Nova Wallet Review: The Best Mobile Wallet for Polkadot
Introduction
Nova Wallet is the most popular wallet in the Polkadot ecosystem. Designed for Polkadot and Kusama users, Nova Wallet is the best wallet for staking, asset management, swapping, governance participation, and more — all under one seamless experience. But what makes it stand out from the rest of the wallets? In this review, we talk about the key features, security measures, and how Nova Wallet compares to its peers.
Nova Wallet is unique in its ease of use, integrated staking and multi-chain support for the Polkadot ecosystem. Now let’s take a closer look at why Nova Wallet is in the number one position.
What is Nova Wallet?
Nova Wallet is a non-custodial mobile wallet intended to provide an effortless and secure experience for Polkadot (DOT) and Kusama (KSM) asset management as well as all their parachain tokens. The project emerged from the need for a specialized mobile wallet that can fully service the unique attributes and features of the Polkadot ecosystem.
Unlike other generic crypto wallets that just add Polkadot support, Nova Wallet was built from the ground up with Polkadot in mind. This allows for greater integration with Polkadot’s staking, parachain, interoperability, and governance features.
The intended users of Nova Wallet are new users of the Polkadot platform and also veteran users who require a convenient and safe way of managing their assets when on the go. It caters to individuals who want to actively participate in staking, governance, and other on-chain activities in the Polkadot network.
Key Features of Nova Wallet
Nova Wallet has a range of features that are designed to optimize the user experience and provide complete control of Polkadot assets.
User-Friendly Interface and Mobile Accessibility
Nova Wallet is available on both iOS and Android, allowing it to be used by anyone with a smartphone. It has a straightforward interface that provides an easy means of managing your Polkadot portfolio. Everything is easy to navigate, and sending, receiving, swapping, and staking your DOT and KSM tokens is incredibly simple. Nova Wallet’s easy-to-use interface, combined with having the richest feature set for a Polkadot wallet, makes it the perfect choice for both new and experienced users alike!
The emphasis on mobile accessibility provides the ability for users to control their Polkadot wallet from anywhere in the world, offering unparalleled convenience and flexibility.
Built-In Polkadot Staking
Nova Wallet has the best staking experience in Polkadot with its native 1-click DOT staking, and gives you maximized rewards. You can stake DOT tokens in seconds with Nova’s 1-click staking — simply select DOT, enter the amount of DOT you wish to stake, and you’re done!
You can stake as little as 1 DOT using Nova Wallet! This is because Nova supports both DOT nomination pools and direct staking. Nova Wallet automatically gets you started staking in the most beneficial way for you. No need to worry about having to learn the complexities of Polkadot, simply enter how much DOT you wish to stake and get started staking right away!
With 1-Click Staking, Nova Wallet makes the whole process straightforward, and users can stake easily in a matter of a few clicks and begin receiving rewards right away.
Pic: visual representation of the 1-click staking process with DOT tokens.
How to stake Polkadot DOT on Nova Wallet:
The process is simple. Users simply navigate to the Staking tab, select DOT, enter the amount they want to stake, and confirm. Nova Wallet handles the rest, eliminating the need to manually select validators while still optimizing for rewards. The wallet also provides clear insights into potential earnings and staking risks.
Security and Self-Custody Features
Security is always the top priority when dealing with cryptocurrency wallets, and with Nova Wallet you maintain full control of your assets. As a non-custodial wallet, the Nova Wallet team never has access to your funds and never stores your seed phrases or private keys on any central server. These are securely preserved in the secure storage enclave on the device, and thus only the user has access to them.
To further secure, Nova Wallet also has support for Ledger and Polkadot Vault hardware wallets, allowing users to manage their funds with an additional security layer. There is also PIN and biometric authentication meaning that even if you lose your device your funds remain secure.
Is Nova Wallet safe?
Nova Wallet’s self-custodial nature, combined with hardware wallet support, provides bank-level security when used correctly. By storing private keys securely on a Ledger or Polkadot Vault and ensuring they are never exposed to the internet, users can significantly minimize risks. As long as the seed phrase remains private and the hardware wallet is protected, funds stay fully under the user’s control with the highest level of security available in crypto.
Multi-Chain Support
While primarily focused on Polkadot and Kusama, Nova Wallet supports the entire Polkadot and Kusama ecosystem, covering over 90 networks, including parachains and solochains such as Aleph Zero and Avail. Beyond the Polkadot ecosystem, Nova Wallet also supports Ethereum and Layer 2 networks, allowing users to manage a diverse portfolio of assets within a single wallet.
Use every web3 dApp
Nova Wallet is designed to seamlessly integrate with any decentralized application (dApp) within the Polkadot and Ethereum ecosystems. This enables users to interact with dApps directly from the wallet, unlocking a wide range of opportunities in DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and beyond.
