Recently, cryptocurrencies have become one of the main assets. More and more people start using them in their daily life. Some even place bets on slot machines using BTC or LTC instead of playing at a free casino online. Yet, these assets are harder to keep and send. To be sure that coins won’t be stolen, choose the right wallet. Desktop versions are the most secure storages.
Desktop wallets are designed for a specific OS, such as Windows, macOS, or Linux. These programs are more secure than web versions because the attack surface is limited to vulnerabilities in the OS.
Electrum
Electrum was created in 2011 by a team of independent developers from MIT and contains open-source code. Electrum only supports Bitcoin. Yet, there are versions for other cryptocurrencies: Electron Cash Electrum LTC, Qtum Electrum, and many others. Many cryptocurrency wallets take Electrum’s code as a basis. It speaks for its reliability, proven by users and developers.
Electrum stores encrypted files and can be accessed with a password. Even if your PC gets hijacked, the program cannot be opened unless you can guess the password.
Armory
Armory is an open-source desktop bitcoin wallet created in 2012. This cryptocurrency wallet supports only Bitcoin. Management is entirely on the client. Bitcoins can be stored offline and transactions can be created in a view-only wallet. Armory is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and Raspberry Pi OS.
Bitcoin Core
Bitcoin Core is an open-source Bitcoin wallet that stores the entire blockchain history on localhost. The fully decentralized Bitcoin Core wallet allows the user to deploy a full node on their PC to broadcast transactions to the blockchain network.
The wallet is secure. It provides full control over funds and commissions and requires no third-party involvement to verify transactions. Yet, the user will need some technical knowledge to understand its operation. Moreover, it won’t operate well without a high-speed Internet connection.
Guarda Wallet
Guarda Wallet is a multi-currency wallet for exchanging, storing, and transferring crypto assets. It combines simplicity and security. The Guarda program supports multi-signatures, built-in exchanger, and stacking based on the PoS mechanism.
One of Guarda’s advantages is its support for cryptocurrencies other than BTC. Guarda is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. Guarda also has a mobile and web version, and a paper wallet.
All in all, desktop versions are useful for keeping cryptocurrencies. Yet, if you have a bigger sum, it’s better to choose hardware wallets.
