Bitcoin Forum

I would like to store some bitcoins on a software wallet.  But it seems like there are quite a few of these and new ones coming up all of the time.

For a newcomer like me can someone suggest which are the most popular?

It depends on your needs.

If you have enough resources (internet bandwidth, RAM, processor speed, and non-volatile storage) then you can run a full node such as Armory or Bitcoin Core.

If you only need an SPV wallet, then I'd suggest MultiBit.

Electrum is also popular.

Electrum and multibit are my favorites. Neither requires a giant time consuming download of the blockchain before you can use them. Being honest I prefer the old classic multibit to the latest wallet because the older one was less hassle to set up. The only real difference is the latest version requires you to make a password, whereas you could choose to omit a password for the old wallet, which I preferred for a wallet that only held a small amount. However, the old multibit wallet is no longer supported.

Im using coinbase right now but im not storing huge amount of btc.
I invest most of my btc so I can earn continuously. Im using my wallet when I need to
Widraw or deposit some btc on my other acc.

Go with the best established wallets with the most feedback and select one based on the features you need. See how many times they pop up in conversation elsewhere and on here and whether there's a dedicated thread, which should definitely be the case for any wallet worth considering.

I find it really weird when newbies ask for takes on wallets no one else has ever heard of, not that I'm saying that about the OP, when there are no shortage of well proven choices. It's the one thing no one should be taking a speculative punt on.

multibit
electrum
bitcoin-core
therealbitcoin
coinb.in
darkwallet

also you should be VERY familiar with
bitaddress.org

Just try them, use them as you see fit, and move on if you don't like them.  Just like you'd do to choose any other software product like OS for example.   

Check the list of wallets on Bitcoin.org, but don't use any web wallets. Most web wallets (like coinbase) don't give you control of the private keys so you don't actually have control of the Bitcoin. Even though blockchain.info doesn't have control of your private keys, their service generally sucks and they have had many mistakes and mishaps that really shouldn't have happened.

I would recommend using Electrum if you are ok with less security and using SPV. This is if you want to trade security for speed.

If you want something secure, use Bitcoin Armory. I find it to be easy to use and quite secure, the only issue is that it takes ages to load.

For a lot of security, use a hardware wallet like a trezor.

You can (and should) keep some bitcoin in cold storage on a paper wallet which is the most secure option.

When I was new to Bitcoin I have chosen Multibit. It has a very welcoming GUI and it's not hard to use. It's also very easy to secure. So I would suggest you a Multibit.

Later I had to change for Electrum since the have offered first the support for Trezor and even today Electrum looks kind of cold to me. Very simplistic.

I'm using Multibit. It's fast and easy to use, more user friendly than core and you don't have to download the whole chain which is a plus IMO.

I use electrum for the ease of install.

In fact all centralized wallets are more or less the same, so if you won't install the core, pick any other wallet

The most popular is Electrum and Multibit. Being a light SPV client, you do not need to download the full blockchain. The difference is really the interface. Why not download both of them? Try them out with no bitcoin in them, or send 0.01 to each of the wallets and play around with their interfaces. Choose the one you can easily understand and feel comfortable with.

just use electrum and all will be fine, its simple and easy to use, no need for anything else....

I would not guarentee this if on a computer your using for internet and other things where it's online.  This is considered a hot wallet if online.

OP look into cold wallets and hardware.  Either one of these is the best as far as security.  If storing a lot defeintally look into it.

yea but an online electrum is still better than shady online wallets. I heard many scammer wallets stole tons of bitcoins.

Not wanna get fucked by those, better to store them on your own no?

Since you are new, you can try web wallet. It's very easy to use.
But do not store a huge amount of btc on web wallet.
For huge amount of btc you can store you btc in hardware wallet or desktop wallet.

i would run core to avoid any problem that may come with spv client, iike the one that already happened, i know that you need to download almost 50gb, but you need to do it one time only

then you cna simply backup the whole chain and you're done, in the case of a format

I recommend using MultiBit
Note : NEVER use any wallet that it is not listed here : https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet (https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet)
all of the wallets in that link are offically recommended and open source (impossible to steal your BTC)
open source mean that any developer can see all of the program codes (so you can make sure that there is no any suspicious code or something like this)

Depends on if computer is hacked or not.  Not sure which wallets you are calling shady online wallets.  Is there a specific one you are talking about?

But again cold wallet is better then hot wallet.  There is some need for hot wallets, but look into hardware or paper wallets if storing a lot.

Do yourself a favor and start out right using a hardware wallet. Trezor is very easy to use and you will never have your bitcoin stolen. Well worth $99. Documentation is very thorough and walks you through setup and use. A bonus is Trezor works with Mycelium wallet on Android.

I have choose my wallet based on 2 criteria
1. I wanted my private key to be held within my control
2. Light weight wallet to save bandwidth and to reduce initial synchronization time

Other than above, the safety of your bitcoin is based on your password encryption like our email Account.

Choose one wallet and stick to it except if a change that you don't like appears.
Bitcoin core- For developers and people who care about security as bitcoin core verifies the entire block. It does take more space though.
SPV clients (MultiBit/Electrum)- For normal users, SPV client is usually enough and is ideal for people with smallish storage space. The security is not to the standards of Bitcoin core though.

You don't need to search anymore, bitcoin core today is fast enough to use for day to day use.
Before only multibit, but now multibit is stealing your funds each transaction :/

I hope Electrum will push their security to new levels, i plan to store tons of bitcoins will them in the future.

I hate to keep blockchain on my pc, its just a waste of space for my small pc.

What is the security problem you have with Electrum?  How about other wallets, do you feel others offer better security / features? 

Does the bitcoin core wallet not require you to download the blockchain?  How does it compare with other wallets for features?

What do you mean "The security is not to the standards of Bitcoin core though." ?

You can choose your wallet based on following,
1. Your internet speed and bandwidth allows choose bitcoin core
2. If you prefer light weight wallet choose, multibit or multibit HD or Electrum
3. Advanced features: Armony or mSigma

https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet (https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet)

For one thing the core wallet downloads the entire blockchain.  So you have to continually update if you use it.   Other wallets like MultiBit/Electrum do not require this, they are "lightweight clients" I believe the term is.

Also one thing to consider is paper wallet is cold.  I really like cold wallets personally.  You can always import a paper wallet into a wallet with private key or QR.  So you don't have to have a software option.  Also hardware wallets have really came a long way.

Great question - here's a great site to help you sort through the options based on what you want out of the wallet.

https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet

I've used this site several times. I hope it helps you!

My simple idea for choosing a your wallet.
By asking a software wallet you are ready to go for desktop wallet.
Now you need to decide to go full or light weight wallets based on your internet connection speed and volume limits.
Do not forget to encrypt wallet with a strong remember-able password.

Nice sort of different platform wallets. But I do not want to use my bitcoin on mobile phones.
I have account in blockchain. Now you recommend XAPO. let me check there too.