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KeepKey vs Trezor Safe 5

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.

Trezor's touchscreen model at $129: a color display and haptic feedback over the same secure element the $59 Safe 3 uses.

Verdict: Trezor Safe 5

Trezor Safe 5 rates higher on our rubric: 4.4 against 2.6 for KeepKey.

Criterion
Editorial rating
KeepKey
2.6
Trezor Safe 5
4.4

KeepKey and Trezor Safe 5, 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 Trezor Safe 5 compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactKeepKeyTrezor Safe 5
Editorial rating2.64.4 (favoured on this row)
StatusCaution: see the reviewAvailable
Made byKeepKeyTrezor
Price$59.95$129
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys generated and held on the device rather than on your computerself-custodial, keys held in an EAL6+ certified secure element running open source firmware
Bitcoin-onlyNoNo
Runs onWindows, macOS, LinuxAndroid, Windows, macOS, Linux
Screen3.12 inch OLED, 256 x 64 pixels1.54 inch color touchscreen, 240 x 240 pixels, Gorilla Glass 3, with haptic feedback
ConnectivityUSB cableUSB-C and a microSD slot; Trezor Suite on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, view only on iOS
Released2015, though KeepKey's own site dates the brand to 20142024
Countries on the maker's listNo published listNo published list
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-25

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

Trezor Safe 5

What works

  • Color touchscreen with haptic feedback makes address verification far easier to read than a two button screen
  • EAL6+ certified secure element with fully open source firmware, the same pairing as the Safe 3
  • Multi-share (Shamir) backup, microSD slot and FIDO2 two factor support
  • A Bitcoin-only edition strips every other chain out of the firmware

What to watch

  • More than twice the price of the Safe 3 for the same security model
  • iOS is view only: no setup, sending or device management from an iPhone
  • SecurityWeek reported in August 2026 that a breach at fulfilment partner ShipMonk exposed about 14,000 customers' shipping details
  • Trezor publishes no list of countries it ships to, only a checkout drop-down

Frequently asked questions

Is KeepKey or Trezor Safe 5 better?

Trezor Safe 5 rates higher on our rubric: 4.4 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, KeepKey or Trezor Safe 5?

KeepKey, at $59.95 against $129, on each maker's own store price as of the review date.

Is KeepKey or Trezor Safe 5 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. Trezor Safe 5: Multi edition manages thousands of coins and tokens; a separate Bitcoin-only edition is also sold.

Does KeepKey or Trezor Safe 5 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 Trezor Safe 5, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

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