1.24.6, credit outside researchers for security fixes. Each release ships a manifest signed by Alby developer Roland Bewick, with steps to verify it. I log incidents like this on my security incident tracker.
How Alby compares
| Alby | Zeus | Phoenix | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the node runs | Alby Hub on a computer, node box, or cloud server | Your phone, or your own node | Your phone, with ACINQ as its only peer |
| Phone app | Alby Go, a remote for your Hub | Zeus | Phoenix |
| Pays in browsers and apps | Yes, extension and Nostr Wallet Connect | Nostr Wallet Connect | No |
| Pick it if | One node should power every app you use | You want a node on the phone or a remote for your node | You want the simplest self-custody |
Read the Zeus review, the Phoenix review, and the Blixt review for the details on each.
Verdict
Alby made a real change: it gave up custody and now ships open-source software that runs your own Lightning node. Alby Hub is the most flexible way to spend from one balance in a browser, on Nostr, and on a phone. Run it on a private network, keep it updated, turn on Maxi Mode, and set auto-swaps to sweep the excess to a hardware wallet. If you never want to think about a server, pick a phone wallet instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alby still custodial?
No. Alby shut down its shared custodial wallet on January 4, 2025. Alby Hub, its replacement, is a self-custodial node that you run and hold the keys for.
Is Alby Hub free?
Yes. Alby Hub, Alby Go, and the extension are free and open source. The optional Pro plan costs $3.90 a month and adds encrypted channel backups and a custom Lightning address.
What is Alby Go?
A phone app for iPhone and Android that spends from your Alby Hub, or another Nostr Wallet Connect wallet. It holds connection secrets, not your wallet keys.
Was Alby Hub hacked?
In September 2026 Alby disclosed a critical flaw in Alby Hub v1.7.0 through v1.18.5 when the Hub was reachable from the internet, and said one user was affected. Version 1.19.0 and later are not affected.
Can I run Alby Hub on Umbrel or Start9?
Yes. Alby Hub is in the app stores of Umbrel and Start9, and Alby's guides also cover RaspiBlitz, myNode, desktop computers, and cloud servers.