There’s no better way of securing your crypto assets than a reliable wallet: consider these top 5 choices

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed here is not investment advice – it is provided for informational purposes only.  It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of U.Today.  Every investment and all trading involves risk, so you should always perform your own research prior to making decisions.  We do not recommend investing money you cannot afford to lose. 

Crypto wallet is an irreplaceable part of your investment activity.  But how to select a reliable and functional option?  Let’s consider Top 5 Ripple wallets and find out how to pick the right one for you. 

It’s been two years since cryptocurrencies started to make waves, and many altcoins grew in price as much as the leader, Bitcoin, did.  There are many decent investment opportunities around, and one of them is Ripple (XRP).  Having been invented as far back as 2004, it grew at a remarkable rate in 2017, and now is in the Top-10 cryptocurrencies.  The coin is widely used for international transactions and is currently being tested by governmental banks, especially the ones in Asia.  Despite being the third largest cryptocurrency by market cap (close to 18 billion US dollars), XRP is very cheap compared to Bitcoin and Ethereum, so right now you can still buy a handful of coins without having to take out a second mortgage on your house. 

If you’re ready to jump on the Ripple bandwagon, then you need a reliable and functional wallet.  Let’s observe five worthy solutions and find out why an accurate XRP wallet selection is more important than you may think. 

Main vulnerabilities of cryptocurrency wallets

Like any other online product, online cryptocurrency wallets are prone to attacks and failures.  These are the main five crypto wallet vulnerabilities:

Image by Utoday

How to choose the best wallet for Ripple? 

Not all Ripple wallets are created equal, as it were, so you need to perform a thorough market analysis before investing.  The prime motivation for using a good wallet is the safety of your assets: without a rock-solid security, no digital solution has any real value. 

So, what should be taken into consideration when picking up the best XRP wallet? 

Does the wallet support Ripple?  This is the most essential question.  The Internet offers a myriad of versatile crypto wallets, but sets of supported cryptocurrencies differ from one solution to the next.  Is it secure enough?  The absence of proper security measures takes away from most of a wallet’s value, which means that your virtual money could be stolen any time.  Check whether the wallet provider implements a two-step authentication, cold storage, backup, and other security tools.  An SSL certificate is a must-have for online services, too.  An offline Ripple wallet is considered to be a safer option.  What’s the fee/cost?  If you’re going to handle huge amounts of cryptocurrency, investing in a hardware wallet for Ripple can be a more cost-effective solution compared to online storage.  Is it compatible with mobile devices?  Every self-respecting crypto wallet provider offers both desktop and mobile versions for their clients’ convenience.  Make sure that your iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, or any other device supports the software. 

Cold vs. hot wallet: which one is better? 

Cold storage means using a hardware wallet for crypto assets.  It is recommended for users who want to safeguard their coins instead of entrusting funds to third parties.  This is a safer but also a less convenient option because you cannot perform cryptocurrency operations on the go.  For this reason, some traders use both kinds of cryptocurrency wallets: online services for trading, as well as hardware wallets for storage only. 

Now that the stage has been set, the time is ripe to actually have a look at the best Ripple wallet options. 

Binance

When talking about cryptocurrency exchanges, Binance is one of the first names that springs to mind.  This crypto service is rapidly growing and now also offers its users Ripple wallets.  However, it’s better suited for short-term coin storage: as a general rule, you shouldn’t store currency there for more than 1–2 days, because exchange issues may appear out of the blue. 

“Why use it at all?”,  you may ask.  Well, Binance is perfect for instant buying and storing of XRP since you can claim a 50% discount on trading fees when you exchange Bitcoin to Ripple. 

Ledger Nano S

This hardware wallet supports a number of cryptocurrencies, including Dash, BTC, ETH/ETC, Stratis, and Zcash.  This crypto storage solution offers high-level security, ease of use, and portability.  It looks like a USB device, so you can carry it in your pocket without having to be wary of any prying eyes.  It allows you to control transactions with the help of a button and features a secure password system.  You can send and receive coins and make automated account backups (there’s an individual recovery sheet applied to every device).  The gadget can be ordered online: in 4–7 days, it will be delivered to your doorstep. 

Image by Ledger Nano S

Toast Wallet

But where to store Ripple for free?  Try Toast, an open-source Ripple wallet which is accessible to anyone.  Its salient features include:

Compatibility with Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS.  Each application is well thought-through and fast. 

