
The popularity and mass adoption of cryptocurrencies is gaining steam: merchants eagerly accept tokens as payment, big-name corporations are pouring millions of dollars into Bitcoin, and many states have begun to pass crypto-friendly regulation. Digital coins are our new reality, and universal interest in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum has surged over recent times.
Since it is electronic money, traditional banks cannot help you with managing your tokens and processing transactions. But you do not need to worry: virtual currencies can easily be managed on a dedicated virtual platform. The market is brimming with various cryptocurrency apps that you can use to handle your virtual assets and perform crypto-related operations.
If you are new to the world of digitalized currencies, you may be surprised to know that there are many types of applications to address specific crypto needs. From lending platforms and online exchanges to price trackers and sophisticated portfolio managers – there are tons of dedicated services to simplify the life of crypto traders.
In this article, we will highlight different types of cryptocurrency applications, and provide a list of the best solutions in each category. The picks in this selection will help you easily buy and sell digital assets, manage your cryptocurrency portfolio, and keep your investments protected.
Cryptocurrency Wallets
Whether you are a beginner enthusiast or a mature crypto veteran, you cannot deal with digital currency without having a decent wallet. A crypto wallet is required to keep and protect your private keys – the login credentials that you use to enter the blockchain and perform transactions with coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
These products come in various forms, from hardware devices with a USB stick to connect to a computer (also referred to as cold storage solutions) to web platforms, desktop clients, and mobile apps (all known as hot storage wallets).
Technically, a cryptocurrency wallet does not hold your virtual money – your digital assets exist on the blockchain, but it helps you enter the blockchain using a private key. Private keys prove your ownership and allow you to perform transactions with your cryptocurrencies. Losing your private keys means losing access to your virtual possessions.
The capabilities of cryptocurrency wallets do vary. While some of them are very simple, focus only on one asset, and offer scant features, others like Crypterium present all-in-one safekeeping units with very generous functionality and unbeatable security, including, but not limited to 2-step encryption and 2-factor authorization.
The greatest mobile app wallets are always multi-purpose. Not only do they enable users to transfer and receive transactions, but track market trends, access coins’ price history, buy, sell, and exchange tokens, purchase crypto with a debit or credit card, create and manage cryptocurrency investment portfolios, open a savings account to earn interest on the deposit, pay with crypto at stores, and even convert tokens to fiat and withdraw it at ATMs around the world.
The most advanced tools like Crypterium are multi-currency, meaning they support dozens of virtual coins such as Litecoin, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, to name a few, so you can perform any of the above-mentioned operations with the asset of your choice from a single dashboard.
The Best Cryptocurrency Wallets
The perfect cryptocurrency hot wallets which are user-friendly, feature-packed, and highly secure include:
- Crypterium
- Trust
- Mycelium
- Coinbase
- Coinomi
- Exodus
- Binance
- Atomic
- Guarda
Cryptocurrency Exchanges
If you are looking to get down to cryptocurrency trading or investing, choosing an appropriate cryptocurrency exchange for your goal is vital. An exchange is essentially an online trading platform that offers a marketplace for crypto buyers and sellers. If you are a totally inexperienced user, a reputable cryptocurrency exchange can serve as a painless entrance to the space of coin trading.
The strongest allure behind online cryptocurrency exchange platforms is that they let you buy Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other popular cryptocurrencies with your credit or debit card as well as through a wire transfer.
Still, there are some pitfalls of using cryptocurrency exchanges you should be aware of before you commit. For instance, these trading platforms have strict KYC policies that you must comply with if you want to buy or sell tokens. If you, for example, have created a Crypterium or Coinbase account, you will not be able to trade cryptocurrencies like BTC or ETH without first completing Know Your Customer (KYC) verifications.
Also, not all electronic coins can be obtained with USD or EUR. Generally, only major virtual currencies like BTC, ETH, and LTC are available for fiat purchases. If you want to obtain some minor altcoin like Dogecoin, you will first need to buy Bitcoin or Ethereum for fiat currencies, and only after that, you can trade your BTC or ETH tokens for Dogecoin.
The Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges
Tell-tale signs of a trustworthy crypto exchange include the support of multiple coins, the presentation of live market trends, price alerts, in-built wallets, and the latest crypto news. Here is the list of the best cryptocurrency exchanges for buying and selling digital assets:
- Binance
- Coinbase
- Crypterium
- Gemini
- Kraken
- Robinhood
- Etoro
Cryptocurrency Portfolio Trackers
Perhaps, the only bad aspect about cryptographic currencies is that they are volatile investment instruments. Their value can shift dramatically within days or even hours and all of a sudden. Crypto traders speculate with coins 24/7, so that is it quite possible that the price of the coins in your possession may remarkably change overnight or following weekends/holidays.
If you own more than one coin, it may be hard for you to keep tabs on the market behavior of each of your digital holdings. This is where crypto portfolio trackers come into play. These nifty cryptocurrency applications are available both as websites and mobile software. They allow you to keep track of coin rates throughout the day so that you can make data-driven trading decisions. If you have opted for a cold (hardware) wallet to hold your virtual money, then a decent crypto portfolio tracker app is a smart way to keep an eye on the value of your investments.
