Wallet review
Alby review
Self-custodial Lightning toolkit — Alby Hub (open-source node software) plus Alby Cloud hosted hosting.
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Self-sovereign Lightning, with a hosted-Hub option for non-technical users.
Custody
non-custodial
Difficulty
beginner-to-intermediate
Lightning Address
Yes
Platforms
web, browser-extension, alby-hub-self-hosted, alby-cloud-hosted
Who Alby is for
- Creators
- Developers
- nostr-user
Who it's not for
- High-volume merchants
Pros and cons
Pros
- Self-custodial: your keys, on your device, even with Alby Cloud hosting
- Strong Nostr Wallet Connect support — pairs cleanly with Nostr clients and apps
- Lightning Address support out of the box, with custom-domain option
- Browser extension makes web payments and tipping painless
- Alby Hub is open source and can be self-hosted on Umbrel, Start9, or any server
Cons
- Pivoted away from custodial Alby in 2024 — older guides may still reference the deprecated hosted model
- Running a Lightning node still requires inbound liquidity planning, even with Hub abstractions
- Cloud hosting adds a recurring cost that some self-custody purists prefer to avoid
Setup overview
Hands-on setup walkthrough goes here. TODO: hands-on test, capture screenshots, document the actual flow from download to first received payment. Until then, treat the summary above as directional.
Verdict
Self-custodial Lightning toolkit — Alby Hub (open-source node software) plus Alby Cloud hosted hosting. Use Alby if you match one of the "best for" audiences and the custody model is acceptable for the amounts you'll handle. For larger balances, prefer a non-custodial option regardless of which is easier to set up.
FAQ
Is Alby custodial or non-custodial? +
Alby is non-custodial — keys live on your device. You control your sats, and you are responsible for backing up the seed phrase.
Does Alby support Lightning Addresses? +
Yes. Alby ships a Lightning Address you can hand out to anyone.