What Are the Simplest and Most Secure Desktop-Based Cryptocurrency Wallets?
By: Dr. Michael J. Garbade
Tags: Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Wallet, Ethereum

Desktop-based cryptocurrency wallets are used for keeping the private keys of cryptocurrencies on a local computer safely.

As compared to web-based wallets, desktop wallets are considered to be more secure for storing digital currencies because they are more difficult to steal.

Nonetheless, since desktop wallets are categorized as “hot wallets” (because they are connected to the Internet), they are still inherently insecure.

Therefore, you should take extra caution to ensure their security. You can also learn how to maintain their security by watching video guides from experts.

Here are 7 simple and most secure desktop-based crypto wallets you can use.

1)EXODUS

Exodus, released in 2016, is a simple and user-friendly desktop-based wallet for storing your private crypto keys. Its interface is devoid of unnecessary complexities, which allows you to get around it with much ease. Exodus also provides 24/7 customer support.

It offers protection by encrypting your private keys and transaction details on your hard drive. You’ll have complete control of your keys.

Exodus is a multi-currency wallet. Therefore, it’s suitable if you want to diversify your storage of cryptocurrencies.

It is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

2)ELECTRUM

Electrum, released in 2011, is a versatile, powerful, and secure wallet for storing your cryptos on a local machine. It is a Bitcoin wallet that focuses on low resource usage to guarantee fast transactions without any downtimes.

Electrum encrypts your private keys on your computer. To enhance your security, you can use its cold storage capabilities that allow you to store your keys offline and go online with a wallet having watch-only features.

It is available for Windows, Linux, Mac, and Android.

3)BITCOIN CORE

Bitcoin core, which is the first and the original crypto wallet, provides high levels of security, reliability, and privacy.

While most other wallets are known as Simplified Payment Verification (SPV) wallets or lite wallets, Bitcoin core is a full node Bitcoin wallet. SPV wallets do not require the entire copy of the blockchain before completing transactions.

However, Bitcoin core requires that you download the entire Bitcoin blockchain on your computer before using it. Because the Bitcoin’s blockchain size is big (over 145 gigabytes) it can consume a big portion of your hardware resources.

Whereas this wallet can be resource-heavy, it offers increased security to your bitcoins. Furthermore, there is an active community around Bitcoin core that will assist you to address any issues and problems.

It is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

4)MSIGNA

mSIGNA is a state-of-the-art storage solution for blockchain-based digital currencies, such as Bitcoin and Litecoin. It is free and open source, and aligns with the top-notch security practices in the industry.

Whereas mSIGNA is a sophisticated tool, it is very user-friendly, fast, and inherently scalable. Some of its notable features include decentralized offline key generation, convenient multi-device synchronization, encrypted offline storage, and watch-only wallet sharing capabilities.

It is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

5)COPAY

Copay, released in 2014, is an open sourced Bitcoin wallet that is simple and effective to use. It allows you to enhance the security of your wallet by using multiple signatories. With this amazing feature, the group members must approve before any transaction takes place — just like a joint-checking account.

Furthermore, Copay supports the storage of multiple wallets separately. As such, you can manage different wallets without leaving the Copay app.

It is available for a wide range of platforms, including iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux.

6)ARMORY

Armory is an open source and free wallet for storing Bitcoin private keys on your computer. It focuses on cold storage and multi-signature support to provide users with increased security.

Armory’s cold storage capabilities allow you to use its watch-only wallet for viewing your Bitcoin details online. You can also set up multiple Bitcoin wallet addresses and use them to carry out separate transactions.

It is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

7)ETHERWALL

Etherwall, released in 2015 as an open source project, is the first Ethereum desktop-based wallet. It is simple, user-friendly, and highly secure.

You can choose to run it as a full node or thin node client. The full mode allows you to download the entire Ethereum blockchain on your computer. On the other hand, the thin mode allows you to complete your transactions without downloading the Ethereum blockchain data.

It is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. It also supports Trezor devices.

CONCLUSION

There you go!

Those are the cryptocurrency wallets you can use on your desktop.

Do you use any of the above desktop cryptocurrency wallets?

Do you use any other non-desktop crypto wallet to keep your private keys?

Please let us know in the comment section below.

This article was originally published on the LiveEdu.tv blog.

Get LEDU Coin

Get LEDU coins now on Exrates, Livecoin, Mercatox and IDEX or join the LEDU OTC Trading program for large purchases. Read more about LEDU coins on our project page and ask any questions you might have in our Telegram group chat.