Argent Wallet Review 2023: Features, Pros, Cons, And Fees
Our Take On Argent Wallet
THE BOTTOM LINE:
The Argent Wallet uses smart contracts to hold your ETH, ERC-20 tokens, and NFTs, allowing recovery with a little help from your friends (called Guardians). In our Argent review, we found this self-custody wallet to be full-featured and people-friendly, although the fees for buying crypto from within the wallet were on the high side.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Very secure
- You can purchase tokens using credit or debit cards
Cons
- High card transaction fees
- No desktop app
- Only supports tokens on the Ethereum blockchain
What Is Argent Wallet?
Argent is a wallet that you can use to safely store your cryptocurrencies and NFTs. It only supports tokens built on the Ethereum blockchain, so you can’t use it to store some other popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.
Users hold the private keys to their Argent wallets. This way, you’ll retain your crypto assets even if anything goes wrong with the company behind the wallet. You can buy and sell tokens from your Argent wallet or stake them to earn additional tokens.
| Supported Blockchains | NFT Support? | Platform Availability | Transaction Fees | Supported Tokens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum | Yes | iOS and Android | 0.5% for crypto swaps | ETH, DAI, BAT, USDC, and 240+ others |
How Does Argent Wallet Work?
To use Argent, you must download the mobile app on your iOS or Android smartphone. This wallet is built on the Ethereum blockchain, so your assets are stored on the blockchain and you control them via the Argent app.
You have full control over your Argent wallet because you hold the private keys. Argent can’t access your assets or stop you from accessing them. You can also use the funds in your Argent wallet to transact with external decentralized applications (dApps).
Argent Wallet Features
Argent has many key features that make it a good wallet. They include:
Staking
Staking is a way to earn rewards from your crypto assets. It entails locking up your assets “staking” on a blockchain to help verify transactions on that blockchain. In exchange, you receive a cut of the transaction fees from that blockchain plus any other rewards allocated to stakers.
Argent lets you stake different Ethereum-based tokens and earn interest of up to 15%. The platform uses three staking partners to enable this feature: Yearn, Lido, and Gro.
Buying Crypto
You can buy tokens for your Argent wallet using a debit card, credit card, or bank transfer. You may also transfer tokens from another wallet you own.
Argent uses third-party payment processors for this feature, and they collect fees for their service. The two main partners are Moonpay and Wyre. Moonpay charges 3.5% or 3.99 EUR/GBP/USD, whichever is higher, for debit or credit card purchases and 1% or 3.99 EUR/GBP, whichever is higher, for bank transfers. Wyre charges $5 or 2.9% + 30¢ for US processing or 3.9% + 30¢ for any country outside the U.S. Unlike many other wallets, Argent doesn’t add an extra fee to what its third-party payment processors charge.
Swapping
You can swap tokens on your Argent wallet with ease. For instance, you can exchange DAI tokens and receive an equivalent in USDC. Argent charges a 0.5% fee for crypto swaps, and you’ll pay an additional network “gas” fee, which varies depending on existing demand on the blockchain.
Receive/Send Tokens
You can receive tokens from other wallets or from another Argent user, and send tokens in a similar way.
Argent addresses use a “username.argent.xyz” naming convention instead of the random selection of numbers and letters most wallets use. This human-readable address makes it easy for another Argent user to transfer tokens to your wallet.
Argent Products
Vault
Argent Vault is a special type of wallet with extra security features targeted at people that want to store at least $50,000 in their wallets. It uses multi-signature security, which requires two or more private keys to authorize any transaction from your wallet.
You can assign “guardians” whose approval will be needed to authorize any transaction on your account. The guardian could be a friend or family member that you trust. It could also be another device or hardware wallet that you own. The good thing is that a guardian can also help you to recover your account.
Argent X
Argent X is a browser wallet that you can use to interact with decentralized applications built on the StarkNet ecosystem. It’s different from the main Argent wallet but has a similar function. You can create accounts and use these accounts to transact with various dApps. You can also send and receive tokens using your Argent X wallet address.
dApps Integration
One of Argent’s main benefits is that it lets you interact with the world of decentralized applications, or “dApps”. The platform uses WalletConnect, an open-source protocol for connecting dApps to mobile wallets by scanning a QR code or via a deep link.
To connect your Argent wallet to a dApp, follow these few steps:
- Open the dApp dashboard page and find the option to connect a wallet.
- Choose WalletConnect among the connection options. You’ll receive a QR code if you do so.
- Open the Argent app and tap Scan QR on your Assets page.
- Scan the QR code to receive an authorization prompt to connect your Argent wallet to the dApp. Authorize it, and you’re good to go.
