I’m careful with my wallet. But I’m also curious. That’s a weird combo when you mess with NFTs, swaps, and surprise “airdrops.”
Trying a new wallet extension felt a lot like a first date—equal parts excitement and healthy skepticism. I actually brushed up on the art of early-stage vetting by skimming this guide on what to expect on first dates — it unpacks subtle green- and red-flags and shows how pacing your moves can save you from awkward (and costly) surprises, a mindset that translates surprisingly well to testing fresh Web3 tools.
That same “trust-but-verify” reflex follows me offline, too. If I’m headed down to Broward County and want the low-down on local massage spots, I’ll pull up the listings at Rubmaps Lauderdale Lakes for unfiltered, community-sourced reviews that separate legit joints from tourist traps in seconds.
So I tried Stelo, the little safety app that sits in your browser and tells you what a transaction really does before you hit confirm (I go deeper into why I picked it in this separate write-up). I’ve used it on my MacBook Air with Chrome and MetaMask for about six weeks. It’s free. Setup took maybe two minutes.
And you know what? It saved me twice. Like, real money.
Quick Take
- Stelo shows what a crypto transaction will do, in plain words.
- It warns you if a site wants wide access to your tokens or NFTs.
- It’s fast most days. It gets a bit slow when the chain is busy.
- It’s not magic. It can miss weird stuff. But it’s a strong seatbelt.
Let me explain with real moments from my screen.
The “Free Mint” That Wasn’t
One late night, a Twitter friend shared a “free mint” link. It looked clean. The art was cute. I clicked connect, then mint.
Stelo popped up a red card. It said the site wanted to manage all NFTs in my wallet (that “setApprovalForAll” thing). Plain text. Big warning. It also showed the contract had low history.
My gut said, “Maybe it’s fine.” Stelo said, “Nope.” I closed the tab. Next morning, folks in the thread were posting about drained wallets. That could’ve been me.
My cost to avoid it? One click.
A Simple Swap, Checked
On a calm Saturday, I swapped USDC to ETH on a well-known DEX. I wasn’t scared, just curious.
Stelo showed:
- How much ETH I’d get, after fees
- The contract I was sending to
- No scary permissions, just a normal spend
I clicked confirm. The result matched. Nice and boring. I like boring when money moves.
Listing an NFT on OpenSea
When I listed an NFT, Stelo showed a permission letting the marketplace move that one item under the sale terms. It looked tight, not a blanket pass. The wording was clear, not tech soup. I felt okay.
Side note: I wish more tools wrote like this. Simple, not dumb.
The Airdrop Bait
Oh, the airdrop hype. A site promised a token if I “just signed.” No gas. Sounded sweet.
Stelo flagged the signature as risky. It explained the message could let the site pull tokens later. Not a normal login. My stomach dropped a bit. I backed out.
Five minutes saved me a week of regret. That’s how it felt. Sketchy offers remind me of when I tried buying a verified Cash App account just to see what would happen—it ended about as well as you'd expect.
The Spicy Memecoin
A friend sent a fresh token link. Early chart. Big talk. I tried a tiny buy with my burner wallet.
Stelo didn’t scream, but it did label the contract as unknown and new. The preview looked okay, yet not much history. I still tested with a very small amount. It worked. I kept the risk small. Win or lose, I could sleep.
What I Liked
- Plain language: No wall of code. Short notes. Big color cues.
- Clear previews: “You will spend X and receive Y.” That line helps.
- Fast install: It worked with MetaMask right away.
- Good timing: Pops up before I hit the scary button.
- Helpful on approvals: It points out wide access asks.
What Bugged Me
- Small lag at rush hours: Once or twice, the preview took a few seconds.
- Not every chain: It handled the big ones I use, but not all of them yet.
- False alarms happen: I saw one legit mint get flagged as risky. I still trusted the warning, but it was noisy.
- Little UI stuff: The popup covered a button on one site. I had to move it. No biggie, still annoying.
Tips From My Screen
- Use a burner wallet for new sites. Stelo helps, but don’t get sloppy.
- Read the red text. If it says “manage all tokens,” stop and think.
- Test with tiny amounts. If it fails small, it would fail big.
- Recheck old approvals once in a while with your usual tools. Keep things tidy.
- Want an overhead view of all your wallets? Loup gives a clean dashboard so you can see how every move adds up.
- Curious what other money tools stay on my home screen? Check out my top fintech picks for 2025.
Who It’s For
- NFT folks who click lots of mint links
- DeFi users who swap and stake daily
- New wallet owners who want a guide, not a lecture
If you’re a power user, you’ll still like the speed. If you’re new, you’ll like the calm tone.
Wish List
- More chains, more wallets
- A clear “safe vs. risky” score for quick reads
- A smaller popup on tiny laptop screens
- Mobile support that feels smooth
My Bottom Line
Stelo isn’t a guard dog. It’s a bright porch light. It helps you see who’s at the door.
It kept me out of two bad clicks. It gave me peace on normal swaps. It annoyed me once or twice. I still keep it on.
Would I recommend it? Yes. Not as your only safety tool, but as your first check. Because one good warning can save a week’s pay—and a lot of stress.
Update: Since finishing this review, I learned that Stelo Labs ceased operations on October 31, 2023. If you’re hunting for a substitute that still adds an extra layer of withdrawal protection, you might explore Zengo’s Theft Guard, which pairs 3D FaceLock with Web3 approvals to keep bad clicks in check.