Electrum or MultiBit?

[ashkanb]

up until now i've only been using online wallets like blockchain.info.
i was browsing the forum and stumbled on this;
as a precaution i decided to get a desktop wallet, post my address here and just be more responsible with my coins, in general.

i went straight to bitcoin.org and looked up osx desktop wallets there.
bitcoin core is out of question because of the 50+GB download!
the 2nd and the 3rd wallets there were MultiBit and Electrum.
did some digging on their websites.
other than the usual we're the best and the safest on the home page,
what i've found was lengthy technical documents.
i'm not being lazy just a bit too busy for my own good!

which one of these two do you recommend and why? what are they're distinguishing features? is there a big difference at all?
are there any other wallets i've missed? that might be better than these two? and why?

p.s. i'm only looking for osx wallets!

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[unamis76]

It's spelled Electrum. You should really read on both and try them. They're both safe, it just comes down to user preference and what you like to use more. I've tried both and I prefer Electrum. It's feature rich enough and I find it more simple to use. MultiBit is also very good, but I don't like the GUI as much as Electrum (personal preference, again).

[mocacinno]

up until now i've only been using online wallets like blockchain.info.
i was browsing the forum and stumbled on this;
as a precaution i decided to get a desktop wallet, post my address here and just be more responsible with my coins, in general.

i went straight to bitcoin.org and looked up osx desktop wallets there.
bitcoin core is out of question because of the 50+GB download!
the 2nd and the 3rd wallets there were MultiBit and Electrom.
did some digging on their websites.
other than the usual we're the best and the safest on the home page,
what i've found was lengthy technical documents.
i'm not being lazy just a bit too busy for my own good!

which one of these two do you recommend and why? what are they're distinguishing features? is there a big difference at all?
are there any other wallets i've missed? that might be better than these two? and why?

p.s. i'm only looking for osx wallets!

I'm a big electrum fan, i like the interface and the fact that i have to enter my password before signing a transaction.
I also like their coin and address controll, their plugins, the fact that i can have a downloadable version, the fact that i can have a mobile version,  the fact that i have several servers to chose from, the importing/exporting private keys, HW wallet support,... AND the fact that they're free (Multibit HD actually charges a very minimal developers fee).

On the other hand, Multibit HD is a fine piece of software to, i just like electrum better .

[rienelber]

I strongly recommend Mycellium if you use Android. It's the best wallet I have used so far.

[Red-Apple]

as i am using Electrum i suggest you to use it also only if you can't or don't want to run bitcoin qt as full node.

p.s. remember to only download wallets from their official website not any place else.

[ashkanb]

It's spelled Electrum.

oops my bad, corrected.  

(personal preference, again).

thought as much, it'll come down to that!
i'll take my time, look deeper at them both and will develop my own personal preference; thanks for the input.

@mocacinno
thanks for your great input, much appreciated.  

I strongly recommend Mycellium if you use Android. It's the best wallet I have used so far.

nice you liked it; thanks for NOT reading the post at all!
yobit would be proud!

@Red-Apple

p.s. remember to only download wallets from their official website not any place else.

i'll make sure to do that.  

[TastyChillySauce00]

i'd reccomend electrum, it have cool design both on their website and electrum app (even not so cool) but it has the simplicity and easy to use,i just ever tried it on windows os but i think there's no big different at all compared to osx

i just thinking the main different of these wallets is the interface

[BitcoinNewsMagazine]

If you are new to bitcoin Multibit HD for your laptop is more user friendly than Electrum. On your phone the best choices are Mycelium for Android and Breadwallet for iPhone.

[sachung]

I prefer Multibit in general over electrum, it's more user-based and although less simple is more secure and does not have an intermediate authority.. Not that I find it more secure but blockchain.info wallets are more user friendly and easier than both.