Website Connections
Argent connects with various web services through APIs, which are computer programs that let two or more applications communicate with each other.
Thanks to APIs, you can connect your Argent wallet to various web platforms. For example, you can export data from your Argent wallet to Koinly, a crypto tax software, to help you prepare tax reports.
Argent NFTs
Argent lets you store NFTs minted on the Ethereum blockchain. You can receive them from other wallets or buy directly from major marketplaces like OpenSea. Unfortunately, some major NFT marketplaces, such as LooksRare, have not integrated smart contract wallets, so Argent doesn’t let you buy directly from them.
Argent Security Features
- Multi-sig security: You can configure all transactions from your wallet to not go through unless approved by a “guardian”, which could be another hardware wallet you own or a trusted friend or family member’s Argent wallet.
- Recovery without seed phrase: Argent doesn’t use seed phrases to recover wallets, but instead uses assigned guardians. A seed phrase is quite risky because anyone that gets their hands on your unique seed phrase can break into your wallet.
- Wallet lock: You can ask a guardian to lock your wallet and prevent any transactions with it. This feature is useful if you feel your wallet might be compromised, e.g., when you lose your phone.
Argent Wallet Fees
| Fiat-to-Crypto Exchange | Crypto-to-Crypto Exchange | Blockchain Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Moonpay: Debit/credit cards or Apple Pay – 3.5% or 3.99 EUR/GBP/USD whichever is higher. Bank transfers (EUR/GBP): 1% or 3.99 EUR/GBP whichever is higher. Wyre: $5 or 2.9% + 30¢ (US processing), or 3.9% + 30¢ (International processing). | 0.5% | Varies depending on current transaction demand on the blockchain. |
How Does Argent Compare To Competitors?
Argent Vs. MetaMask
Argent and MetaMask are similar in that they only support tokens built on the Ethereum blockchain. However, you can access the latter via a browser extension, while you can’t with the former.
MetaMask charges a significantly higher fee for crypto swaps than Argent.
| Swap Fees | Platforms Available | NFT Support | Supported Blockchains | Staking Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argent | 0.5% | iOS and Android | Yes | Ethereum | Yes |
| MetaMask | 0.875% | iOS, Android, and browser extension | Yes | Ethereum | Yes |
Read our full MetaMask review.
Argent Vs. Ledger
Ledger is a hardware wallet that you can control from the Ledger Live app. This app is accessible on iOS and Android phones, just like Argent. Ledger Live charges half of the fees that Argent takes for crypto swaps, making it a more economical option.
| Fees | Platforms Available | NFT Support | Supported Blockchains | Staking Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argent | 0.5% | iOS and Android | Yes | Ethereum | Yes |
| Ledger | 0.25% | iOS and Android | Yes | Ethereum, Bitcoin, XRP Ledger, BNB Chain, and many others | Yes |
Argent Vs. Trustwallet
TrustWallet supports dozens of blockchains, unlike Argent that’s limited to the Ethereum blockchain. It also doesn’t charge fees for crypto swaps, unlike Argent.
| Fees | Platforms Available | NFT Support | Supported Blockchains | Staking Support | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argent | 0.5% | iOS and Android | Yes | Ethereum | Yes |
| TrustWallet | 0% | iOS, Android, and browser extension | Yes | Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin, BNB Chain, Polygon, Tron, and many others | Yes |
How To Set Up Your Argent Wallet
Step 1: Download the Argent wallet app on your iOS or Android smartphone.
Step 2: Launch the app on your phone. Go through the onboarding process on your phone and tap “Create new wallet.”
Step 3: Choose a username.
Step 4: Enter your email address.
Step 5: Enter your phone number and the code Argent sends to your number via SMS.
Step 6: Choose a passcode to protect your wallet and enable biometric security, such as Face ID on iPhones.
Step 7: You can access your wallet and its features at this point.
Final Thoughts On Argent
Argent is one of the most user-friendly wallets you can find. Its developers put noticeable effort into making the app easy to navigate. They also built unique features like the guardian system that protects your account from unauthorized access and the human-readable addresses that make it easy to receive funds from other Argent wallet addresses.
The main drawback with Argent is that it only supports tokens built on the Ethereum blockchain. You can’t use it to store some popular tokens like Bitcoin and Solana. There’s also no desktop app for Argent, unlike with some rival wallets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, Argent wallet has a user-friendly interface and helps you keep your tokens secure.
Yes, you don’t need to pay a dime to use the Argent wallet.
Argent is a decentralized wallet, so it’s not owned by a centralized party. However, Argent Labs Limited is the company behind the wallet and controls its features.
Yes, Argent has many helpful security features such as multi-sig security and wallet lock.
