MetaMask is the default not because it is the best wallet but because it is the wallet every application was built against. In a month of testing across four networks we did not encounter a single connection failure, and that reliability is worth more to most users than any individual feature on a competitor's list.

Where the product shows its age is in the safety layer. Transaction previews tell you that you are approving something; newer wallets tell you what the approval permits, which contract will hold the allowance, and whether the address has been flagged. For an audience whose most common loss event is a malicious approval, that gap is the difference between a warning and a wall.

Fees deserve scrutiny. Swapping inside the wallet routes through an aggregator and adds a service fee, which is disclosed but easy to miss in the flow. Users routing the same trade through a decentralised exchange interface directly will usually pay less.

The interface has also collected a decade of additions: portfolio promotion, staking prompts, bridge banners and card offers now compete with the balance for attention. None of it is harmful, all of it is noise.

Three point eight stars. Keep it installed for compatibility, but there are better places to sign your riskiest transactions.