Are Crypto Tools Safe?
Crypto tools are generally safe because they use blockchain technology, meaning the transactions are as safe if not safer than those using traditional technology. Tools like Brave are designed with your privacy at the forefront.
The one caveat is that you have to make sure you are getting the right crypto tool. There are plenty of fake crypto apps for download that will attempt to extract your crypto. Make sure you read reviews on the best crypto apps and double check the URL!
Do Crypto Tools Generally Cost Money?
Some crypto tools cost money, or there is a premium version available that gives users greater rewards than the free version, as is the case with both Fold and SwissBorg. But in general, crypto tools are free to use, and some reward you for using them like Brave and Lolli.
Our Favorite Crypto Tool for Shopping: Lolli
Lolli is a Bitcoin rewards site and browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets users earn Bitcoin when they shop from their partner merchants, much like how Rakuten works, but instead of getting cash back, you get crypto back. When you are on a site supported by Lolli, the extension will notify you and you can click it to earn cash back on that site.
Lolli has formed partnerships with top merchants such as eBay, Nike, Sam’s Club, Microsoft and Groupon. Lolli gets a percentage of every sale when you shop through them. They then give you a piece percentage of that in Bitcoin cash back. The cash back percentage varies from merchant to merchant but can be as high as 30%! If you are looking for a way to earn crypto cash back, Lolli may be the crypto tool for you.
- Browser-based online shopping tool that awards users free Bitcoin
- Earn bitcoin back on clothing, electronics, software, traveling and more
- Partnerships with mainstream companies like Adidas, Everlane, Harrys and Booking.com
- Earn up to 27% back in Bitcoin on your online purchases
An Alternative Crypto Tool for Shopping: Fold
Fold is a shopping app for iOS and Android that rewards everyday spending in Bitcoin. You can sync your credit card or Bitcoin wallet and buy prepaid gift cards via Fold to get up to 20% cashback in Bitcoin instantly. They now offer the Fold Card, a Bitcoin rewards Visa debit card. There is a premium plan for $150 USD a year or an Intro plan that is free. The premium card comes with increased rewards and reduced spin timers. You can spin the Fold daily spin wheel for free Satoshis. There is also a daily prize wheel.
Fold combines Bitcoin, Lightning Network, prepaid cards and other privacy features to ensure your personal information, payment details and transaction data is kept private. They are a payment gateway without transaction fees and a rewards program without the privacy breaches. If you are looking for a Bitcoin rewards program that is not limited to certain merchants like Lolli, Fold may be an alternative for you.
- A Bitcoin-based rewards app that utilizes Visa cards to incentivize users
- Earn free Satoshi’s by spinning the Fold wheel
- Gamified interface that gives users a chance to win 1 whole Bitcoin or 100% cashback on purchases
- Exclusive Fold-branded Visa cards that offer a variety of perks
- Gift cards that provide significant cashback in Bitcoin
The Best Shopping App for Altcoins: StormX
StormX is the rising competitor in the crypto cashback shopping app arena but it’s the only one that supports coins other than Bitcoin.
In fact StormX is a pretty interesting product all around that gives users several different ways to earn cryptocurrency including staking its native StormX token or playing supported games. StormX also offers a membership program where users can earn up to 3.5% more cashback based on the amount of StormX tokens you stake.
Basically if you’re looking for a shopping app that rewards you in cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Litecoin or Dai then StormX is your best bet.
- Mobile app and browser extension that awards crypto cashback
- Earn rewards in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and other cryptocurrencies
- Unique membership program gives you different tiers of cashback
- Get crypto cashback on brands like Adidas, Lego, Levi’s and more
What Are Crypto Tools?
Crypto tools can help you get the most out of your cryptocurrency by either improving your overall experience or giving you the ability to earn more crypto in a variety of different ways. There are crypto tools that literally do everything we mentioned above and, perhaps most impressively, they don’t cost a thing either. On this page you will find CryptoVantage’s best crypto tools that you can start using today!
Crypto tools come in a variety of categories, each with their own purpose and potential benefit for you. Whether you are looking to earn more cash back on your spending, spend your crypto on a vacation, send money to a relative, pay for goods, earn crypto for browsing the web, or improve your crypto portfolio, there is a crypto tool here for you. Fortunately our team of editors and writers use crypto every day so we’ve hand-picked a variety of different apps and tools so that you don’t have to waste your time with sub-optimal products. Let’s take a look at CryptoVantage’s Best Crypto Tools.
