Which kind of wallet do you recommend? hardware based or software based?
This depends on what kind of wallet you want.
Hardware wallets are by far more secure than a software wallet. They require you to confirm transactions with physically pressing buttons.
They can even run on compromised computers without running risk of losing coins.
Hardware wallet do create their private keys in an safe air-gapped environment (and never leaks them).
But they are not free. They cost 60$+.
Software wallets are faster to get (just download, install, ready), they are free, but the whole security of your coins then relies on how you secure your computer.
If your PC gets infected with malware, your coins are at a big risk of getting stolen (at least the next time you open the wallet and decrypt it).
In the end it is all about what you want to achieve, how much you want to store and how good you want to sleep at night.
Buying a Hardware wallet for storing 50$ of BTC is probably not worth it. But if you plan on storing a multiple of the cost of a hardware wallet (60$+),
you might consider buying one to secure your coins.
It also depends on how frequently you are going to sign transactions.
If you just plan to hold for 5 years, a paper wallet wouldn't be any worse than a hardware wallet (neither security nor reliability).
But if you plan to regularly access your coins (buy stuff with it, send transactions) you should get a hardware wallet since those are way more intuitive to use than a paper wallet.
Regular spending from paper wallets is a pain and not advisable for new comers.
So, to sum it up:
If you want to store an amount you don't want to risk losing:
Hardware walletIf you just want to store a small amount:
Software walletIf you plan to hold long term (without accessing/spending them in the meantime):
Paper walletIf you plan to regularly access/spend them and want them to be as secured as possible:
Hardware walletThe most reputable hardware wallets are made by
Ledger and
Trezor.