Which wallet should I use?
The question is asked almost daily in various Facebook groups or to us:
"Which wallet do you use?" - "Which wallet can you recommend?"
As this question cannot be answered in one sentence, we have written a separate tutorial on the topic:
We recommend either the Daedalus Wallet or the Yoroi Wallet for the secure storage of your ADA - both come from the Cardano development team, are easy to use and uncomplicated to set up.
Here is a little guide to help you decide which wallet is right for you:
Daedalus
Blockchain with you
The Daedalus wallet is a real Cardano node and stores a copy of the entire Cardano blockchain on your computer (approx. 196GB, as of January 2025). This helps the Cardano network as an additional network node.
Your wallet and your keys are stored locally and encrypted with you and are not shared with third parties.
The Daedalus Wallet runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Only English and Japanese are available as languages. Due to the amount of data, it is not available for mobile devices!
WARNING!
If you discover a mobile version of this wallet online or in the app stores - hands off!
These are fake apps that want to steal your coins!
The initial download and synchronization of the Daedalus blockchain takes several hours to days. After that, the blockchain is only resynchronized at startup, which can take a few minutes (1-2).
We recommend the use of this wallet.
Yoroi
Blockchain at Emurgo
The Yoroi wallet is available as a browser extension (for Chrome and Firefox) and as an app for mobile devices (iOS and Android). It does NOT store a local copy of the blockchain and instead connects to a blockchain node from Emurgo, one of the three official companies behind Cardano.
In this case, the blockchain is not located on your computer, but at Emurgo, which is why the Yoroi wallet is smaller and starts faster.
However, your wallet and your keys are stored locally and encrypted on your computer and are not shared with third parties (Emurgo).
If you can't spare any storage space for a locally stored blockchain and don't speak English, this wallet is the right one for you.
Function comparison
Function |
Daedalus |
Yoroi |
| Supported platforms | Windows, macOS, and Linux | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux |
| Installation | 1 to 2 hours to days, "Full Node", downloads the entire blockchain and validates the entire history. | Connects to a full node hosted by Emurgo. |
| Local wallet and private keys encrypted | Yes | Yes |
| Resource consumption | Increased (hard disk + bandwidth) | Small |
| Autonomous operation | Yes, fully autonomous operation with local full node | No, trust in the full node from EMURGO is necessary. |
| Staking and delegation | Yes | Yes |
| Management of multiple wallets | Yes, up to 20 | Browser: No, Mobile App: Yes |
| Backup and restore | Backup and restore with 12/24-word block | Backup and restore with a 15/24-word block |
| Send and receive ADA with full history | Yes | Yes |
| Data protection | Extended | Base |
| Supported languages | ENG, JPN | DEU, FRA, ITA, ENG, RUS, ESP, JPN, CHN, KOR, IDN |
| Sending support requests | Built into Wallet | Built into Wallet |
| Support for smart contracts | Yes | Yes |
| Full Node | Yes | No |
| Required storage space | approx. 196GB | 6,5 MB |
| Support for Ledger Hardware Wallet | Yes | Yes |
| Support for Trezor Hardware Wallet | Yes | Yes |
| Support for paper wallets | Yes | Yes |
| Migration | Yoroi Wallet to Daedalus Wallet = No, Yoroi Paper Wallet to Daedalus Wallet = No | Daedalus Wallet to Yoroi Wallet = Yes, Daedalus Paper Wallet to Yoroi Wallet = Yes |
And which wallet is the right one for me?
Both wallets originate from the Cardano programmers and are therefore from a trustworthy source as long as they are downloaded from the official websites.
Both wallets store the keys for your ADA coins locally and encrypted and offer support for staking.
Both wallets support both Trezor and Ledger hardware wallets
So it's basically up to you which wallet you use.
If you want to help the Cardano network and have some storage space to spare, you can use the Daedalus wallet.
If you don't want to have the entire blockchain on your computer, you can use the Yoroi wallet.