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Blockstream Jade vs Coldcard

Comparing
two wallets
Decided by
Editorial rating
Last reviewed
2026-08-25
Blockstream Jade4.3Bitcoin-only

Bitcoin-only line from $79 to $149 that ships no secure element on purpose: a locked Jade holds nothing worth extracting.

Coldcard3.4Bitcoin-onlyWarning

Bitcoin-only air-gapped signer whose seed generation was weakened by a build error from March 2021 until fixed firmware landed on July 31, 2026.

Verdict: Blockstream Jade

Blockstream Jade rates higher on our rubric: 4.3 against 3.4 for Coldcard.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Blockstream Jade
4.3
Coldcard
3.4

Blockstream Jade and Coldcard, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

Blockstream Jade and Coldcard compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactBlockstream JadeColdcard
Editorial rating4.3 (favoured on this row)3.4
StatusAvailableCaution: see the review
Made byBlockstreamCoinkite
Price$99$189
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys protected by Blockstream's open source blind oracle rather than a secure element chipself-custodial, keys held behind two secure elements from different vendors, signing air-gapped by choice
Bitcoin-onlyYesYes
Runs oniOS, Android, Windows, macOS, LinuxWindows, macOS, Linux
Screen1.9 inch color LCD, 320 x 170 pixelsQ: 3.2 inch LCD with a full keyboard. Mk5: bright OLED with a numeric keypad
ConnectivityUSB-C and Bluetooth on all three models; Jade Plus adds an SD card slot and camera-based QR signingUSB-C, microSD, NFC, QR scanner on the Q and a virtual disk mode, every path off by default
Released2021 for the original Jade; Core and Plus arrived with the June 2, 2026 lineup refreshCoinkite has made Coldcard since 2017; the Q and the Mk5 are the current models
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-252026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

Blockstream Jade

What works

  • Bitcoin only, with both firmware and hardware published as open source
  • Three tiers from $79 to $149 sharing one firmware and one security model
  • Genuine Check attestation lets you verify the device was actually made by Blockstream
  • Jade Plus signs fully air-gapped over QR codes and reads an SD card
  • Blockstream fixed the DARKNAVY report in three weeks and published a full public disclosure

What to watch

  • No certified secure element, which is a deliberate tradeoff but still a difference from Ledger, Trezor and BitBox
  • Firmware 1.0.24 through 1.0.36 carried a stack overflow that a compromised host could use to crash the device, and 1.0.35 and earlier could allow limited code execution
  • Jade Core has no camera, so air-gapped QR signing needs the Plus
  • Free international shipping is advertised with no country list behind it, and you may owe import fees

Coldcard

What works

  • Bitcoin only, which keeps every other chain's parsing code off the device
  • Two secure elements from independent vendors, so one chip flaw is not enough
  • Air-gapped signing over QR, microSD, NFC or virtual disk, with all data paths disabled by default
  • Reproducible open source firmware that advanced users can build and verify themselves
  • Duress PIN, brick PIN and login countdown for coercion scenarios
  • Coinkite's advisory published the technical cause, the entropy estimates and step by step migration instructions

What to watch

  • A March 2021 build error weakened seed generation for over five years, and updating the firmware does not repair an affected seed
  • Migrating means generating a new seed and moving every coin, which costs an on-chain transaction and real care
  • Coinkite publishes no loss total, so the scale rests on outside estimates from TRM Labs and Galaxy Research
  • Steeper learning curve than a Ledger or a Trezor, with no companion app of its own
  • Coinkite publishes no shipping country policy at all

Frequently asked questions

Is Blockstream Jade or Coldcard better?

Blockstream Jade rates higher on our rubric: 4.3 against 3.4 for Coldcard. The rating follows the product rubric published on our about page; the rows above set custody, price and platforms side by side so you can check it.

Which is cheaper, Blockstream Jade or Coldcard?

Blockstream Jade, at $99 against $189, on each maker's own store price as of the review date.

Is Blockstream Jade or Coldcard bitcoin-only?

Both are bitcoin-only: neither supports another coin, which is a deliberate design choice for a smaller codebase.

Does Blockstream Jade or Coldcard carry a warning?

Coldcard: A build error introduced in a March 2021 firmware migration left seed generation drawing on a software pseudorandom number generator instead of the hardware one, and attackers found it before Coinkite did. Coinkite published fixed firmware for every affected model and updated its advisory on August 1, 2026, but updating does not repair a seed already generated on affected firmware: those owners have to create a new seed and move their coins.

The full reviews: Blockstream Jade and Coldcard, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

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