Sparrow Wallet review: the desktop wallet for hardware wallet owners
Sparrow is the desktop app I point hardware wallet owners to, because it shows every coin, input, and output before you sign.
Sparrow is the best desktop Bitcoin wallet for anyone who owns a hardware wallet and wants to see exactly what each transaction does. It is free, open source, Bitcoin-only, and works with almost every Bitcoin-only signing device over USB, QR code, or file. The trade-off is a dense screen that takes an afternoon to learn, no phone app, and no Lightning.
I use Sparrow, though not as my day-to-day wallet. The details below come from Sparrow's documentation, source code, release notes, and security record.
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 Sparrow is and who makes it
Sparrow is a free desktop wallet for Bitcoin only, licensed under Apache 2. Its developer, Craig Raw, signs every release. The current version is 2.5.6, released October 29, 2026.
It runs on macOS (Apple M-series and Intel), Windows 10 and later, and Linux on Intel, AMD, and ARM64. A separate Sparrow Server build runs on Linux machines without a display. There is no phone app.
Sparrow is a desktop application that does not use browser technology, and it was built around PSBTs, the standard file format for a transaction that still needs signatures. That design is why it works with so many signing devices: any device that reads a PSBT can sign for a Sparrow wallet.
Who it is for, and who should pick something else
Pick Sparrow if you own a hardware wallet, or plan to, and want full control: single sig and multisig on every common script type, coin control, labels on every input and output, and an editable diagram of each transaction before you sign it. It is also the app I would use to coordinate a 2-of-3 multisig.
Pick something else in three cases. If you want one wallet on your phone and computer, look at my Nunchuk review or the rest of my software wallet rankings. If you want Lightning on a computer, Sparrow has none; see my Electrum review or my Lightning wallet picks. If coinjoin is the goal, Sparrow does not coordinate coinjoins; my Wasabi review covers that path.
Setting it up
My Sparrow setup guide walks through each step. The outline is short, and the exact commands and menus live in Sparrow's documentation, which stays current with each release.
- 1Download the installer, the manifest, and the manifest signature, then verify them by following Sparrow's download page. The signature proves Craig Raw published the manifest, and the hash proves your file matches it. If you already run Sparrow 1.8.3 or later, it can verify a new download itself.
- 2Choose a server. A public server is fine for learning with small amounts. Your own Bitcoin Core node or Electrum server keeps your addresses private.
- 3Create a wallet and import your hardware wallet's public keys by USB, QR code, or file. Sparrow then holds only public keys and builds transactions for the device to sign.
- 4Set a strong wallet password. Sparrow derives the encryption key with Argon2, tuned to take at least 500ms, which slows down anyone guessing it.
- 5Send a small test amount in and out, and check each address on the hardware wallet's screen before you share it or sign.
Hardware wallet support
Sparrow's USB library supports Trezor, Ledger, BitBox02, Jade, KeepKey, and OneKey. For air-gapped signing, its source has import and export code for SeedSigner, Jade, Passport, Keystone, Krux, and Specter DIY, moving PSBTs by animated QR code or file. Sparrow's QR fountain codes carry a PSBT of any length, so large multisig transactions still fit.
Of the Bitcoin-only devices I review, that covers the Jade and Jade Plus by USB or QR, the BitBox02 by USB, and the SeedSigner, Krux, Specter DIY, and Passport by QR. The device work keeps moving: 2.5.4 made the BitBox02's anti-klepto protection mandatory and raised its minimum firmware to 9.4.0, and 2.5.5 added file import of the descriptor Jade writes to USB storage. My list of the best hardware wallets for Sparrow compares each pairing.
Privacy: which servers Sparrow talks to
Your server choice decides who sees your balance. Sparrow ships a list of public servers for beginners, and the operator of whichever one you pick can see your addresses. Sparrow can also connect directly to your Bitcoin Core node, or to your own Electrum server (Fulcrum, ElectrumX, Electrs, and others) over SSL and built-in Tor. My Electrs vs Fulcrum guide helps you pick one, and my node rankings cover the hardware.
Two smaller leaks are handled well. When Tor is on, Sparrow broadcasts your transaction over Tor through a public server, which hides your IP address from anyone watching where a transaction first appears. The fiat exchange rate is fetched without sending your balance, and you can turn the rate off entirely.
For receiving privately, Sparrow supports PayNyms (BIP47), and version 2.5.0 added silent payment receiving wallets, including with air-gapped hardware wallet signers. My Bitcoin privacy basics guide explains both.
Fees and costs
Sparrow costs nothing, and the project takes donations. You pay only the Bitcoin network fee on each transaction. Sparrow charts current fee estimates by target block, and its coin selection uses the Branch and Bound and Knapsack methods Bitcoin Core uses. Choosing which coins to spend yourself can cut fees when you hold many small ones; my UTXO guide shows why.
Security record
Sparrow has no published security advisories on GitHub, and my incident tracker has no Sparrow entries. With a hardware wallet, Sparrow never holds your private keys, so the worst a compromised computer can do is show you false information. The device screen is your check against that.
Recent releases have added checks against malicious servers and tampered transactions. Version 2.5.6 ported Electrum's October 2026 fix, so Sparrow now verifies the signatures on your own unconfirmed transactions before showing them. Version 2.5.5 verifies the signatures of a finalized PSBT before using it, and 2.5.3 checks that a scanned or loaded transaction matches the PSBT it came from.
The release binaries are reproducible from v1.5.0 onwards, so anyone can rebuild them from the source and compare.
How Sparrow compares
| Sparrow | Electrum | Specter Desktop | Wasabi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin-only hardware wallets | USB, QR code, or file | Jade and BitBox02 plugins, by USB | USB, QR code, or SD card | Jade and BitBox02 through HWI |
| Your own Bitcoin Core | Direct, or an Electrum server | Electrum server only | Direct, or an Electrum server | Direct, over RPC |
| Multisig | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Lightning | No | Yes, with keys on the computer | No | No |
| Coinjoin | No | No | No | Yes, with keys on the computer |
| Phone app | No | Android | No | No |
Each column links to a full review: Electrum, Specter Desktop, and Wasabi. Specter Desktop is the closest rival for multisig with your own node; Sparrow does more, and it runs as a desktop app with no browser technology inside. My best desktop Bitcoin wallets list ranks all of them.
Verdict
Sparrow is the desktop wallet I recommend first. It speaks to nearly every Bitcoin-only hardware wallet, connects straight to your own node, and shows you every input and output before you sign. Expect a learning curve, and keep a phone wallet for spending. For savings held on a hardware wallet, Sparrow plus your own node is the setup I would copy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sparrow Wallet safe?
Yes, with a verified download and a hardware wallet. Sparrow is open source, every release is signed, and with a hardware wallet it never holds your private keys. Check every address and amount on the device screen.
Is Sparrow Wallet free?
Yes. Sparrow is free and open source under the Apache 2 license. You pay only the normal Bitcoin network fee when you send.
Does Sparrow Wallet work with Lightning?
No. Sparrow is an on-chain wallet. For Lightning, use a dedicated Lightning wallet, or Electrum if you want it on a computer.
Does Sparrow have a mobile app?
No. Sparrow runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, plus a headless Sparrow Server build for Linux.
Do I need my own node to use Sparrow?
No, it can use a public server, but that server sees your addresses. Connect Sparrow to your own Bitcoin Core node or Electrum server before you hold real savings in it.
Which hardware wallets work with Sparrow?
Most of them. By USB: Trezor, Ledger, BitBox02, Jade, KeepKey, and OneKey. By QR code or file: SeedSigner, Jade, Passport, Keystone, Krux, and Specter DIY.