[jacktheking]

MultiBit was the first Bitcoin wallet application that I use - during my time, there is no browser based wallet yet, or at least for me. I'd say it is friendly for newbie like you who wanted to switch from browser based to desktop based wallet. It is easy to use and understand.

I just tried Electrum a while back and find it good for advanced use. However, it also have easy to use interface pretty much like MultiBit - from my perspective. Since you used browser based wallet, I think you should be able to cope with Electrum features and I'd strongly recommend you to use it.

I know you are looking from desktop wallet application, but if you have an Android smartphone, check out Mycelium. It is an extremely well developed smartphone wallet. And I am using Mycelium as my main wallet - do note that never put a lot of Bitcoin into a smartphone wallet though.

[Kprawn]

I might be a bit off-topic here, but I figured I would just ask.... Why go for a desktop wallet? Would it not be better to go for a hardware wallet like Trezor  instead? I feel that is our best bet, other than cold

storage at the moment. I do not know of even one Trezor that was compromised since it started.. The cost is relatively low, if you consider the security it gives you. The free options always come at a cost, so I

would much rather invest in something solid.  

[jacktheking]

I might be a bit off-topic here, but I figured I would just ask.... Why go for a desktop wallet? Would it not be better to go for a hardware wallet like Trezor  instead? I feel that is our best bet, other than cold

storage at the moment. I do not know of even one Trezor that was compromised since it started.. The cost is relatively low, if you consider the security it gives you. The free options always come at a cost, so I

would much rather invest in something solid.  

I know the question is for the thread starter to answer but I would also like to answer it - don't mind me .

I'd like to get a hardware wallet (especially Trezor) too because of the security issues people talked about. However the problem is that it is expensive. Well, how one define 'expensive' and 'cheap' is different from person to person. I think that as long as we take the precaution to protect our wallets, there is no need for a hardware wallet. Unless one is running a big Bitcoin/crypto related business, a softwallet (but not browser based) would be good enough.

I will still purchase a hardware wallet when I am not in a tight budget though since there will be less worries. :p.

[calkob]

I used multibit a few years back, but to be honest i found i wasnt sending alot of bitcoin that regularly, so i ended up just goin with paper wallets and usb's stored in a safe, have you thought about this option....?

[simonloff]

Multibit is a closed system the last time I checked i.e you don't need to trust the operators (Not sure if they made it to connect to them like Electrum though) Electrum requires a connection to a central unit therefore less secure IMO.

[Amph]

neither, use core with prune mode, it's everything you ever need, yes i understand the missing features such a off line signing, but i'm sure it can be added in the future(dunno why they didn't already)

[RoommateAgreement]

neither, use core with prune mode, it's everything you ever need, yes i understand the missing features such a off line signing, but i'm sure it can be added in the future(dunno why they didn't already)

you mean you can't sign a message with your bitcoin address if you are using core in prune mode offline? cause that sounds wierd

[Iseecookies]

Right now I use online wallets as well due to not wanting to put anything into this old laptop before I buy a new one.
Electrum and Blockchain.info are the two I mostly use for ease of use.

[NorrisK]

Imo both options are good solutions to use. They have both been tested for a long time and have proven to be safe and easy to use. Compared to online wallets, they are a big step up in taking control of your own funds!

Personally I like electrum more though, but that may be because it was my first wallet and I just have gotten used to it the most (you know, anything new is trouble to get a hang of ).

Try both, play around a bit with small amounts and see which suits your needs and preferences the most.

[btcltccoins]

Electrum is a far better option for an desktop hardware wallet. I think you can go for Electrum. Although as a starter you can download both multibit and Electrum and  see which suits your needs  and choose that one.

[maku]

Bu this info about locked account is not about any online wallet, but about bitcointalk account problems. That user wasn't banned from using any online wallet.
And you no longer need to download whole blockchain when using Bitcoin Core, since last version there is option to go into prune mode.
Which is practically the same as a full node (including security), except it won't need some of the old history - so you don't need 60GB to store blockchain history.