Does Exodus charge fees?

Network fees are shown. The built-in exchange is not free either, but its cost is built into the quoted rate rather than displayed as a fee line, so a swap always executes at a price worse than the market rate. On small amounts the convenience is worth it; on large ones compare against a trading venue first.

It is self-custodial, so the keys stay on your machine and nobody else can move your funds. It is also a hot wallet on an internet-connected computer, which means malware and a compromised download are the realistic threats. Install only from exodus.com, complete the backup immediately, and use hardware for long-term holdings.

Why was I not asked to back up my wallet?

Exodus creates the wallet as soon as you open it and leaves the backup under Settings rather than forcing it during setup. This makes it easy to fund a wallet that has no backup at all. Go to Settings, then Backup, and complete it before adding any funds.

Can I use Exodus on my phone and computer together?

Yes. The mobile apps sync with the desktop wallet so the same accounts appear in both. The recovery phrase is the same, which also means securing it protects everything on every device.

How to Set Up Exodus Wallet — Beginner Setup Guide

Exodus is built around a desktop application at a time when most wallets are phone-first, and it puts an exchange inside the wallet so you can swap assets without visiting a trading venue.

Both choices shape how it should be used. This guide covers the setup, and then the exchange, because that is where the real cost sits and it is not shown as a fee.

Desktop first

Exodus runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, with mobile apps that sync to the desktop wallet. If you already keep a laptop you trust and dislike managing money on a phone, this is the wallet built for that preference.

It is self-custodial. The keys are on your machine, nobody can freeze or reverse anything, and nobody can recover the wallet for you.

Installing

Download from exodus.com only. A desktop wallet is a downloaded executable, which makes a counterfeit build more dangerous than a fake browser extension: it runs with full access to your machine.

Download and install, then open the application
Exodus creates the wallet immediately — there is no setup wizard first
Go to Settings, then Backup and complete it before adding funds
Write down the twelve words and set a password

That backup step is not automatic and it is not prompted urgently. A funded wallet with no backup is one disk failure away from gone, and Exodus makes it easy to reach that state without noticing.

The recovery phrase

Twelve words, and they are the wallet. The password protects the application on this machine; the phrase controls the funds from anywhere.

Paper, two copies, two locations.
Never screenshot or type it anywhere except the Exodus restore screen.
Support never asks for it. Anyone who does is stealing.

The built-in exchange

Exodus lets you swap one asset for another inside the wallet. It is genuinely convenient and it is not free, although the interface shows no fee line.

Where the cost is

The cost is in the rate. Exodus quotes a price with a margin built into it, and the exchange is executed by third-party providers behind the scenes. You see one number, and that number is worse than the market rate by an amount you are not shown.

Compare the quoted rate against the market price before confirming anything substantial. On small swaps the convenience is worth it. On large ones the spread can exceed what a trading venue would charge in visible fees, by a wide margin.

Network fees apply on top, and those are shown.

Asset coverage

Exodus supports Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and several hundred other assets across a range of networks, with a portfolio view that presents them together. Each network still charges fees in its own token, so a chain where you hold no native coin remains a dead end.

Mistakes that cost people money

Skipping the backup

Because Exodus creates the wallet before asking you to back it up, the funded-but-unprotected window is easy to sit in for months. Do the backup the day you install.

Assuming the swap rate is the market rate

It is not, and the difference is the point of the feature. Check before large swaps.

Downloading from a search result

Type exodus.com. Counterfeit desktop wallets are distributed through sponsored search results and they run as real programs on your computer.

When to use something else

Exodus rates 8/10 in our wallet rankings. It is a hot wallet, so for long-term holdings a hardware device is the better home — see our Ledger guide. For heavy DeFi use, a browser-native wallet like MetaMask fits better.

How to Set Up Exodus Wallet: Desktop and Mobile Guide