ChainPick

Phantom vs MetaMask (2026)

A head-to-head comparison of Phantom and MetaMask — pricing, the features that actually differ, and which one fits which use case.

At a glance

P

Phantom

The most popular Solana wallet, now multichain with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Base support

4.6(4,820)
Starting price
Free
Free plan
Yes
Best for
Best Solana wallet UX — handles compressed NFTs, staking, and DeFi seamlessly
Full Phantom review →
M

MetaMask

The most widely used self-custody browser wallet for EVM chains

4.2(2,341)
Starting price
Free
Free plan
Yes
Best for
Universal dApp compatibility — every EVM dApp supports MetaMask first
Full MetaMask review →

Where Phantom and MetaMask differ

These are the 2 capabilities where the two tools genuinely diverge — the rest of their feature sets overlap.

CapabilityPhantomMetaMask
Non Evm ChainsYesVia Snaps
Snaps ExtensibilityNoYes

Full feature comparison

FeaturePhantomMetaMask
Self Custody
Hardware Wallet Support
Evm Chains
Non Evm ChainsVia Snaps
Mobile App
Browser Extension
In App Swap
Nft Support
Snaps Extensibility
Multi Sig

Pricing compared

Both tools are free to use — costs come from network or usage fees.

Phantom

Phantom

Free

Free

  • Solana + Ethereum + Base + Bitcoin
  • Built-in swap (0.85% fee)
  • NFT gallery
  • Staking
  • dApp browser
  • Hardware wallet support
Get Started

MetaMask

MetaMask

Free

Free

  • All EVM chains
  • Hardware wallet support
  • MetaMask Snaps
  • In-app swap (0.875% fee)
  • NFT support
Get Started

MetaMask

MetaMask Institutional

Custom

  • MPC custody
  • Multi-approver workflows
  • DeFi integrations
  • Audit trail
  • Compliance reporting
Contact Sales

Which should you choose?

Choose Phantom if…

  • Best Solana wallet UX — handles compressed NFTs, staking, and DeFi seamlessly
  • 15M+ users means broadest dApp compatibility in the Solana ecosystem
  • Multichain (Solana, Ethereum, Base, Bitcoin) from a single seed phrase

Watch out: 0.85% swap fee is higher than using Jupiter directly.

Choose MetaMask if…

  • Universal dApp compatibility — every EVM dApp supports MetaMask first
  • Snaps ecosystem extends functionality to non-EVM chains (Bitcoin, Solana)
  • Hardware wallet integration works natively inside the extension UI

Watch out: Default Infura RPC leaks your IP and wallet activity to Consensys — always set a custom RPC.

Our verdict

Phantom edges ahead on our editorial score (4.6/5), but these tools aren’t straight substitutes. Pick Phantom when best solana wallet ux — handles compressed nfts, staking, and defi seamlessly matters most to your workflow; pick MetaMask when universal dapp compatibility — every evm dapp supports metamask first is the priority. The deciding factor is usually the trade-off you can least afford — Phantom means accepting that 0.85% swap fee is higher than using jupiter directly, while MetaMask means default infura rpc leaks your ip and wallet activity to consensys — always set a custom rpc.

Frequently asked questions

Is Phantom or MetaMask better?

Phantom carries the higher editorial rating (4.6/5 vs 4.2/5), but they solve different problems. Phantom is the stronger pick when you need best solana wallet ux — handles compressed nfts, staking, and defi seamlessly. MetaMask wins when universal dapp compatibility — every evm dapp supports metamask first.

Which is cheaper, Phantom or MetaMask?

Both tools are free to use, with costs coming from network or usage fees rather than subscriptions.

What are the main drawbacks of Phantom and MetaMask?

Phantom's main limitation is that 0.85% swap fee is higher than using jupiter directly. For MetaMask, default infura rpc leaks your ip and wallet activity to consensys — always set a custom rpc. Weigh these against how you actually plan to use the tool.

Can you use Phantom and MetaMask together?

In most cases yes — many teams run both, using each where it's strongest. Since Phantom leads on best solana wallet ux — handles compressed nfts, staking, and defi seamlessly and MetaMask on universal dapp compatibility — every evm dapp supports metamask first, the two are often complementary rather than mutually exclusive.