Bankless: A Quick Look at Top 10 Browser Wallets and Their Pros and Cons

Original title: "Top 10 Best Browser Crypto Wallets"

Original author: Will iam M. Peaster

Original compilation: Yangz, The way of DeFi

First things first: browser wallets are crypto wallets designed to be used through a web browser.

For most of us, when we see "browser wallet", we think of browser extension projects like MetaMask, people can Download directly into browsers like Chrome, Brave, etc.

But there are many other projects. In addition to wallet extensions, there are various browser-centric services that fall under the category of "browser wallets".

So, which one offers the most value? To answer this question, I reviewed 10 different browser wallet projects across four different wallet flavors. These are:

Browser Extension

MetaMask

Coinbase   Wallet

GameStop Wallet

Rabby

Math Wallet

Yes A browser with a built-in wallet

Brave

Opera

"Any Browser" wallet service

WalletConnect

Portis

Browse

Frame

Today we will discuss the pros and cons of these wallets and answer The question: "Which is the best browser wallet today?"

Let's see...

MetaMask

Website: metamask.io

Supported browsers: Chrome, Brave, Firefox, Edge

Supported chains: all The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) blockchain

The MetaMask extension is the most widely supported browser wallet in the cryptoeconomy and has become the dapp) standard

Advantages:

Easy to download and use

Excellent explanation of wallet recovery phrase + process for storing backups

Easy to import existing accounts or create new ones

Compatible with Ledger, Trezor and GridPlus hardware wallets

In-Wallet Crypto Swap System

Cons:

Cannot retrieve lost accounts like smart contract wallets

Because MetaMask is so popular, its users often become social media trolls

Overall Score: 9/10

Coinbase Wallet

Website: coinbase.com/wallet

Supported browsers: Chrome

Supported chains: All Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) blockchains

Encrypted trading platform giant Coinbase launched the Coinbase Wallet browser extension in November 2021. Since then, Coinbase has moved quickly, making Coinbase Wallet a viable challenger to MetaMask. It is developing fast, but the wallet is still not as good as MetaMask at the moment.

Benefits:

Self-Hosted

Easy to download and use

Easy to load the wallet via Coinbase Pay

Provide a range of default networks such as Ethereum, Arbitrum , BNB  Chain, in addition Adding a custom network

Provides an auto-lock timer

Provides a "logout" feature

Supports non-EVM cryptocurrencies (BTC , BCH , DOGE, LTC , SOL, SPL Token, XLM and XRP )

Cons:

Not enough emphasis on recovery phrase + process of storing backups

Not universally supported like MetaMask

Not like a smart contract wallet Retrieve lost account

There is no built-in wallet Token Swap

There is no direct hardware wallet support

Overall score: 8/10
< /p>

GameStop Wallet

Website: wallet.gamestop.com

Supported browser: Chrome

Supported chain: Ethereum , Loopring  L2

GameStop is the world's largest video game retailer. In recent months, the company’s Web3 team has been building the GameStop wallet in anticipation of future exploration of the crypto economy. The wallet stands out for offering direct support for Loopring zk-rollup L2.

Pros:

Self-Hosted

Easy to download

Clearly explains the risks of self-hosting

Carefully explains the recovery phrase process

L2 support via Loopring

Provide a built-in swap system for wallets

Provide direct support for hardware wallets

Disadvantages:

Lack of broad direct dapp support

Cannot retrieve lost accounts like smart contract wallets

p>Currently only two chains are supported

Overall Rating: 7/10

Rabby

Website: rabby.io

Supported browsers: Chrome, Brave - Firefox & Edge will be supported soon

Supported chains: support more than 30 links Chains, including EVM mainstream such as Ethereum, Polygon  , and Optimism , plus some non-EVM chains.

Created by the DeBank team, Rabby is a browser extension wallet that emphasizes multi-chain support, has a clear transaction signing experience, and pre-transaction risk scanning.

Pros:

Self-Hosted

Easy to download

Open source, anyone can examine or build on it

Extensive hardware wallet + institutional wallet + mobile wallet support

The seed phrase process is well explained

Provides an in-wallet widget system

A security approval system is emphasized in the UI

Cons:

UI is a bit confusing

Lack of broad direct DApp  ;Support

Cannot retrieve lost accounts like smart contract wallets

Overall rating: 7/10

Math Wallet

Website: mathwallet.org

Supported browsers: Chrome, Brave, and Edge

Supported chains: few EVM chains plus Bitcoin, Kusama , Solana , TRON, etc.

