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KeepKey vs Ledger Stax

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

Ledger Stax3.6

Ledger's $399 flagship, with the biggest screen it sells and exactly the same secure element as the $59 Nano S Plus.

Verdict: Ledger Stax

Ledger Stax rates higher on our rubric: 3.6 against 2.6 for KeepKey.

Criterion
Editorial rating
KeepKey
2.6
Ledger Stax
3.6

KeepKey and Ledger Stax, 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.

KeepKey and Ledger Stax compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactKeepKeyLedger Stax
Editorial rating2.63.6 (favoured on this row)
StatusCaution: see the reviewAvailable
Made byKeepKeyLedger
Price$59.95$399
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys generated and held on the device rather than on your computerself-custodial, keys held in a CC EAL6+ certified secure element chip
Bitcoin-onlyNoNo
Runs onWindows, macOS, LinuxiOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
Screen3.12 inch OLED, 256 x 64 pixels3.7 inch curved E Ink touchscreen, 16 grayscale, 400 x 670 pixels, with an anti-glare coating
ConnectivityUSB cableUSB-C, Bluetooth (BLE 5.2) for iOS and Android, NFC, and wireless Qi charging
Released2015, though KeepKey's own site dates the brand to 2014Not stated
Countries on the maker's listNo published list218
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-26

Pros and cons, side by side

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

Ledger Stax

What works

  • The 3.7 inch curved E Ink touchscreen is the largest display Ledger sells, so addresses read in one view
  • Same ST33K1M5 secure element, certified to CC EAL6+, as every other current Ledger
  • USB-C, Bluetooth and NFC, plus wireless Qi charging that no other Ledger has
  • Ships with a Ledger Recovery Key and a protective magnet shell included in the box

What to watch

  • At $399 it costs nearly seven times the $59 Nano S Plus for the same certified secure element
  • The $249 Flex has the same chip and more screen pixels, at 480 x 600 against 400 x 670
  • Closed source firmware, unlike Trezor and BitBox

Frequently asked questions

Is KeepKey or Ledger Stax better?

Ledger Stax rates higher on our rubric: 3.6 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, KeepKey or Ledger Stax?

KeepKey, at $59.95 against $399, on each maker's own store price as of the review date.

Is KeepKey or Ledger Stax bitcoin-only?

Neither: both support assets beyond bitcoin. KeepKey: 11 native chains plus EVM tokens by the vendor's own count, with THORChain swaps in the app. Ledger Stax: Bitcoin plus more than 500 assets in the Ledger Wallet app, and thousands more through third party wallets.

Does KeepKey or Ledger Stax carry a warning?

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: KeepKey and Ledger Stax, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

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