How to Set Up and Use Nova Wallet?
It is simple to start using Nova Wallet. Here is a step-by-step guide:
Step 1 — Download and Install Nova Wallet
First, download and install the Nova Wallet mobile app from the App Store if you own an iOS device or the Google Play Store for an Android phone. Make sure you only download the official app directly from the stores and not from other third-party sources.
After the app installation, launch the app and set up a fresh wallet through the instructions displayed on-screen. You can create a wallet using your Google or Apple account — simply sign in and create your Nova Wallet password. Your private key is then stored in an encrypted & secure manner in your cloud storage, allowing you to easily backup and recover your account without having to worry about writing down your seedphrase.
Step 2 — Adding and Managing Assets
After setting up your wallet, you can buy or receive DOT and other supported tokens. Simply navigate to the “Buy” or “Receive” option, select your desired asset, and follow the steps.
Managing your assets is simple with Nova Wallet. Your balance and transaction history for each token are easily accessible within the app, allowing you to track your funds effortlessly.
Step 3 — Staking DOT in Nova Wallet
To stake DOT using Nova Wallet, simply go to the Staking section of the app, select DOT, enter the amount you want to stake, and confirm. Nova Wallet handles the rest, getting you started on your staking journey in the best way for you and ensuring you earn maximized staking rewards!
You can track your rewards and stake management through the staking dashboard, which provides real-time insights into your earnings and allows you to adjust your staking strategy as needed.
Step 4 — Restoring a Nova Wallet
Nova Wallet’s Cloud Backups feature allows you to securely store an encrypted version of your wallet’s private key in your cloud storage. It is secured by your Nova Wallet password. This can be used to recover your account should you lose or upgrade your device. Cloud Backups are an opt-in feature — you can create and backup your Nova Wallet using good old-fashioned paper backups if that is more your style.
A few general security precautions: When using Cloud Backups, never share your Nova Wallet password with anyone! For paper backups –always store your seed phrase somewhere secure and never let anyone see it. Think about using a hardware wallet to make your account even more secure!
Nova Wallet vs Other Polkadot Wallets: How Does It Compare?
There are several wallets in the Polkadot ecosystem, and each of them has different features. Let’s see how Nova Wallet compares with some of the alternatives: Polkadot Developer Signer (formerly Polkadot JS), Talisman, and Subwallet.
Polkadot Developer Signer: A bare-bones, no frills, lightweight browser extension primarily designed for developers. It does not offer typical wallet features such as showing account balances. Note: Polkadot JS Apps is separate from the Polkadot Developer Signer and can be used by any wallet.
Talisman: A browser extension with more features that you would typically expect from a web3 wallet, such as displaying account balances, staking, and more.
Subwallet: Subwallet is available as a browser extension and as a mobile wallet.
User Reviews and Community Feedback
Nova Wallet is the leading Polkadot wallet in terms of its feature set and user adoption. This can clearly be seen by analyzing non-gameable on-chain metrics, such as how many users are staking using each wallet. Check out our latest staking report article to see how Nova Wallet is leading the way for the Polkadot ecosystem
The general public perception of Nova Wallet is favorable, with users praising its ease of use, built-in staking, cloud backups, 1-click swaps, push notification, and security as advantages. Users on websites like Reddit, Twitter, and have left positive reviews about the wallet.
Conclusion — Is Nova Wallet the Best Polkadot Mobile Wallet?
Overall, Nova Wallet is the best Polkadot wallet. It offers the best balance of ease of use, security, and features and is a great choice for beginners and pros alike.
It’s perfect for users who:
- Want an easy-to-use way to handle their Polkadot money when on the go
- Are interested in staking DOT tokens
- Want the best user experience with 1-click features
- Value security and self-control
- Want to access dApps within the Polkadot network
To download and start using Nova Wallet, visit novawallet.io today!
About Nova Wallet
Nova Wallet is the ultimate mobile wallet with support for 100+ networks and over 200 assets. With features such as Staking support for 13+ assets, Hardware Wallet integrations for Ledger and Polkadot Vault, DApp Support for both Substrate and EVM chains, Push Notifications, NFTs, and advanced features such as Proxy account support — Nova Wallet is the fastest, most convenient, and secure mobile wallet for the Polkadot Ecosystem. Nova Wallet is fully open-sourced and is funded by the Polkadot Treasury.
Developed by Novasama Technologies.
About Novasama Technologies
Novasama Technologies develops user-focused applications for the Polkadot ecosystem. Our portfolio includes Nova Wallet, the leading mobile app for the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems available on iOS and Android devices; Nova Spektr the full-spectrum Polkadot Desktop Wallet available on macOS, Linux, and Windows; Telenova, the beginner-friendly self-custodial wallet built into Telegram; and Polkadot Vault, the air-gapped hardware wallet for the Polkadot ecosystem.