Math Wallet is a crypto wallet browser extension that supports over 100 different blockchains. However, the project is relatively confusing to use compared to other popular crypto wallet solutions.

Pros:

Self-Hosted

Easy to download

Supports a wide range of blockchains

Cons:
< /p>

Wallet creation process and wallet UI doesn't feel intuitive

Lack of broad DApp support

Can't act like a smart contract wallet Retrieving lost accounts

No emphasis on risk and importance of recovery phrase process

Overall rating: 5.5/10

Brave Wallet

Website: brave.com/wallet

Supported browsers: Brave

Supported chains: EVM chains are supported, so  ETH , ERC20s, etc. are supported Token , in addition to Solana and SPL Token

In November 2021, crypto-friendly browser Brave launched a built-in cryptocurrency wallet called Brave Wallet. The app lets you interact with Web3 directly from your browser experience, offering a glimpse into the internet of the future. It currently supports all EVM-based chains and Solana.

Pros:

Self-Hosted

Easy to download

In-wallet swap system available

Compatible with Ramp and Wyre

< b>Disadvantages:

Lack of broad direct dapp support

Cannot recover lost like a smart contract wallet

Overall Rating: 8/10

Website: opera.com/crypto/next

Supported browsers: Opera

Supported chains: Ethereum, BNB chain, Polygon, and Bitcoin (plus some testnets)

In January 2022, Opera launched a dedicated encrypted browser with a built-in wallet system. The browser also has direct integration with Discord and  Telegram   for a strong crypto-native feel.

Pros:

Self-Hosted

Easy to download

Provides a built-in swap system in the wallet

Cons:
< /p>

Lack of broad direct DApp support

Lack of support for many blockchains

Can't act like a smart contract wallet Recover Lost Account

Overall Rating: 7/10

WalletConnect

Website: walletconnect.com

Supported browsers: any browser

Supported chains: any blockchain

According to its website, WalletConnect is an "open-source protocol for connecting dapps to mobile wallets via QR code scanning or deep linking." For example, Rainbow Wallet is a popular Ethereum wallet, but does not yet have a browser extension.

WalletConnect enables Rainbow users (and others) on mobile to easily access any dapp from any browser.

< b>Pros:

This is a meta wallet that supports all wallets

Easy to use

Available in different browsers

Open Source

Cons:

Currently no major problems with WalletConnect

Overall score: 9.2/ 10

Portis

Website: wallet.portis.io/login

Supported browsers: Any browser< /p>

Supported chains: Ethereum, Bitcoin, Gnosis Chain, Polygon, EOS 

Portis provides a "simple browsing In-Device Email/Password Login Method", which is intuitive and familiar to mainstream users.

Advantages:

Can be used in various Use the

backup function in the wallet

Disadvantages:

The UI of the wallet is a bit confusing (personal opinion)

Lack of broad direct dapp support

Lack of support for many blockchains

< /p>

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Frame

Website: frame.sh

Supported systems: Linux, MacOS and Windows, Chrome and Firefox extensions are supported

Supported chains: all Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) blockchains

Frame is a desktop wallet that offers the Frame Companion  browser extension. The connector can "build a connection to Frame, the desktop native Ethereum wallet, into browser-based applications that cannot directly connect to Frame."

Pros:

Applicable to all dapps

Privacy-focused

Some of my colleagues really like this project

Cons:

I'm having trouble using the Frame desktop + extension combo on my new computer due to constant error messages, so it's hard for me to explore the project directly

Overall Rating: 5.5/10

Conclusion

After reviewing the 10 browser wallets listed above, I currently think WalletConnect (9.2/10) is the best product overall because it is an excellent "meta wallet" that allows you to Wherever you want, connected any way you want.

Following behind is MetaMask (9/10), which set the standard for direct wallet connections in the cryptoeconomy, and will likely continue to do so.

Here are the rankings by category:

Browser Extensions

MetaMask - 9/10

Coinbase Wallet—8/10

GameStop Wallet— 7/10

Rabby - 7/10

Math Wallet - 5.5/10

has built-in Wallet Browser

Brave—8/10

Opera—7/10