Our Favorite Crypto Tool for Traveling: Travala
Founded in 2017, Travala.com is the world’s leading blockchain-based travel booking platform trusted by thousands of customers worldwide as their preferred online travel agency. The Travala.com platform currently offers 2,200,000+ properties covering 90,124 destinations in 230 countries and territories, and with prices up to 40% cheaper than mainstream travel booking platforms.
They have created a friction-less travel booking experience that incorporates next generation blockchain technology and tokenised incentives. They have multiple cryptocurrency and traditional payment options alongside benefits tied to their proprietary cryptocurrency AVA. Whether you are looking to spend your crypto on a vacation, or receive crypto rewards for booking one, Travala may be a useful tool for you.
- Booking.com-like travel site that utilizes cryptocurrency
- Propriety AVA token that gives users perks on the site
- Use a variety of different cryptocurrencies to pay for your travel
- Wide selection of hotels to book
Our Alternate Crypto Tool for Traveling: Locktrip
LockTrip.com is a blockchain-based travel marketplace that allows users to save up to 60% on their bookings by cutting out middlemen and their commissions. Like with Travala it is possible to choose from a variety of payment methods such as credit card, cryptocurrencies and their native LOC token to bypass payment fees. LockTrip works with the strongest brands in the travel industry to offer its customers first class inventory around the globe.
LockTrip’s business model funnels the entire economy through the LOC token. Each booking made on the marketplace results in 3% of the booking value being used to buy LOC from exchanges and burn them. The process is fully automated and can be verified transparently on the blockchain. Locktrip is definitely worth a look next time you are booking any travel.
Our Favorite Crypto Tool for Payroll: Bitwage
Bitwage is a blockchain-based payroll and human resources service that can be used by both individuals and companies. For individuals, especially those working freelance and remote, you can set up a Bitwage account and receive your deposits faster than through a traditional bank and with lower fees. In addition, a portion or all of it can be converted to crypto instead, meaning you can be paid in crypto.
For companies, especially those who are internationally based with employees in varying locations, Bitwage can be a way to not only reduce costs by saving fees on transaction fees and currency conversions, but also get money to the employees faster. Bitwage also offers Bitcoin 401ks for employers to provide for their employees.
Whether you are an individual or company, Bitwage may have a payroll solution that not only saves you money but gets it to you or your employees faster.
- A service that lets businesses pay their employees with cryptocurrency
- Advanced payroll services
- Potentially cheaper international transaction fees for employees and employers
- Bitwage can process transactions faster than traditional finance options
Our Favorite Crypto Tool for Instant Transactions: Strike by Zap
Strike is a blockchain based payments application developed by Zap Solutions, Inc., allowing users to send and receive money instantly around the world, for free. It is available for iOS, Android, and as a Chrome browser extension. Currently it is only available for US citizens and the US dollar, but the global network is in the waitlist stage and once released will allow for international feeless transactions.
Strike uses Bitcoin and blockchain technology to offer instant and free payments globally. Users use Strike to pay each other, buy goods and services online, make micropayments, tip content creators, as well as buy and sell Bitcoin.
You can also check out our best payments apps for merchants.
- A potentially game-changing service that let’s users send and spend Bitcoin for free
- Bitcoin Layer 2 Protocol with free, nearly instantaneous transactions
- Useful for micro transactions because there are no fees
- Easy on-boarding process that shouldn’t take more than a few minutes
How Crypto Tools Might Be Able to Help You Save Money
There are many ways in which crypto tools can both save you money and earn you extra money at the same time. Tools like Strike and Bitwage allow cheaper transaction costs than traditional systems, which saves the company money, and also means you will receive more money in the end.
Conversely, tools like Lolli and Fold give you money back when you spend it, at a rate that is higher than traditional systems as well, and with the growth rate of crypto it means even more money for you in the long run.
Our Alternative Tool for Instant Transactions: NowPayments
NowPayments was founded in 2019, by the team behind ChangeNOW, a cryptocurrency exchange service. Their mission is to provide a crypto payment gateway that is easy to use and embedded into existing websites. They believe everyone should have the chance to offer crypto payments as a payment choice for donations, fundraisers, and online commerce. They provide a simple, easy-to-integrate service, and the only step needed to start accepting crypto payments is to copy a chunk of HTML code.
NowPayments allows everyone to accept crypto payments on their websites, online stores, and social media accounts and it is a non-custodial service, meaning it doesn’t hold or store your funds in any way. They support more than 50 cryptocurrencies, and the service offers low transaction fees. They offer flexible solutions, like accepting payments in multiple different cryptos or converting all digital assets you receive into your favorite cryptocurrency! The automatic exchange is powered by their crypto exchange service.
