MetaMask vs. Trust Wallet: Crypto Wallet Comparison Guide

Identifying the best wallet for your crypto assets is a very important part of keeping your assets and investments safe. In this battle of crypto wallets, we compare Trust Wallet and MetaMask.

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Main Takeaways

• Both Trust Wallet and MetaMask are decentralized non-custodial wallets that provide you with total control of your digital assets. 
• Both MetaMask and Trust Wallet are favorites for Ethereum-based tokens, and provide free access to multiple dApps (decentralized applications) via their in-built web3 browsers.
• Trust Wallet provides direct support for more cryptocurrencies (over 250,000 of them) and blockchains, making it a more robust wallet. 
• MetaMask is a specialized Ethereum wallet that’s easier to navigate. It is also a more accessible wallet, with support for both mobile and desktop users. 

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The need for quality decentralized crypto wallets has never been higher. Even as centralized exchanges offer users easy ways to both buy and store their favorite cryptocurrencies, decentralized wallets have continued to gain popularity.

If you go out seeking a decentralized wallet, chances are you’d find so many of them out there. You might also find that MetaMask and Trust Wallet are big favorites amongst crypto enthusiasts. 

So, Trust Wallet vs MetaMask: which is the best for you?

In this article, we discuss what each wallet is, as well as their pros and cons. At the end of the piece, you should be better placed to select the best wallet for your needs. 

First, though, why’s your choice of a wallet really important?

Why Your Choice of Wallet is Important

Choosing a crypto wallet is not a decision to be made lightly. As the world continues its progression towards a more decentralized economy, your crypto wallet will continue to rise in importance.

To put it simply, a cryptocurrency wallet is used to store, protect, and share your digital assets. This wallet is the digital fortress standing between your assets and potential thieves. This is especially important as your crypto assets only exist in code, and tracing any thefts is notoriously difficult.

Beyond the security of assets, there are other things to consider when selecting a crypto wallet. For instance, whereas some wallets offer extensive support to a wide range of crypto assets and blockchains, others are limited to a single blockchain or two.

Managing every blockchain differently can quickly get exhausting, but depending on your needs, a single chain wallet may serve you better than a multi-chain wallet.

There’s also a question of access and mobility. Online wallets and mobile wallets offer users freer access, but can be vulnerable to hackers. Desktop wallets and hardware wallets are a lot less mobile and accessible, but offer a tad more protection from bad actors.

Likewise, some wallets do more than simply storing your digital assets. They may let you interact with Decentralized Exchanges (DEXes) and Decentralized Applications (dApps) directly from the wallet, thus making your life a lot easier.

Whatever your preferences, taking the time to select a wallet will serve you well in the long run.

What is Trust Wallet?

Trust Wallet is a non-custodial, multi-chain wallet with support for a variety of tokens, digital assets, and blockchains. It is a decentralized, mobile-only wallet (with support for both iOS and Android) that comes with a mobile app and supports over 250,000 digital assets.

As a non-custodial wallet, Trust Wallet grants you full control over your assets. Upon creation of your account, Trust Wallet provides you with the private keys associated with your address. 

These private keys appear in the form of 12 randomly generated words used to secure your account. Only the one who has access to these words will be able to access and control the assets on your account. This keeps the security of your assets firmly in your hands.

Thanks to its multi-chain nature, Trust Wallet can be used to store both Ethereum based assets (ERC-20, ERC-721, etc.), as well as cryptocurrencies like XRP, Bitcoin, and BNB. In fact, Trust Wallet is recognized as the certified crypto wallet of the Binance Smart Chain (BSC).

Along with its storage features, the wallet also provides users with a built-in web3 browser that lets you discover and transact on different dApps. This internal DApp marketplace makes it easier for users to navigate the fairly complex crypto technology and its multiple web apps.

Pros of Trust Wallet

• Extensive Support:

One of the first things you’d notice with Trust Wallet is its extensive support for a wide range of tokens. The wallet can be used to manage over 250,000 tokens across a wide array of blockchains. Its supported blockchains range from Ethereum to Solana, Cardano, Ripple, etc.

• NFT Support:

Unlike most wallets which require third-party apps to host your NFTs, Trust Wallet supports in-app NFT storage. Your NFTs can be seen and managed under the ‘Collectibles’ tab. This makes it a lot easier to manage all of your digital assets in one place.

• Extensive Features:

Besides providing a platform for secure storage of your digital assets, Trust Wallet provides numerous other features. This includes a web3 browser that provides access to hundreds of dApps, as well as NFT marketplaces like Rarible and OpenSea. It also includes a DEX for swapping tokens.

• No Fees:

You’re charged nothing for swapping your coins using the dApps in the web3 browser. You’re also charged nothing for using the built-in DEX or for storing and managing your assets on the platform. The only fees you can expect to pay are the network fees billed by the blockchain.

Cons of Trust Wallet

• Mobile Only:

One of the most obvious disadvantages of Trust Wallet is that it’s only available on mobile. There are no standalone desktop apps or browser extensions to make it possible to use the app on PC. This gives you much less flexibility with how you interact with your digital assets.

