While the NEAR Wallet is a go-to option for many users of the NEAR Protocol, there are times when it experiences unplanned outages and technical issues. This is related to the fact that the NEAR Wallet is considered to be a legacy application that will soon serve a different purpose.
Just yesterday, on September 22, Pagoda Platform, the primary contributors to the core open-source NEAR Protocol, tweeted:
There seemed to be an issue on the frontend of the website that should be a quick fix. The Pagoda account came back with an update, tweeting that the NEAR wallet team identified an SSL configuration issue with the frontend’s hosting provider and was actively working to reestablish the site while preparing a contingency fallback option.
The whole issue was probably caused by a NEAR protocol infrastructure outage that has since been fixed, and all related wallets should be back in operation, according to the team’s official Twitter. Also, according to the NEAR blog, the NEAR Wallet application is going to be removed soon, and users will be encouraged to switch to other compatible wallets.
Meanwhile, these types of technical issues took place and may occur again, which would leave users worried until things get back to normal. Therefore, it’s crucial to know what are good alternatives to the NEAR wallet which you can trust so you can have peace of mind. In this article, we will discuss the best alternative wallets that work on the NEAR protocol and what features they offer.
MyNearWallet
MyNearWallet is a non-custodial wallet developed by Kikimora Labs for storing and staking NEAR tokens and other compatible assets.
The team behind MyNearWallet has been developing their project along with the growth of the NEAR protocol ecosystem, and they keep working on both supporting the legacy wallet features and adding new ones. The MyNearWallet team highly prioritizes constantly updating their users on any issues or changes. They actively communicate on social media and in their blog on Medium. The platform also offers responsive live chat support, and a friendly interface will make a transition smooth and seamless.
You can easily import your existing wallet, following this step-by-step guide in the wallet’s official Medium. After your account is recovered, you can start sending and receiving transactions and staking your assets with MyNearWallet.
NearPay
NearPay is a custodial crypto wallet that operates on the NEAR protocol. It’s an easy way to store, buy, and swap crypto. It allows users to purchase cryptocurrency with a debit or credit card, convert crypto to fiat, and withdraw funds to a bank account. NearPay users can also spend crypto assets with a prepaid crypto card, which is available to residents of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK. The virtual card is already available to the users, while the plastic version is announced to be launched in the near future.
The NearPay support team is available to assist users with any questions or concerns. The wallet application is available on the web, iOS, and Android, and it supports 38 cryptocurrencies, including NEAR, BTC, ETH, and USDT.
HERE Wallet
The HERE wallet is a mobile iOS wallet for the NEAR protocol. The application can be used to buy, sell, and use NEAR and compatible assets.
The features of this wallet application include payments in BTC with a 0% fee, up to 10% APY staking, and instant withdrawals. New users can purchase up to $1,000 worth of crypto without having to complete the KYC verification process.
Users also have access to all dApps thanks to the HERE Wallet’s ability to integrate with the NEAR web wallet.
Thinking Ahead
If you actively use NEAR and need to have the reassurance that you can always access the funds, one of the wallet applications discussed above can be a great alternative to the legacy wallet.near.org.
As NEAR moves toward decentralization, wallet.near.org will eventually serve as the landing page for all compatible wallets running within the ecosystem. The NEAR team intends to give users more choices as they navigate the Web3 space. It adopts a similar strategy with wallets because NEAR has always believed in a multichain world.
Since the NEAR protocol team is no longer working on the original web wallet, it might not be updated and maintained as frequently as other more recent applications. As part of the transition, users of the NEAR wallet will be encouraged to migrate their wallet to a new provider. NEAR holders as well as holders of other crypto assets can take advantage of a variety of features and incentives with these newer applications.