Best Ripple Wallets 2019: Hardware vs Mobile vs Software vs Paper
Ripple is aimed at large organizations that sends a large volume of transactions. It aims to be secure and takes only a few seconds per transaction. In fact, it is claimed that Ripple can handle up to 1000 transactions per second. This puts Ripple in the same league as traditional payment processing services such as VISA and Mastercard.
The transactions are also very cheap. Ripple itself can refer to the company or the currency Ripple (XRP). Ripple also has its own custom sidechain called the Ripple Transactions Protocol, or Ripple network for short. The Ripple protocol does not allow for chargebacks which means that technically a consumer cannot reverse a transaction.
Interestingly, Ripple doesn’t endorse any wallets via their official channels. They conclude that the responsibility lies with the user to due due diligence. It is in their own best interest to decide who they trust to keep their money safe.
Note About Ripple Wallets : Unlike Bitcoin, users need to have at least 20 XRP in their wallet for it to activate on the Ripple Ledger.
In this guide we will take a look at the available options for safely storing your Ripple XRP currency, we have listed Hardware, Web Wallets, Software and Paper Wallet options.
Hardware Wallets
Ledger Nano S
This versatile hardware wallet creeps up in just about any wallet review. The company is based in France and have been making cryptocurrency hardware since 2014. Not only can the Nano S store Ripple but also, Bitcoin, DASH, Ethereum and a whole host of other cryptocurrencies.
What makes this device great is the extra level of security. Your private keys cannot be hacked or leaked as the data is stored in a secure environment on the device. The only way to access this is via a PIN code. It supports Windows 7 and up, Mac OSX, Linux or the Chrome OS which is great for Chromebooks.
You will also need to install the special Google Chrome extension to interface with the Ledger. The device is a high quality build of brushed stainless steel and plastic. It connects to your computer via a USB device and can even connect to a mobile phone.
Desktop Wallets
Atomic Wallet
Atomic Wallet is a non-custodial desktop application that supports XRP along with other 300+ cryptocurrencies.
It’s noteworthy that Atomic enables users to not only manage their XRP, but also exchange XRP via a built-in exchange engine powered by Changelly, and buy XRP with a bank card. These features are provided in a simple interface protected by a mnemonic seed. The seed is generated after the first launch of the application and requires you to store it safely. You fully control your funds, and your private keys become encrypted on your device and never leave it. Desktop app is available for Windows, MacOS, Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora. Mobile apps for Android and IOS will be released in December, 2018.
Rippex
The Rippex wallet is based on the Ripple Desktop Wallet. It is an experimental open source wallet that was developed by Ripple. It is a downloadable wallet that runs on Windows, OSX and Linux. The source code is available on GitHub. If you are a developer you can even compile your own version of the wallet. As with most products in the cryptosphere the wallet is in beta version. It is not actively developed and there are still some known bugs in the code so use with caution. The private keys to your wallet is kept on the computer. This is safer than a web wallet but if malware infects your machine your funds could be at risk. One great benefit of this wallet is that it has no limit to the amount of XRP that you can send or receive.
Web Wallets
Exarpy
This is an interesting wallet as it is not downloaded but is a web-based desktop wallet. The site is also responsive so you can use it on your mobile web browser as well. Exarpy does not physically hold your funds but provides the application for you to transact on the Ripple network. The wallet charges a flat fee of 0.025XRP per transaction. This includes the Ripple network fee so there are no hidden charges. Just like a bank account the Exarpy wallet uses a PIN code. This is a set of 16 numbers that is linked to your account. Users need to keep this PIN somewhere safe or they will not be able to access their account again. It is encrypted so the account cannot be recovered without this.
Cryptonator
The Cryptonator wallet is a multicurrency wallet with support for XRP. It is accessible via the web on your notebook, desktop or mobile device. Users can even exchange their XRP in the wallet for other cryptocurrencies at a very low rate. The Cryptonator developers ensure security but using a secure web connection (SSL). Users also have another layer of protection called 2-factor authentication (2FA) where they get a notification with a one-time password. The wallet will also block any suspicious IP addresses that try and access your account.
GateHub
The Ripple community seems to like web-based wallets. To use this wallet the user has to deposit a minimum of 20 XRP or the equivalent in Bitcoin, Ethereum (ETH), Ethereum Classic (ETC) or Augur (REP). You can also fund the wallet using a bank deposit. Since the platform is online you can also trade and convert cryptocurrencies using GateHub. For beginner Ripple users this is probably the best wallet to start with. The layout is very simple and the functionality is easy to use.
CoinPayments
This web-based wallet is also an easy way to get started with a Ripple wallet. It has support for a lot of different cryptocurrencies and lets you store your funds in a secure hot wallet. Hot wallets are wallets that are attached to the internet unlike cold wallets such as hardware wallets. This wallet has very low fees – a 0.5% flat fee across all currencies and transactions. It actually calls itself a payment gateway as you can easily convert to different currencies and send payments using the wallet’s extended features.
Mobile Wallets
Toast Wallet!
Yes, the name even has an exclamation mark at the end! This great mobile wallet is free and open-source. It is available for both Android and iOS devices. There are also desktop versions available for Windows, OSX and Linux. The user interface (UI) is clean and the app is easy to use. It also has first-rate security as the private keys are kept safe on the device and not online somewhere where hackers can get their grubby paws on your funds.
Paper Wallet
Creating a paper wallet is seen as one of the most secure ways to store your cryptocurrency, apart from hardware wallets. This type of cold storage is secure because it is not connected to the internet in any way.. The best way to make a Ripple paper wallet is to use the Minimalist Ripple Client. The first step is to set the identity by entering a secret (private) key under the Identity heading.
Users can also choose Generate Identity and the app will generate a public and a private key for them. The public key usually starts with “r”. The private key is the second key underneath the public key.
Very importantly, users have to write down these generated or chosen keys on a piece of paper. This is the only way to access their funds. The Ripple wallet will remain offline until they send 20 XRP to the wallet address. I would recommend sending funds to this wallet from a reputable exchange that supports Ripple, such as Binance or Kraken.
Visit Minimalist Ripple Client
Conclusion
Ripple wallets are different from Bitcoin wallets. The minimum amount required to activate a Ripple wallet is 20 XRP. Ripple says this is to prevent the global ledger from growing too big and to prevent malicious use of its wallets.
Hardware and paper wallets are the safest options if you are concerned about your privacy. Mobile and web wallets are commonplace in the Ripple ecosystem even though these are considered more of a risk as the private keys are kept online.
It is up to the user to do research into these wallets and to determine whether they can trust the company to keep their funds safe.
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Source: blockonomi.com
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