- NOWPayments is a completely non-custodial payment option for online merchants
- More than 50 different cryptocurrencies available for use with NOWPayments
- Makes it exceptionally easy to swap between different crypto assets
- Very simple way to accept cryptocurrency payments online
Our Favorite Tool for Domain Registration: Unstopabble Domains
Unstoppable Domains is an impressive crypto tool that gives users a unique, easy-to-enter address to send cryptocurrency (which simplifies transactions immensely) in addition to providing a unique, censorship-resistant website domain with an extension like “.crypto” or “.blockchain”. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Unstoppable Domains is the price. Domain registration starts at just $20 and, unlike traditional domain registrars, you don’t have to deal with renewals. Every Unstoppable Domains domain is a lifetime purchase.
- Unstoppable Domains is an entirely new product that streamlines the crypto transaction process
- One-time purchase also gives you access to website domain
- Replaces complicated public keys with an easy-to-remember domain for transactions
- Extremely competitive pricing that starts at just $20 with no renewal fees
Our Favorite Crypto Tool for Extra Security: Yubikey
Yubikey by Yubico is an interesting product for crypto users.
It isn’t a full-fledged crypto hardware wallet like a Ledger or Trezor but it works in a similar fashion for a variety of products that exist in the crypto space.
You can use Yubikey to gain an extra level of security on crypto exchanges, email accounts, password managers and much, much more.
Yubikey essentially takes the place of two-factor authentication like Google Authenticator and it’s even more secure thanks to its offline, hardware form factor.
- Extra security for crypto-based accounts like exchanges
- Yubikey offers an extra layer of security for email, banks and more
- A variety of different Yubikey form factors to suit your use case
- Relatively inexpensive and easy to use
A Solid Choice for Gift Cards: CoinCards
Sometimes the easiest way to cash in your crypto for fiat currency is to purchase a gift card for a retailer you frequent.
Crypto-based gift cards have been around since the beginning of Bitcoin and remain an effective, if somewhat limited way of getting real-world value from crypto.
CoinCards is the de facto leader in the space and has a variety of big-name partners like Starbucks, Apple, Adidas and more.
- Trade crypto for gift cards you can spend in the real-world
- Variety of retailers including Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and more.
- Streamlined interface makes spending crypto easy
- Extremely low fees make converting crypto to fiat easy
Our Favorite Tool to Index All Crypto Exchanges: SwissBorg
SwissBorg is an investment platform that makes it easy, safe and accessible to invest in your financial future with crypto assets, including popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and their own SwissBorg Token (CHSB), as well as stable coins like USD Coin (USDC) and PAX Gold (PAXG). By connecting to Binance, HitBTC, LMAX and Kraken exchanges, you can get the best liquidity and rates. It is available for iOS and Android.
SwissBorg allows you to earn a daily yield on crypto and stablecoin deposits, with the rate being doubled for those in the Premium category which requires you to buy and stake 50,000 SwissBorg Token (CHSB) for 12 months. At the current price point that is an over $50k USD buy-in. There is a free account that still gives you access to their decent base reward, and a middle level that is soon to be available that requires a 2,000 CHSB stake and it will give you 1.5x the rate.
Our Favorite Crypto-based Browser: Brave Browser
The Brave Browser is a browser like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. The difference is that the Brave Browser has built in tracking blockers and ad-blockers, making it a privacy-oriented browser. The company that produces the Brave Browser also produces a cryptocurrency called BAT or the “Basic Attention Token”.
The main feature of the Brave Browser is its built-in advertisement platform that allows users to opt-in to advertisements and earn cryptocurrency in return for giving their attention to the advertisements. The way this works is you get a notification for an ad, if you click it, then you get a portion of BAT, and at the end of each month it is added to your wallet.
You can also set contributions for websites you like to use that are part of the Brave Rewards Program. For example, I contribute 1 BAT every month to CoinMarketCap because of how often I visit and use the site. If you are looking to earn money for browsing the web like you currently are, the Brave Browser is a no-brainer crypto tool for you to use right away.
Our Favorite Tool for Crypto APY: Yield App
Crypto has notorious history with apps offering huge amounts of yield while holding your crypto. Plenty of companies have gone bankrupt and left the customers holding the bag.
Fortunately Yield App has maintained a strong reputation over the years and avoids chasing unsustainable yield through risky lending or leverage. Of course crypto remains extremely volatile so only invest what you’re willing to lose.
- A market-neutral way to earn yield on crypto without lending
- Risk-adverse approach to yield
- Resilient company with billions processed
- Does not use leverage to boost yield
Comprehensive Loyalty and Referral Programs
High-Interest Rates
Yield App offers a secure platform with user friendly experience.
Somewhat limited crypto assets
High-interest rates come with long asset lock-up
Currently not available to US residents