A cryptocurrency portfolio tracker is essentially a virtual platform such as a mobile application or website that enables token owners to monitor price changes of different assets in real-time so that you can manage your investment portfolio more efficiently. Such a service connects to your crypto wallet or the trading platform, where you store your tokens, and starts keeping track of your coins’ market movements.
The Best Cryptocurrency Portfolio Trackers
Most trackers allow you to buy and sell tokens supported by the exchange platform they integrate with. Other helpful features in cutting-edge crypto trackers include coin research, crypto charts, portfolio analytics, price alerts, and industry news. Top-tier trackers let you trade on many popular cryptocurrency exchanges from a sleek and fast interface, using different order types. The first-in-excellence crypto portfolio trackers for today that couple extensive functionality with supreme safety while being utterly user-friendly include:
- Crypterium
- Kubera
- Altrady
- Sharesight
- Delta
- Achee
- Quadency
- Pionex
Crypto Payment Apps
Cryptocurrency payment software is basically a gateway that permits businesses to receive payments made with tokens from consumers in exchange for products and services. Such tools accept transactions from any country of the world and ensure elevated security of payments thanks to the encryption technology of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies.
When you make a purchase using your tokens as payment, the operation is processed by the payment gateway app at a fixed exchange rate, so that your tokens are automatically and almost instantly converted to the necessary fiat and the merchant receives in settlements to their bank account in national currency. Cutting-edge crypto gateways allow merchants an option to postpone the crypto-to-fiat conversion and store the received tokens for as long as necessary in the in-built or external cryptocurrency wallet.
Crypto payment applications are very popular because they are apt to offer more affordable fees, compared to regular credit cards. Some of these solutions come with a good level of customization to let the user adjust the app for their particular needs. Such systems are also capable of tracking all payments. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the most common instruments supported by these cryptocurrency solutions, but some gateways also allow for transacting with various altcoins, including ERC-20-standard coins such as Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, Ripple, etc.
Crypto payment applications provide the technical infrastructure to let vendors and customers transact with each other, both in ground-based stores and on websites. These applications can connect to various platforms used by merchants, including e-commerce systems, point-of-sale solutions, and online shopping carts to facilitate crypto settlements.
The Best Cryptocurrency Payment Apps
The best cryptocurrency apps in this category must accept and process payments in diverse digital currencies, integrate with third-party e-commerce systems, securely store tokens or seamlessly convert them to traditional fiat currencies, and properly encrypt transaction details.
Recommended products in this segment include:
- Coinbase Commerce
- Electroneum
- CoinGate
- Blockonomics
- Paytomat wallet
- Confirmo
- B2BinPay
- CoinPayments
- CoinRemitter
Mining Apps
The ability to mine tokens appeals to many people who do not want to engage in risky crypto trading and for safer ways to obtain virtual currencies.
Crypto mining software is a program that allows you to generate new blocks and add them to the existing blockchain. Once mined, a new block is validated by the blockchain nodes, and if everything seems OK, the successful miner gets a reward for their contribution to the blockchain network.
Mining software consumes the processing power of a computer’s GPU (graphics processing unit) to discover a new block. Since mining is quite an expensive activity, there are mining pools over the Internet which provide computing resources to a group of miners and distribute the received reward among them.
The Best Mining Apps
Features that robust mining software must come with include the ability to allot resources for mining, utilize GPU or CPU, and have access to the blockchain or the mining pool. Lauded products in this category encompass:
- NiceHash
- Salad
- MinerGate
- Awesome Miner
- Cudo Miner
- Slush Pool
- OXBTC
- Bitminter
- CoinImp
- Hashgains
Cryptocurrency Lending Apps
Crypto lending is becoming increasingly popular with the development of the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) industry. The mission of DeFi is to provide ordinary people with a permissionless, transparent, and open-source financial network. As for today, the entire DeFi ecosystem locks in over $13.01 billion where crypto lending is one of the largest segments in this business.
Cryptocurrency lending platforms allow token holders to reap additional benefits from their crypto ownership. Such as, borrowers can stake their crypto assets to receive a cost-effective loan (either in fiat money or in virtual currencies). Lenders deposit their electronic funds and earn interest on their electronic capital.
The whole borrowing-lending process is handled automatically thanks to the self-executing smart contracts. Such operations do not need any brokerage like banks that is why no credit score checks are required to receive a loan or place a deposit.
A lending platform offers users to establish a crypto deposit that goes to a liquidity pool. Investors who put their digital assets into the liquidity pool earn dividends for being liquidity providers, while borrowers can request loans from that pool. The lending-borrowing relationships are regulated by self-operating smart contracts.
Since blockchain powers DeFi crypto lending systems, transactions remain transparent and immutable. Lending systems make serious competitors to conventional banking and credit organizations as they offer cheaper loans for borrowers and higher returns for lenders.
The process of lending or borrowing is very straightforward. You only need to create an account with such a platform, top up your cryptocurrency wallet, and open a smart contract for borrowing or lending. If you need a loan, the digital asset in your wallet will serve as collateral, if you want to earn interest, the deposit in your wallet will act as a liquidity pool. The entire process is automated with no credit checks necessary.
