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Coldcard vs KeepKey

Comparing
two wallets
Decided by
Editorial rating
Last reviewed
2026-08-26
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.

KeepKey2.6Warning

Cheap open source device with the most readable screen of its era, and a seed a thief holding it for 15 minutes can extract.

Verdict: Coldcard

Coldcard rates higher on our rubric: 3.4 against 2.6 for KeepKey.

Criterion
Editorial rating
Coldcard
3.4
KeepKey
2.6

Coldcard and KeepKey, 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.

Coldcard and KeepKey compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactColdcardKeepKey
Editorial rating3.4 (favoured on this row)2.6
StatusCaution: see the reviewCaution: see the review
Made byCoinkiteKeepKey
Price$189$59.95
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys held behind two secure elements from different vendors, signing air-gapped by choiceself-custodial, keys generated and held on the device rather than on your computer
Bitcoin-onlyYesNo
Runs onWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows, macOS, Linux
ScreenQ: 3.2 inch LCD with a full keyboard. Mk5: bright OLED with a numeric keypad3.12 inch OLED, 256 x 64 pixels
ConnectivityUSB-C, microSD, NFC, QR scanner on the Q and a virtual disk mode, every path off by defaultUSB cable
ReleasedCoinkite has made Coldcard since 2017; the Q and the Mk5 are the current models2015, though KeepKey's own site dates the brand to 2014
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-252026-08-26

Pros and cons, side by side

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

KeepKey

What works

  • The 3.12 inch OLED screen was the largest of its era and makes address checks easy to read
  • Firmware is still shipping: Taproot outputs in 2025, four more chains in 2026, on signed tags
  • Each release publishes the expected hash of a reproducible build, so you can verify the binary you flash
  • Schematics, PCB layout and bill of materials are published, and the chip is named: no other major vendor goes that far
  • One of the cheapest new hardware wallets at $59.95, with simple, sturdy, beginner-friendly hardware

What to watch

  • The seed can be extracted with 15 minutes of physical access, and Kraken found that no firmware update can close it
  • No secure element, which KeepKey presents as a design choice rather than a gap, so the seed lives in flash on a general purpose chip
  • The PIN is 1 to 9 digits, so once the encrypted seed is off the device it is trivial to brute force
  • The store advertises free firmware updates for life without linking the release history that backs the promise up
  • Releases are infrequent by the standards of the field: none at all between March 2024 and February 2025

Frequently asked questions

Is Coldcard or KeepKey better?

Coldcard rates higher on our rubric: 3.4 against 2.6 for KeepKey. 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, Coldcard or KeepKey?

KeepKey, at $59.95 against $189, on each maker's own store price as of the review date.

Is Coldcard or KeepKey bitcoin-only?

Coldcard is bitcoin-only; KeepKey supports other assets too. 11 native chains plus EVM tokens by the vendor's own count, with THORChain swaps in the app

Does Coldcard or KeepKey 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. KeepKey: Kraken Security Labs published a voltage glitching attack in 2019 that lifts the encrypted seed off a KeepKey with about 15 minutes of physical access and roughly 75 dollars of equipment, then brute forces the short PIN that protects it. Kraken's own conclusion was that the weakness sits in the device's microcontroller and cannot be closed by firmware. The firmware itself is still shipping; the hardware is the problem, and a BIP39 passphrase is the mitigation.

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

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