What is the Base app, and is it still Coinbase Wallet?

The Base app is the name Coinbase used for its self-custody wallet app from July 2025 until September 2026, when it went back to being called Coinbase Wallet. During that period Coinbase tried to turn the wallet into a social and payments hub built around its Base network. If you still see "Base app" in older guides, help pages or app store listings, it refers to the same product.

What was the Base app?

Coinbase unveiled the Base app at a Los Angeles event in July 2025, and Armstrong called it the company's "Netscape" moment, Decrypt reported. The beta first opened to people on a waitlist, according to Benzinga. Its main features were:

• Social feed. Built on the open protocol described in what is Farcaster, with tipping and limited-time weekly rewards for active creators.
• Creator coins. Each post could be traded as a coin through Zora.
• Chat. End-to-end encrypted messaging on XMTP, where users could send money, share apps and talk to AI agents.
• Payments and mini apps. USDC transfers, tap-to-pay, Base Pay checkout for merchants and a feed of mini apps for games, yield and prediction markets.

Is the Base app the same as Coinbase Wallet?

Yes. The Block reported on September 10, 2026, that Coinbase was renaming the Base app back to Coinbase Wallet. Armstrong had said in March 2026 that the social experiment did not quite work, and the app had already shifted toward trading. A Coinbase product lead called the Base app an opinionated experiment.

As of November 2026, The Block says the app offers perpetual futures powered by Hyperliquid, prediction markets, tokenized stocks and many networks, including Base, Ethereum, Solana and Bitcoin. Some features are restricted by region. Coinbase's help pages still use the term Base account for the passkey and email sign-in option formerly called Smart Wallet.

What is the difference between the Base app and Coinbase?

The Base app, now Coinbase Wallet, is self-custodial, so you control access through your own sign-in method or recovery phrase. The main Coinbase app is a custodial exchange account. Our guide on Coinbase vs Coinbase Wallet covers that difference, including recovery options, in full.

Is the Base app legit?

It is a genuine Coinbase product, not a third-party app. Coinbase's help center warns that a recovery phrase should only ever be entered at keys.coinbase.com. Fake wallet apps and websites often copy well-known brand names, so download only from official links and never type a recovery phrase into a site you reached from a message or ad. For the security picture, see is Coinbase Wallet safe.