Zero fees for both storage and transactions.  Do bear in mind, however, that you need to have 20 XRP in reserve to process your transactions. 

Toast Ripple wallet App has intuitive navigation coupled with a user-friendly interface. 

Toast wallet is a bare-bones solution that will be perfect for starters to get their feet wet and learn the basics of cryptocurrency handling.  It is simple enough for beginners to manage, and yet, supposedly, as safe as a Swiss bank.  Another good news is that Toast is not a hosted wallet, which means you will have total control over your private keys. 

Jaxx Wallet

This software was developed by the man who started investing in crypto very early on and helped to found Ethereum.  In trying to figure out how to store Ripple safely and reliably, he developed Jaxx Ripple wallet.  This is a multicurrency HD wallet that allows for storage of over 60 coins and lets its users control the seed and PIN.  This software boasts the whole gamut of features, including:

Custom fee options: high (fast transactions), average, and low (slow mining fee).  The normal fee is recommended for an easy transaction confirmation.  A QR scanner for better precision and accuracy of transactions.  Exporting and importing of private keys. 

Jaxx also provides an added bonus of the best exchange for Ripple: one coin can be converted into another in the app itself, so the investors are free to make transaction decisions right there and then. 

Check out available Jaxx versions:

Android Mobile & Tablet iOS Mobile & Tablet OS X Desktop Chrome Browser Extension Windows Ripple desktop wallet (x64) / (x86) Linux Ripple desktop wallet (x64) / (x86)

CoinPayments

CoinPayments is not just a desktop wallet for Ripple.  As its name suggests, it is a cryptocurrency payment website where you can store currency online.  It accepts over 900 altcoins, a record-breaking number for an exchange platform.  CoinPayments functions like a physical bank — it allows exchanging of coins and shopping online — and has a low transaction fee of 0.5%.  The fee is applicable to:

commercial deposits;

incoming payments;

transactions, regardless of their size. 

Personal deposits and withdrawals are 100% free unless you use them for commercial items or shopping.  To top it off, CoinPayments is highly convenient for online purchases: it partners with a wide range of e-commerce websites and stores, over 296,000 online vendors to be exact.  Exceptional security level is achieved thanks to the BitGo multi-sig technology.  So if you want a cheap and breach-proof solution for cryptocurrency storage, CoinPayments is exactly the thing. 

10 ways to secure your cryptocurrency wallet

All cryptocurrency owners are potential victims of hackers.  Although the aforementioned solutions are safe, you, as a user, bear the primary responsibility for the security of your assets.  Here are a few professional tips:

Do not install external mobile applications unless absolutely necessary.  Activate a Two Factor authorization in both the app and on the web.  Whenever someone sends you links, always double check them.  Beware of Slack bots!  Do not click on any links the bots send you.  You can also protect your device against them by using Avira antivirus, Metacert, or Webroot security, as well as built-in Google Safe Browsing.  When you’re engaged in a crypto trading activity, use a separate browser for the operations with crypto coins.  It’s also better to choose an incognito browsing mode; in fact, ideally, you should have a separate PC or another device for crypto trading.  Do not download crypto add-ons.  Use antivirus for network protection.  Do not perform transactions via public Wi-Fi, even if you use a VPN.  Keep updating your router firmware regularly: hardware manufacturers release updates for protection against key substitution.  Do not interact with websites without an HTTPS protocol.  If something seems suspicious in the messages you receive, close the window and delete that letter from your inbox. 

Bottom Line

Although the Blockchain is a safe technology in and of itself, it’s not immune to security breaches, which means you still need a safe place to store your cryptocurrency coins.  The Internet offers a myriad of exchange platforms and crypto payment services that provide crypto wallets.  These websites should be chosen wisely: some of them are prone to hacking, while the others may charge astronomical fees. 

So, what is better, an offline Ripple wallet or an online service?  It depends on the frequency and size of your transactions.  Cold storage is used for long-term investment; this feature is provided by hardware wallets.  If you are going to trade actively and perform transactions on a daily basis that involve smaller amounts, then online services would be more appropriate for you.  They can be used on the go, and their transaction fees are pretty low, though how low exactly would depend on the actual platform you opt for. 

All of these Top-5 solutions are dependable and functional enough to meet the desired objectives of any crypto investor.  So, if you’re ready to stock up on Ripple, pick up one of them and sleep soundly knowing that your assets are safe!