Top 5 Best Crypto Wallets that Make Seed Phrases a Thing of the Past
The seed phrase, the default means by which non-custodial crypto wallets are accessed, is a beautiful thing. It allows anyone to control their digital assets while ensuring that no other party can access the funds. But the seed phrase is also a terrible thing, for within its 12 words lies the ruin of many a crypto holder who failed to secure the mnemonic that holds the key to their money.
Deprecating the Seed Phrase
Despite its ubiquity within crypto, the seed phrase is much maligned. It mandates extremely exacting criteria for accessing a wallet: get so much as a single letter wrong and you’ll be locked out. While if a hacker manages to glimpse those 12 or 24 words, you can kiss goodbye to your crypto.
The solution to this problem is to do away with the seed phrase and corresponding private key without impairing the entire value proposition of non-custodial wallets in the process. Doing so without introducing centralization isn’t easy, but many wallet developers have devised ingenious solutions to the problem. This new wave of wallets has the potential to make the seed phrase a thing of the past. Here are five of the best.
Core
Core is a jack of all trades and a wallet for all chains. It’s a wallet for all devices too thanks to a mobile app that complements its desktop and web wallets. Core covers Bitcoin and Avalanche as well as loads of EVM chains including Ethereum of course. Bridging, trading, and other DeFi tasks can all be completed without leaving the confines of Core.
It’s not just the feature set that distinguishes Core, however: its seedless design is also of the highest caliber. The wallet supports social login via Google or Apple. To access your Core account, you require login details and a physical authentication device. Core makes use of CubeSigner to export keys and includes clever security features such as a waiting period to protect against attacks like SIM swapping. Finely balancing security with accessibility, Core is a cut above.
NuFi
Operating as a seedless web wallet, NuFi provides connectivity to chains such as Cardano, Ethereum, Flow, Milkomeda C1, and Solana. Instead of relying on a seed phrase, it allows users to authenticate using social accounts such as Google, Apple, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, Twitch, Github, LinkedIn, Line, and WeChat. Few other seedless wallets offer this many ways to connect.
There’s also a built-in Cardano DEX and support for NFTs. Regardless of which chain they were bought on, NuFi displays NFTs side-by-side in a dedicated portfolio. Easy to use and equipped with useful features such as built-in staking, NuFi is a useful option for traders who like to keep busy onchain.
Zengo
Zengo is one of the best-known seedless wallet developers in the industry after becoming one of the first companies to champion the technology. Multi-party computation (MPC) is used to split the private key into parts and distribute them. One shard is stored on Zengo’s servers, allowing users to regain access to their wallet in the event of losing their own key portion.
Even if an attacker succeeded in accessing one of the key parts, they would be unable to access the wallet itself. This system provides redundancy against user error while still providing robust security. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Polygon are all supported by Zengo whose wallet also allows you to connect to dApps for non-custodial trading of tokens and NFTs.
Bitizen
With Bitcoin at its core, Bitizen is an ideal option for those who relish owning BTC but don’t want to screw up and lose their funds. The seedless design is implemented using MPC and threshold signature scheme (TSS), splitting the private key into parts. The sheer amount of chains and DeFi apps supported by Bitizen is impressive with support for 30 DEXes alone and 25 blockchains.
Available on Google Play and the App Store, Bitizen combines an easy-to-use backup and recovery solution to securely restore the wallet with practical tools for making the most of the digital assets you hold. It’s a good all-rounder for those who value simplicity but still want to keep active on-chain, be it trading or collecting NFTs.
UXUY
UXUY is a mobile wallet developed by the protocol of the same name. The seedless wallet can be used to access Ethereum, TRON, BNB Chain, and other EVM networks. UXUY splits the wallet’s private key and securely stores it encrypted on different cloud servers. This provides redundancy in the event of the user losing access to the wallet.
The integration of a native DEX, which draws liquidity from the likes of Uniswap and PancakeSwap, takes care of swaps, while there’s gas-free trading built in. For DEX trading in particular, UXUY acquits itself well, even if it’s got fewer features and blockchains than some of the wallets on this list.
Take the Seedless Pill
While long-time crypto traders will be more hesitant to try seedless wallets, newer users take to them with aplomb. They provide a more natural experience that is closer to the mobile apps they already know. Seedless wallets aren’t just for web3 beginners though: with support for multiple chains, DEXes, and dApps, they allow you to access the full spectrum of on-chain liquidity and the many opportunities it presents.
For usability, interface design, and blockchain integration, Core is the best of the five wallets featured here. Nevertheless, all of the above wallets have unique features and different ways of authenticating. This allows you to select a seedless wallet that aligns with your needs and the level of security you require.