• Ownership and Control:

Despite being a non-custodial wallet, Trust Wallet is owned by Binance. Although this is a positive for its growth, Binance is a highly centralized crypto platform and there’s no telling where the wallet could go in the future. Trust Wallet is also a hot wallet and faces the risks of all online wallets.

Who is Trust Wallet for?

Trust Wallet is a decentralized non-custodial wallet that allows you store, send and swap a wide range of digital assets. It also enables you to purchase crypto with your credit cards, and provides extensive support for a host of blockchains.

Thanks to its versatility and security, Trust Wallet is an ideal choice for users looking to own digital assets across different blockchains. It keeps all of your assets under one umbrella and limits the number of apps you need to interact with when managing your assets.

What is MetaMask?

MetaMask was originally designed as a browser extension by ConsenSys in 2016; the mobile app wasn’t developed until 2019. Today, it is one of the easiest and most popular Ethereum applications out there. Its browser extensions for the Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Brave browsers are also widely used.

Out of the box, MetaMask offers support for the Ethereum blockchain and its interconnected dApps. However, it can be configured to support other Layer 2 Ethereum blockchains, major testnets, and even the Binance Smart Chain.

As with Trust Wallet, it provides a protected interface for interacting with dApps. This means you’d need to “sign” (authorize) any “transaction” on the blockchain that involves your wallet.

Like Trust Wallet, it is a non-custodial wallet that’s encrypted using a 12-word recovery phrase (your private keys). This phrase and your password are highly encrypted and stored locally in each user’s device, making it difficult to hack.

Pros of MetaMask 

• Ease of Use:

MetaMask sports a very-well crafted user interface. This interface is clearly structured and mostly self-explanatory. This makes it really easy to use for beginners, whether you’re sending/receiving a token, swapping tokens, altering account settings, or connecting to dApps.

• Ethereum Support:

Ethereum is the world’s second-largest blockchain and is fully supported by MetaMask. This means that users are able to send, receive, and store Ethereum and Ethereum-based tokens directly from the app. You can also interact with Etehreum dApps from the in-app browser. The app also provides support for many Layer-2 Ethereum blockchains, as well as the BSC.

• Accessibility:

MetaMask is a very versatile wallet that’s accessible on a number of platforms. This includes Google Play for Android users, App Store for iOS users, and extensions for its supported browsers – Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave. This makes it easy to always interact with your account whenever you need to.

• Security:

MetaMask offers a high level of encryption that makes it very attractive. The app is an open-source software that has no access to your wallet password or recovery phrase (private keys). This makes it very difficult to hack.

• Open Source:

As an open-source software, MetaMask is constantly receiving contributions and upgrades from a large community of blockchain developers. 

• Free to Use:

MetaMask is a free to use crypto wallet that doesn’t tack on any extra fees for its use. Although you’d have to pay transaction fees when sending or swapping tokens, these are “gas fees” paid for using the blockchain, rather than fees collected by MetaMask.

Cons of MetaMask 

• Hot wallet: 

Despite its high-level encryption protocols, MetaMask retains the risks of all online wallets; namely, the potential of a hack by bad actors.

• Limited Blockchain Support: 

Although MetaMask provides support for the Binance Smart Chain (BSC), it has to be added manually. This is also the case with most other supported testnets or mainnets; it doesn’t support nearly as many blockchains as Trust Wallet unless you manually add them yourself.

Who is MetaMask for?

Despite being an arguably easier to use app than Trust Wallet, MetaMask is less versatile than its major competitor. Its limitation to ERC-20 tokens and limited support for other blockchains makes it a difficult choice for users with digital assets across a variety of chains.

However, MetaMask is one of the better rounded Ethereum apps on the market. If you’re simply looking for a specialized Ethereum app for storing and swapping your assets, as well as interacting with Ethereum dApps, MetaMask is a great choice.

Trust Wallet vs MetaMask at a Glance

Feature	Trust Wallet	MetaMask
Beginner Friendly	Yes	Yes
Compatibility	Mobile only	Mobile and Browser
Cost	Free	Free
Built-in Exchange	Yes	No
Network Support	Universal	Limited built in
NFT Support	Yes	No
Security	Medium	Medium
Open Source	No	Yes
Internal Web3 Browser	Yes	Yes

The Verdict

The question of which is the better wallet is one that’ll continue to rage on for some time to come. Both wallets offer similar levels of security, and let you interact directly with dApps. They’re also both free-to-use wallets that charge no extra fee for usage.

Because Trust Wallet is tied to Binance and fees are primarily collected in BNB, it is a cheaper wallet to use than the Ethereum-based MetaMask. It also offers more crypto options than MetaMask.

However, MetaMask’s interface, wider compatibility, and lack of ties to any centralized platform makes it a favorite amongst most Ethereum users.

At the end of the day, the choice of wallet to use depends on you.

Trust Wallet vs MetaMask FAQs