Crypto payment wallets are necessary for purchasing, trading, and selling cryptocurrencies. Traders require them to securely store cryptocurrency as well as to protect and validate transaction data. Custom crypto wallets, whether hardware or software, also known as hot and cold storage, provide traders with more personalized solutions than crypto exchanges.
If you intend to accumulate or trade a significant amount of cryptocurrency, it’s time to consider getting a crypto wallet — the safest place to keep your digital assets. It may seem surprising that only about 8% of Bitcoin owners keep their coins completely safe and private, but given the increasing number and sophistication of hacks, now is the time to be cautious.
What is a Crypto Payment Wallet?
A crypto wallet is an electronic app, known as a hot wallet, or a physical device, known as a cold wallet, that stores your cryptocurrency and is used when you make crypto transactions, such as buying or selling on a cryptocurrency exchange.
Because crypto wallets are essential for conducting transactions and managing cryptocurrency, they must be secure and simple to use. There are a variety of crypto wallets available with varying features to suit both consumers and businesses, and this article will present ten of the best options.
What are the Top Crypto Wallets?
Whether you’re a long-term holder through thick and thin, or an investor looking to reinvent their relationship with money through digital currencies, these wallets stood out as among the best in 2022.
Coinbase
Coinbase Wallet is an excellent crypto payment & wallet for those who are new to cryptocurrency. The app connects to the majority of major bank accounts, and the user interface was designed to be intuitive and simple to use, with a simple three-tab layout and easily identifiable functions.
Coinbase Wallet can store popular coins like Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and Ripple, as well as all ERC-20 tokens and tokens on EVM-compatible blockchains, for a total of over 45,000 supported digital assets — one of the most on our list.
The Coinbase wallet can be used without creating an account with the exchange, and it is non-custodial, which means the private key is stored on your device rather than on Coinbase’s servers. This means you don’t have to be concerned about your currencies being frozen for any reason or being vulnerable to a cyberattack on the website.
Electrum
Electrum is another open-source bitcoin-only trading wallet that can integrate with hardware wallets. It provides multi-factor authentication as well as nearly instant payments via the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Electrum has been around for over a decade, so it is a well-established entity, though the interface may present a learning curve for newcomers and customer support is limited.
ZenGo
The ZenGo wallet supports Ether, Bitcoin, and Binance Coin exchanges, and purchases can be made with a credit card or Apple Pay. Security is excellent (based on 3FA), and facial biometrics and encryption are used to protect your account, rather than private keys or seed phrases, which are used elsewhere and can be difficult to use.
The platform’s customer service is well-regarded, making it an excellent choice for newcomers. ZenGo is available in over 185 countries, but not all features are available in every location. In New York, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and the Virgin Islands, for example, you cannot purchase ADA, BNB, BUSD, DOGE, ETH, MATIC, or USDC tokens.
MetaMask
With over 30 million monthly active users, MetaMask is one of the most popular Ethereum wallets. This could be due to its simplicity and accessibility: The wallet is appealing and simple to use for new investors who want to store and send Ethereum-compatible cryptocurrencies and interact with decentralized apps (dApps).
MetaMask’s compatibility with another blockchain as well as cryptocurrency wallet solutions is also noteworthy. Almost any blockchain network can be added to the app by users. Polygon, Binance Smart Chain, and Avalanche are among the Web3 networks fully supported by the wallet. Users can also use the wallet to access popular NFT marketplaces such as OpenSea and swap a variety of collectibles.
Guarda Wallet
Guarda Wallet is a highly secure and user-friendly cryptocurrency wallet that enables users to buy, store, swap, and earn money by staking a variety of crypto assets. Guarda Wallet has passed our reputation background checks with flying colors and ticked the most security boxes among all software wallet providers, despite being one of the newest wallet providers on our list of best crypto software wallets.
The multi-platform software wallet can be accessed via a web interface, a Chrome browser extension, a desktop client, or a smartphone, allowing for seamless cryptocurrency asset management for all types of users.
Crypto.com
The Crypto.com wallet is a non-custodial wallet that provides access to a comprehensive set of DeFi services in one location. This wallet allows users to explore the most popular DApps without leaving the DeFi Wallet App, as well as connect to swap, farm, and mine on DeFi protocols.
If you enjoy NFTs, the wallet allows you to easily view and share them on social media. It is also very secure because your private keys are encrypted locally on your device using Secure Enclave and are protected by biometric and two-factor authentication.
Another advantage is that it allows you to seamlessly connect your DeFi Wallet App to a desktop browser and offers live customer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Binance
The Binance Wallet is linked to the Binance Blockchain and the Binance native coin BNB, which is one of the top five cryptocurrencies in the world. The app employs multi-factor authentication and provides over 1,500 global cryptocurrencies, with 65 of them available to US investors. One potential disadvantage: Customer service is not particularly accessible or of high quality.
Final Thoughts
When looking for a crypto payment wallet, look for one that has a strong and stable history, offers a high level of security and transparency, has a variety of crypto asset management features, and allows you to trade crypto seamlessly.
Determine what you value the most before creating any wallet: convenience or customization. From there, consider how you want to interact with your digital currencies on a daily basis. Traders may prefer a user-friendly interface with customization options, whereas holders prioritize security above all else.
