Monero node vs remote node: what your wallet connects to
Every Monero wallet talks to a node — the question is whose. Running your own removes trust from the equation, but a remote node is fine for small balances.
Your wallet is not the blockchain
A Monero wallet stores keys, scans for outputs and builds transactions — but the blockchain itself lives in a node (the daemon). Every wallet, including the browser wallet and the desktop app, asks a node for blocks, the mempool and fee estimates. The only question that matters for privacy is whose node that is.
Local node
You run monerod on your own machine and point the wallet at it.
- Privacy: no third party sees your IP paired with the wallet activity. You verify every rule of the protocol yourself.
- Cost: a full node syncs the entire chain (roughly 200 GB today); a pruned node keeps a verifiable fraction — about a third of that — and works fine for a personal wallet.
- Speed: first sync takes hours to days depending on disk and bandwidth; after that it is instant.
- Censorship-proof: nobody can refuse to relay your transactions.
Remote node
You use a public or community node over RPC — the default in many wallets, including lightweight browser wallets where running a daemon is impossible.
- Convenience: nothing to sync, nothing to store. Open the wallet and it works.
- Privacy trade-off: the node operator can see your IP address and which transactions your wallet asks about. They cannot steal funds — your keys never leave your device — but they can build a picture of your activity. That is exactly why a cautious setup pairs a remote node with Tor.
- Availability: a public node can rate-limit, go offline or run outdated software.
Side-by-side
| Local node | Remote node | |
|---|---|---|
| IP exposure to operator | None (it is you) | Full |
| Disk | ~65 GB pruned / ~200 GB full | None |
| Initial sync | Hours | Seconds |
| Trust in third party | None | Node could lie about state |
| Works on mobile/browser | No (needs a server) | Yes |
How to switch
In the desktop wallet open Node settings: you can add a local daemon address (127.0.0.1:18081), a remote node with optional authentication, or route the connection through Tor. The wallet remembers the choice per wallet, so a “hot” setup and a “private” setup can coexist.
A sensible default
- Small amounts, quick access → remote node is acceptable; prefer one you trust or reach it over Tor.
- Regular use → pruned local node: modest disk, full verification, no third-party view of your IP.
- Maximum privacy → local node + wallet broadcast over Tor/I2P, and see Monero on Tails for an amnesic setup.
Onion
I2P