The Best Cryptocurrency Lending Platforms
Loans can be provided both in fiat currencies like USD or EUR and other virtual coins. This is a good opportunity when you need quick cash to meet sudden expenses without selling your dear tokens. Alternatively, you can lend your assets and gain high-yield benefits paid in the crypto of your choice.
The best crypto tools in this tier that offer a wide range of collateral and deposit options for users include:
- Crypterium
- CoinLoan
- YouHodler
- SALT Lending
- Helio Lending
- Tokens.net
- BlockFi
- Nexo
- Celsius Network
- Squilla
- Binance Loans
- Unchained Capital
- Bankera
Cryptocurrency News Apps
Unless you hold your digital assets for the long term, you need to constantly keep track of crypto prices, so your trading decisions are driven by information. Staying abreast of the market situation also gives you peace of mind that you will not miss out on the right moment for buying and selling your altcoins.
However, virtual currencies like BTC and ETH are notoriously known for their volatility. Significant price movements can occur within mere hours, so you need a good tool to keep up with these shifts and anticipate price changes before they actually happen, so you can earn when crypto rates spike, or bet on the short when they drop.
The Best Cryptocurrency News Apps
Having a trusted source of early crypto news at your disposal can help you with making the correct predictions. Loaded with the latest information from the crypto world, providing expert opinions from veteran traders, and informing you about the factors that may affect the price of cryptocurrencies in the future, crypto new apps are essentially lifesavers for both newbie and experienced crypto investors.
The most reputable cryptocurrency apps in this sector are presented by:
- Crypterium
- StockTwits
- Blockfolio Bitcoin
- CoinMarketApp
- Coincodex
How to Pick the Best Cryptocurrency App?
As you see, cryptocurrency software solutions are as versatile as the requirements of crypto users. Before you begin to buy or sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, you should do your homework to pick the right product among an ocean of options. Here is what you need to pay attention to when you are looking for the best crypto web platform or mobile app to enhance your crypto experience.
Security measures
Crypto transfers are hard to trace. Once you have launched a crypto transfer between wallets, you will not be able to cancel the operation or request the money return. As blockchain technology is decentralized by nature, it is also very difficult to identify the owner of the wallet. Online exchange platforms tend to sometimes allow unauthorized transactions from the wallets of their users, and you never know who stole your virtual money.
Since you stake your personal finance when engaging in crypto investing, it is in your best interests to check up on the platform’s safety measures and its users’ guarantees. 2FA and back-end encryption are indispensable features of reputable crypto exchanges.
Reliable data
The market of cryptocurrencies is always on the move. A coin’s price can drastically shoot or fall within days, if not hours. Being in the know of things currently happening in the digital currency market is not possible without a source of the latest, precise, and relevant news because crypto information becomes outdated very quickly.
Whether you opt for a complex crypto trading platform or will install a simple price tracker that sends notifications on the performance of your favorite coins, that software must come with real-time and reliable information to empower your trading and investing choices.
Availability in your region
If you consider taking serious steps in investing in or trading cryptocurrencies, then you should know that the best crypto applications may not be always available in your jurisdiction. Buying or selling virtual tokens is restricted or even prohibited in some countries, so check this out before you set an account with a well-established cryptocurrency exchange. In crypto-friendly countries (such as Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Singapore, and a lot more), benefits received from Bitcoin investments are subject to income taxes, so be sure you understand how local tax regulations can apply to your profit from trading or investing in virtual currencies.
Try Crypterium
Crypterium is a full-blown crypto platform that is designed to provide an adequate solution for any of your crypto-related needs. Crypterium encompasses several crypto components: a cryptocurrency exchange, a multi-currency wallet with debit card purchases, a crypto VISA card (virtual crypto card) that is linked to your Crypterium account, AI-powered market predictions, crypto loans, savings accounts, and its own native token CRPT.
One of the most advanced solutions to manage cryptocurrencies, Crypterium is a fully licensed, well-regulated financial institution in the European Union with nearly 1 million users across 180 countries worldwide. Crypterium provides an ultimately convenient and secure environment where you can store, spend, invest, buy and sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and many other cryptocurrencies on an easy, user-friendly app and web platform.
You can buy your first tokens with your debit card and start investing your digital assets through one simple, intuitive interface. Being inimitably rich in functionality, Crypterium features everything users need to grow from casual enthusiasts into mature and confident crypto investors who make adequate trading decisions.
In summary, the emergence of virtual crypto cards has revolutionized the way people think about using cryptocurrencies in their day-to-day lives. The best cryptocurrency apps on the market today are those that offer users the ability to easily manage their digital assets and seamlessly integrate them into their spending habits. Whether you're looking for a way to cash out your crypto instantly, manage multiple wallets in one place, or earn rewards for using your virtual crypto card, there is an app out there to suit your needs. As the adoption of cryptocurrencies continues to grow, the demand for user-friendly and innovative crypto apps will only increase, and companies like Crypterium are leading the way in this exciting new space.