Hardware wallets, explained
A hardware wallet keeps your private keys on an offline device. This guide compares every hardware wallet in our database and explains how to choose one for your coins.
What a hardware wallet is
A hardware wallet is a dedicated device that stores your private keys offline and signs transactions without ever exposing the keys to your computer or phone. Your coins are not “in” the device — they live on the blockchain, and the device holds the keys that move them. That makes it the strongest defence against malware, phishing and hacked computers.
The two things that matter most
Coins first: check which networks a device supports before anything else. A hardware wallet that does not support your coin is useless for it — no matter how good its security is.
Backup philosophy: every device uses a recovery phrase (or shares, in Trezor’s SLIP-39). The phrase is the wallet; the device can be replaced in a day, the phrase cannot. Store two offline copies in separate locations and test recovery once before depositing a meaningful amount.
How to choose
- Want the widest coin support and a mature app? Ledger.
- Want fully open-source hardware and flexible multi-share backup? Trezor.
- Want the simplest, seedless card form? Tangem.
- Want a value-priced device with native Kaspa support? OneKey.
Common mistakes
- Buying from a marketplace or second-hand — buy only from the manufacturer.
- Storing the recovery phrase digitally — a photo or cloud note defeats the device entirely.
- Skipping the restore test — an untested phrase is a guess.
- Ignoring the coin-support matrix — the biggest real-world failure.
All hardware wallets compared
| Wallet | Backup | Passphrase | Open source | Staking | dApps | Networks | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ledger | 24-word BIP39 recovery phrase + optional passphrase | ✓ | ± | ✓ | ✓ | 39 | Details ↗ |
| Ledger Flex | 24-word BIP39 recovery phrase + optional passphrase | ✓ | ± | ✓ | ✓ | 26 | Details ↗ |
| OneKey | BIP39 recovery phrase (12/18/24) + optional passphrase | ✓ | ± | — | ✓ | 6 | Details ↗ |
| Tangem | Seedless cards: keys generated on-card; backup by purchasing 2–3 cards (or optional seed export) | — | ± | — | ✓ | 6 | Details ↗ |
| Trezor | 12/20/24-word seed (BIP39 or SLIP-39), optionally split across multiple shares | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 14 | Details ↗ |
| Trezor Safe 5 | 12/20/24-word seed (BIP39 or SLIP-39 multi-share) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 11 | Details ↗ |
Not sure which wallet fits? Use the wallet finder. Find the perfect wallet
Deeper reading: how to choose a wallet and the wallet security guide.