Bitcoin Core wallet review
United States
- Overview
- Security
- User Experience
Bitcoin Core is the full node client for Bitcoin, and although it is not rich in features and does not have a very user-friendly design, it provides a lot of security. Users need to download the full blockchain (180gb) and are responsible for their private keys. The platform is open-source and it works on desktop only - Windows, MacOS and Linux all support it.
Bitcoin Core Client offers the basic functions of storing, sending and receiving Bitcoin. The user needs to know that it takes a long time to download the full Blockchain of 180GB and that it will take up a lot of space on their computer, but it is more secure, private and stable. It lets users customize the fees and suggests the best fee based on network conditions for timely transactions.
Company / organization behind the wallets
The maintainers of the Core project are Wladimir J. van der Laan, Jonas Schnelli and Marco Falke, who are present on Twitter and GitHub. The website also provides a long list of contributors who have helped the project over the years. Bitcoin Core is supported by the Bitcoin Foundation, which aims to make Bitcoin more popular and raise awareness about its benefits.
Bitcoin Core Client has good security and privacy due to the fact that it has full node validation, so no third party intervenes to verify payments. It rotates addresses in order to prevent spying from others. Private keys are generated on the users computer so the user needs to make sure it's malware-free, and ideally store the keys somewhere else afterwards - on paper or on an offline device.
The Bitcoin Core wallet is a simple software that has a basic design and is quite straightforward. It is not that hard to use, but it may be better suited for more advanced users who are willing to download the full blockchain. Its stability makes it appropriate for storing Bitcoin long-term in a secure manner.
Summary:
The Bitcoin Core wallet is probably the most secure and stable software wallet for storing, sending and receiving Bticoin. Downloading the full blockchain will take a long time, but it is worth it considering the benefits it provides. It is maintained well by the development team. It is probably best suited for more advanced users, and they need to make sure their private keys are stored safely.