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TZUR vs Keeping Bitcoin on an Exchange
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When your bitcoin sits in an exchange account, the exchange holds the private keys and you hold a login. When it sits in TZUR, the keys are generated and kept on your iPhone and only you can move the funds. Exchanges are the right tool for buying and trading. A self-custody wallet is the right tool for holding what you bought. This page lays out what each model protects you from, what it asks of you, and how to move from one to the other.
What an exchange account actually is
An exchange account is a claim. The exchange records that it owes you a certain amount of bitcoin and holds the keys to the coins that back that claim, usually pooled with everyone else's. You can trade instantly, recover your password, and get help from support, because the company is in control. The same fact means that a hack of the exchange, a decision to halt withdrawals, a regulatory order, or an insolvency all land on you. The history of the industry includes each of those, repeatedly, at platforms that looked stable the week before.
What a self-custody wallet actually is
In TZUR the recovery phrase is generated on your iPhone using the BIP-39 standard, keys are derived on the device and stored in the hardware-backed iOS Keychain, restricted to the device and excluded from backups, and every transaction is signed locally before it is broadcast. TZUR never sees your keys, never asks for an account, and cannot freeze, move, or recover your bitcoin. Your phrase restores in any compatible wallet, so you are not dependent on TZUR either. The cost of this independence is that the backup is your responsibility.
Side by side
The differences are not about good and bad companies. They are structural, and they follow from who holds the keys.
Exchange account vs TZUR
| Exchange account | TZUR | |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the keys | The exchange | You, on your device |
| Can funds be frozen or withdrawals halted | Yes, by the exchange or by order | No |
| Counterparty risk | Hack, insolvency, mismanagement | None: no third party holds funds |
| Account and identity | Required (KYC) | None: no account, no email |
| Password reset | Yes | No: the recovery phrase is the only way back |
| Buying and selling | Yes, that is its purpose | No: TZUR is a wallet, not an exchange |
| Privacy | Full transaction history tied to your identity | No identity; standard on-chain transparency |
| Recovery phrase | None | BIP-39, in 31 languages plus English |
| Verification | Trust the exchange's balance display | Check any transaction in the built-in BlockSight.Live explorer |
| Cost | Trading and withdrawal fees | One-time $59.99, network fees only when you send |
Exchange behaviour varies by platform and jurisdiction; the rows describe the custodial model in general.
Moving from an exchange to TZUR
Should I withdraw all my bitcoin from the exchange?
Keep on the exchange only what you actively trade. Everything you intend to hold belongs in a wallet whose keys you control. Start with a small test withdrawal to a TZUR address, confirm it arrives, then move the rest.
How do I withdraw from an exchange to TZUR?
In TZUR, tap Receive to get an address (it starts with bc1q). In the exchange, choose withdraw bitcoin, paste the address, and check it character by character on both screens. Use the Bitcoin network, not a token version of bitcoin on another chain. Watch the transaction confirm in TZUR's built-in explorer.
What if I lose my phone after withdrawing?
Your bitcoin is controlled by your recovery phrase, not by the phone. Restore the phrase in TZUR on a new device, or in any compatible wallet, and the funds reappear. This is why you back up the phrase, in a language you can read, before you move real money.
Is self-custody safe if I am not technical?
Yes, if you take the backup seriously: write the recovery phrase on paper, store it in two safe places, and test the restore once. TZUR shows the phrase in your own language and in English precisely so the non-technical step is the easy one.
Can TZUR freeze my account or ask for identity documents?
No. TZUR has no accounts to freeze and never asks for identity. It cannot access, move, or recover your bitcoin. Those guarantees and their limits are spelled out on our trust page.
Keep reading
Hold what you bought
TZUR for iPhone: Bitcoin-only, self-custody, recovery phrase in 31 languages, BlockSight.Live explorer built in. One-time purchase, no account, no identity checks.
