Alby Unveils New Product for Bitcoin-Based Apps

Alby, the company behind the popular open-source Bitcoin cryptocurrency browser extension for managing public and private keys locally, has launched a new product that lets users launch Bitcoin-based apps using a personal Lightning node.

“At Alby, we always focused on building tools and protocols to natively use the Lightning Network on the Web,” said company founder Michael Burmann in a statement.

While Lightning has emerged as a popular Bitcoin scaling solution—offering users cheaper and faster transactions compared to the base chain—adoption has been hindered by the challenges of running a node at home. Many Lightning users currently opt for custodial solutions, which contradict Bitcoin’s founding ethos of self-custody.

To address this, Alby Hub includes a one-click install Lightning node service and a self-custodial wallet. Users can connect to Bitcoin-native applications through a custom-built app store, featuring applications like social media platforms Damus and Stacker News, as well as external Lightning wallets.

Burmann emphasized that this approach enhances the self-sovereign nature of the Bitcoin network while reducing the technical challenges involved.

In addition to a free do-it-yourself option for running Alby Hub on personal computers, the company offers a cloud service for 21k sats per month, roughly equivalent to $15.