Overview
Guarda is a free wallet for holding crypto from over 70 different blockchains, including Cardano, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most others you'd recognise, all under a single account. It comes in several flavours: a Mac, Windows, or Linux desktop app, a phone app, a website, and a Chrome add-on. The same encrypted backup file opens any of them1.
Guarda is operated by GUARDACO LDA, a company based in Lisbon, Portugal, that has been making the wallet since 20172. You hold the recovery details, which means only you can move the funds. The company holds no copy of your keys.
Key Features
- Stake ADA without leaving the wallet. Pick a Cardano stake pool and delegate from inside Guarda. You can start with as little as 10 ADA, and your coins stay in your wallet. You can stop staking at any moment3.
- 70+ blockchains in one app. Cardano, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many others sit side by side. Useful if you hold crypto across several chains and don't want a separate app for each2.
- The same wallet on every device. Desktop, phone, website, and browser add-on all share the same encrypted backup file, so you can use whichever fits the moment4.
- Buy ADA with a card. Top up your wallet using Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a regular bank transfer. No exchange account needed.
- Swap one crypto for another inside the wallet. A built-in swap tool lets you trade, say, ADA for Bitcoin without sending anything to an exchange first.
What to Expect
Setting up Guarda takes a few minutes. You install the app (or open the website version), set a password, save an encrypted backup file, and your Cardano wallet is immediately ready to receive ADA. From there, staking sits one click away. Pick a pool from a list, confirm, and rewards arrive every five days.
Guarda is built to feel approachable rather than feature-heavy. If you want to hold ADA, stake it, and occasionally swap or buy more, Guarda covers it well. If you want to actively use Cardano apps, you'd be better served by a Cardano-native wallet like Lace or Eternl, used alongside Guarda or instead of it.
Guarda is run by an EU-registered company and is a member of INATBA, an industry group for trusted blockchain applications2.
