The Best Wallet for Ripple in 2018

As a responsible Ripple investor, it’s important to keep your XRP safe. Finding the best wallet for Ripple can be difficult when you don’t know the key factors to consider when making your decision. Ripple wallets are not all equal, and depending on your specific needs, you may discover that one option is better suited towards your crypto strategy. 

What Are Your Needs?

When deciding on the best wallet for Ripple, you must consider some key points to consider. First, do you plan on only storing Ripple on your wallet, or do you require the ability to store multiple cryptocurrencies? There are multiple options for each category, with many investors deciding on a multiple currency approaches.

Next, you will want to consider how often and the manner in which you want to access your crypto.

A Ripple wallet app can provide you with easy 24-hour access to your crypto. If you plan on trading your crypto often, this strategy can be your best option. On the flip side, a hardware wallet option can only be accessed when you are physically in its presence. This makes a hardware wallet more secure but less accessible. So if you are planning to HODL your Ripple, a hardware or paper wallet may be your best choice.

What to Look for in a Ripple Wallet

There are four main ways that you can store your Ripple. Each wallet style provides you with a unique set of pros and cons to contemplate.   

Hardware Wallets

Hardware wallets are the most secure option available to Ripple wallet users. These devices allow you to store your Ripple offline, thereby safe from digital intruders. Most hardware wallets provide you with the ability to recover your crypto in the event that the device is damaged. The downside of this type of Ripple wallet is the fact that you must be in the presence of your wallet to access your funds.

Online Wallets

Online wallets are the most popular form of Ripple storage available. In most cases, online wallets are free to use and generally safe. They are also very convenient, easy to set-up, and can be accessed globally. Unfortunately, these same characteristics expose online wallets to added risk from hackers when compared to cold (offline) storage methods.

Desktop Wallets

Desktop wallets are similar to online wallets but with one major difference. This style of Ripple wallet can only be accessed by the desktop that has the wallet program installed on it. Desktop wallets were the first style of wallet to emerge in the crypto space, and they are still commonly used today. Albeit, not as much as online wallets.

Paper Wallets

Paper wallets are nothing more than pieces of paper with your private keys written on them. This style of wallet used in tandem with bank safety deposit boxes is a common way that large crypto investors keep their funds safe. The Bitcoin billionaires, the Winklevoss twins, reportedly keep their private keys stored in pieces in separate banks’ safety deposit boxes.

Important Features

There are some important features that are worth examining prior to making your selection for the best wallet for Ripple. These features can keep your crypto safer and help you avoid getting scammed in the future. 

Private Keys

It is important that you have access to your private keys whenever you are storing your cryptocurrency. Always keep your Ripple private keys safe. If you lose your private key, you lose your crypto. It follows that you should never give your private key to anyone. Scammers have successfully robbed millions in crypto by tricking new investors into providing their private keys. The internet is full of stories where unsuspecting investors didn’t secure their keys, only to lose their crypto.

Development Community

Remember, choosing the wrong Ripple wallet can cost you big time. To avoid making the wrong selection, you will need to research your choices. Never go with unheard of development teams. When it comes to Ripple wallets, a good reputation is paramount.

UX

The user experience of your Ripple wallet is another important factor to reflect upon. In most instances, online Ripple wallet apps are the easiest for new users to understand. The best Ripple wallets provide you with an easy to understand user interface.

Backup

Backing up your crypto wallet is very important. Not having a backup for your crypto wallet is risky, to say the least. Hardware wallets can be stolen or damaged, and without a backup, your crypto is lost forever. The same goes for online Ripple wallet apps. Losing your phone isn’t impossible. Now imagine how bummed you would be if your entire Ripple savings was on the device and you never made a backup. 

Top Ripple Wallets 2018

Ledger Nano S

The Ledger Nano S is the safest Ripple wallet option on this list. It’s also the most expensive option on this list with a retail value of $99 USD. Ledger is well known in the crypto community as an established hardware wallet provider. The Ledger Nano S stores your Ripple offline for you to create a recovery seed in case you lose your private keys. Additionally, you can store multiple cryptocurrencies on this USB-sized Ripple wallet.

Toast Wallet

The Ripple Toast Wallet is another popular option in the crypto space worth considering. Unlike the Ledger Nano S, this wallet is not hardware based and free to install. The wallet doesn’t even charge transaction fees. The only requirement is that you have at least 20 XRP in your wallet. The Toast wallet features an easy to understand interface and is available for download on all major platforms including Windows, Android, and Apple iOS.

GitHub

The GitHub Ripple wallet is specifically listed on Ripple.com as an approved storage method for XRP. GitHub wallets are among the most secure desktop options available. The interface is easy to understand, and users can purchase additional Ripple directly from the platform using Bitcoin. The GitHub platform also incorporates an advanced analytics section that shows investors important information relevant to their holdings.

Exarpy

The Exarpy wallet platform focuses on Ripple users who access their funds on the regular. The company website states “just like cash in your pocket, your Ripple should be easy for you to access.” Exarpy is not affiliated with Ripple directly, but their platform enables easy access to the Ripple payment network. Unlike most Ripple wallets, this option doesn’t store any of your personal account information such as private keys. Instead, Exarpy utilizes a cryptographically created PIN to enable access to your funds.

CoinPayments

If you are the type of person known for losing stuff, you may want to think about utilizing the CoinPayments platform to store your Ripple. CoinPayments operates as a virtual cryptocurrency bank in which users that don’t want to worry about private keys can store their crypto. The platform offers a digital vault feature which, like a real vault, can be time-locked. Users get a lot of flexibility with this platform because CoinPayments has partnerships with over 296,000 vendors in 182 countries. So with this option, you can also spend your cryptocurrency at any of the approved vendors, if you so desire.

What’s the Best Wallet for Ripple Users?

Now that you have a better understanding of what to look for when making your decision, you are now ready to choose the best wallet for Ripple. Remember, crypto wallets are not one size fits all, and the better you understand your needs, the more likely you are to make the right choice.

Be sure to check out our best Ethereum wallet review to keep your ETH safe too.

The post The Best Wallet for Ripple in 2018 appeared first on CoinCentral.