Choosing your first self-custody wallet

Once you understand that DePix lands directly in your own wallet, the next natural question is: which wallet should that be? There's no single right answer, but there are a few things worth thinking through before you choose.

What "self-custody" actually means

A self-custody wallet is one where you — and only you — control the private keys that prove ownership of the assets inside it. No company holds your funds on your behalf; the wallet is simply software (or hardware) that lets you interact with the blockchain directly. That's different from an account on a centralized platform, where the platform technically controls the assets until you withdraw them.

Compatibility matters first

Since DePix runs on the Liquid Network, the first filter for any wallet is simple: does it support Liquid Network assets? Not every crypto wallet does, since many are built only for Bitcoin's main network or for other chains entirely.

Ease of use vs. advanced features

Some wallets are built for simplicity — a clean interface, straightforward sending and receiving, nothing extra. Others offer advanced features like multi-asset support, hardware wallet integration, or atomic swaps between assets. Neither approach is wrong; it depends on whether you want something minimal while you're learning, or something with more room to grow into.

A few practical questions to ask

Before settling on a wallet, it's worth checking: is it open source or at least widely reviewed? Does it have a reasonable track record and active development? Does it make backing up your seed phrase clear and unavoidable to skip? Getting comfortable with these basics now will make everything that follows — sending, receiving, and eventually exchanging your DePix — much smoother.

Start with SideSwap, move later if you like

Create your receiving address in SideSwap. It is built around the Liquid Network, makes the current style of Liquid address that our sign-up accepts, and has built-in swapping between Liquid assets. That address is exactly what you fill in at sign-up, and you can have it minutes after installing the app.

Once your DePix arrives, it is yours to keep in SideSwap or to move to any other wallet you prefer:

• AQUA — a straightforward mobile wallet for Liquid assets. It is also not Liquid-only when dealing in USDT: through built-in swap providers, AQUA lets you receive or send USDt on Ethereum, Polygon, Tron, Solana, or BNB Smart Chain, while your balance stays in your self-custodied Liquid wallet. Pick the network when you generate the address, and use each one once — those deposit addresses are temporary.
• Blockstream Green — a more full-featured wallet that supports the Liquid Network among its networks. The choice we'd point more advanced users to: richer options and finer control, at the cost of a busier interface.

Only register an address created in SideSwap. Some wallets, Aqua among them, can show older-style addresses that our sign-up will not accept. One important reminder travels with whichever wallet you use: because it is self-custody, your funds don't sit on any company's books. We never hold stablecoins on behalf of clients; ownership over what you receive is yours from the moment of payment, and your seed phrase backup is what keeps it that way.