Light Wallet Vs. Full Node Wallet

IOHK, the R&D company behind Cardano, created the Daedalus wallet for anyone and everyone to manage & transfer their ADA. On the other hand Emurgo, the company which drives adoption of Cardano , has also created their own wallet called Yoroi. If you are new to the ecosystem the question bound to come bubbling up in your mind is,



“But what are the differences between the two?”

Both wallets follow the Cardano Blockchain rules/protocol, yet they are still quite unique. The biggest difference that any user will notice is that Daedalus is a full node while Yoroi is a light client. A full node contains a full copy of the blockchain, while a light client instead references someone else’s full node.

The following slideshow explains the difference, while also providing a more general overview of how the wallets work.

Watch The Whiteboard

Daedalus on your PC Yoroi in your Browser global Cardano SL mainnet local copy wallet GUI wallet GUI Full node Light wallet

Daedalus on your PC Yoroi in your Browser global Cardano SL mainnet Full node Light wallet seed recovery phrase

Daedalus on your PC Yoroi in your Browser global Cardano SL mainnet Full node Light wallet UTxO model

Daedalus on your PC Yoroi in your Browser global Cardano SL mainnet Full node Light wallet

Daedalus on your PC Yoroi in your Browser

In contrast to a full node, a light wallet allows a users to transact on the blockchain without needing to download it themselves. This increases the usability significantly for the first-time user.

Both types of wallets are extremely useful and target different kinds of users. For the majority of people just getting started, a light wallet is the best place to begin. You’ll hit the ground running and have the simplest first dive into Cardano.