Xverse browser wallet: what it does and how it works

Xverse is a wallet built around Bitcoin. Most browser wallets started on Ethereum or Solana and added Bitcoin later; Xverse started with Bitcoin and its newer uses, such as Ordinals collectibles and Runes tokens.

Who makes it

Secret Key Labs, a company based in Hong Kong, founded in 2021. The extension is listed under xverse.app.

What you can do with it

Hold and send bitcoin. Xverse handles ordinary bitcoin payments. Lesson 22 explains Bitcoin addresses.

Collect Ordinals and hold Runes and BRC-20 tokens. Ordinals are collectibles written onto individual satoshis; Runes and BRC-20 are ways of making tokens on Bitcoin. Xverse keeps these separate from your spendable bitcoin, which matters: spending the wrong coins can destroy a collectible. Lesson 51 explains NFTs in general.

Use Bitcoin's extra layers. Xverse supports Stacks (STX and its tokens), the Lightning Network for fast small payments, Spark and Starknet.

Bring coins in from other networks. A swap app can bridge tokens from Solana, Ethereum, Base and other networks into bitcoin.

Use a hardware wallet. Ledger and Keystone work in the desktop extension; mobile support was listed as coming.

What it is less good at

It is not a general wallet for Ethereum or Solana apps. Its listing gives conflicting user numbers (300,000 in store data against 1.7 million claimed), so treat popularity claims with care.

Is it safe?

Xverse is self-custody. Its code is open source and audited by the security firm Least Authority. Bitcoin collectibles add a specific risk: some sites ask you to sign transactions that move your valuable coins. Read every request (Lesson 37). Install it only through xverse.app.

Who it suits

Bitcoin holders who also collect Ordinals, hold Runes or use Stacks or Lightning.

Setting it up safely

1. Install from the source. Go to xverse.app yourself, by typing the address, and follow its link to your browser's extension store. Do not use search ads or links from messages. On the store page, check the publisher name and the number of users.
2. Write the seed phrase on paper. Xverse shows it once when you create a wallet. Write every word in order and keep it offline. Lesson 30 shows how, and our free backup card helps.
3. Never type the phrase anywhere else. No genuine site, support agent or app update will ask for it.
4. Start small. Send a small amount first and check it arrives before moving more.
5. Review connections. From time to time, remove app connections and token approvals you no longer use.

How it compares

Compared with Leather, the other main Bitcoin and Stacks wallet, Xverse adds Lightning, Spark and Starknet, has mobile apps and supports Keystone as well as Ledger. Multichain wallets such as Phantom and MetaMask now hold bitcoin too, but go less deep on collectibles and Bitcoin layers.