MetaMask

MetaMask is a wallet app for holding crypto and connecting to blockchain applications. It runs as a browser extension on desktop and as a mobile app. It marked its tenth anniversary in 2026, which places its launch in 2016, and says it has been downloaded more than 100 million times in about 190 countries.

The company behind it has been Consensys Software Inc. On 9 September 2026 that company announced it would split in two. Consensys Software Inc. keeps its legal identity, rebrands as MetaMask and runs the wallet and other consumer products, with Joseph Lubin as Chairman and CEO. The protocols and institutional business, including Linea and the Besu and Teku Ethereum clients, becomes a newly formed company that keeps the Consensys name. The separation is due to finish by the end of 2026. MetaMask says users need to do nothing: keys, assets and access are unchanged.

MetaMask's privacy notice, revised on 1 October 2026, names Consensys Software Inc., doing business as MetaMask, as the data controller. The company does not publish a headquarters address on metamask.com; the split announcement was datelined Fort Worth, Texas. Infura, the node service MetaMask uses by default, now presents itself as part of MetaMask Developer.

MetaMask has no token as of October 2026. Lubin said in 2025 that one was coming, and fake airdrop and claim sites are common. MetaMask has warned about them repeatedly.

MetaMask generates a Secret Recovery Phrase on your device and derives your accounts from it. MetaMask describes the wallet as self-custodial: the phrase stays with you, which is why the company cannot freeze funds or recover a lost phrase. Since its multichain accounts update, each account bundles one EVM address, one Solana address and one Bitcoin address, and a Tron address was added in January 2026.

To read balances and send transactions, the wallet needs a connection to a blockchain node. By default MetaMask uses Infura for this. You can switch any network to a different RPC provider in the network settings, and you can import accounts or connect a hardware wallet. Hardware wallet accounts stay EVM-only for now; MetaMask says Solana is not yet supported on hardware wallets.

Around the core wallet, MetaMask has added products run with partners. As listed on metamask.com in October 2026:

• Swaps and bridges across networks, with quotes from aggregators and a MetaMask fee built in.
• Perpetual futures on 270+ assets with up to 50x leverage, powered by Hyperliquid.
• Prediction markets powered by Polymarket, and tokenized stocks powered by Ondo Global Markets.
• MetaMask Card, a Mastercard debit card that spends from the wallet.
• Money Account, a stablecoin balance in mUSD that earns a variable yield, launched 30 June 2026.
• Transaction Shield, a $9.99 a month protection plan for eligible transactions.

The wallet itself is free. MetaMask earns mainly from a fee on in-app trading. Its support guide lists a 0.875% MetaMask fee on swaps, built into each quote alongside the network fee; the same 0.875% applies per token in a batch sale and is deducted from the amount received on a bridge. MetaMask says the fee funds development. Using a decentralized exchange directly from the browser, with MetaMask only signing, does not add this fee.

Network fees (gas) go to the blockchain's validators, not to MetaMask. Buying crypto with a card or bank transfer runs through third-party providers that set their own prices.

Money Account deposits are converted to mUSD and placed in a vault on the Monad network curated by Steakhouse Financial, which lends across markets including Morpho and Aave. MetaMask advertises up to about 6% APY until January 2027 and up to 4% after that, and states plainly that the rate is variable, the account is not a bank or insured deposit, and smart-contract or liquidity failures could cause partial or total loss. MetaMask says mUSD is issued through Bridge, a Stripe company, and backed by dollars and short-term Treasury bills.

The wallet's custody model is standard: if your device, password and recovery phrase are secure, nobody else can move your funds. The usual way people lose money with MetaMask is by signing something malicious, entering the phrase on a phishing site, or approving a token allowance to a drainer. No wallet feature can stop a user from typing the phrase into a fake site.

The most recent incident disclosed by the company was on its own infrastructure: on 30 September 2026 it disclosed an ongoing security incident affecting part of its systems and began exiting the Ethereum validators that MetaMask Staking runs on Lido. Lido's forum notice describes an infrastructure compromise. On 1 October MetaMask said there was no indication that wallets or customer funds had been affected. It has not published a root cause.

Privacy is the other trade-off. Under default settings, Infura is the RPC provider, so the operator of that service sees your wallet addresses together with network data such as your IP address when the app queries balances. MetaMask's privacy notice says it may temporarily process IP addresses for routing and security, and gives no fixed retention period. Switching to another RPC provider or your own node changes who sees that traffic.

On openness: the MetaMask extension's code is public on GitHub, but its licence is not an open-source licence. It permits copying and modification only for non-commercial use, defined to include projects with no more than 10,000 monthly active users, with Consensys deciding what qualifies. Anyone can audit the code; competitors cannot freely fork it.

• Regulatory: the SEC sued Consensys in June 2024 over MetaMask Staking and Swaps; the case was dropped in 2025 with no fines, according to Consensys's lawyer.
• Insurance: funds in the wallet are not insured; Transaction Shield is an optional paid plan for eligible transactions.

Install the extension only from the link on metamask.com, which goes to the browser's official store, or the app from Apple's App Store or Google Play. Fake MetaMask extensions and search ads are a common way to steal recovery phrases. After installing, create a new wallet, set a password, and write the Secret Recovery Phrase on paper or metal. MetaMask will never ask for it after setup.

To fund the wallet, send crypto from an exchange to your address on the right network, or buy through one of the providers shown in the app. A hardware wallet can be connected so that MetaMask's interface is used while keys stay on the device; our explainer on hardware or software wallets covers when that is worth it.

MetaMask is not an exchange, so withdrawing to a bank means sending crypto to an exchange or off-ramp that pays out in your currency, then withdrawing there. Check that the receiving address supports the same network you send on; sending on the wrong network is a common and often permanent mistake. The MetaMask Card is another route, letting you spend crypto directly where it is offered.

To leave MetaMask entirely, either send your assets to another wallet or import the Secret Recovery Phrase into a different wallet that uses the same standard. Liquid staking positions can be withdrawn through the protocol; MetaMask's support pages say a standard withdrawal carries no MetaMask fee, while exiting through MetaMask Swaps carries the 0.875% fee.

Help is at support.metamask.io and the community forum at community.metamask.com. A 'MetaMask support number' found through search, a direct message offering help, or an email asking you to verify or upgrade your wallet is a scam. In its September 2026 incident notice MetaMask again told users never to share the phrase or private keys and to rely only on official channels.

Dated milestones from MetaMask and Consensys announcements:

• 2016: MetaMask launched (tenth anniversary marked in 2026).
• August 2020: the extension moved from the MIT licence to a source-available licence.
• March 2022: Consensys raised $450 million at a valuation above $7 billion, citing over 30 million MetaMask monthly active users.
• June 2024: SEC lawsuit over MetaMask Staking and Swaps; dropped in 2025.
• 2025: Solana and Bitcoin accounts, mUSD, the MetaMask Card, perpetual futures and prediction markets added.
• January 2026: Tron support.
• June 2026: Money Account launched.
• September 2026: split from Consensys announced; staking infrastructure incident disclosed.

For a side-by-side view of wallet features, see how MetaMask compares with other software wallets.