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SafePal S1 vs Tangem Wallet

Comparing
two wallets
Decided by
Editorial rating
Last reviewed
2026-08-25
SafePal S13.5

Budget air-gapped signer with no USB data, WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC: every transaction crosses as a scanned QR code.

Tangem Wallet3.8

A smart card you tap against your phone, sold only in sets of two or three so your backup is another card rather than a written seed.

Verdict: Tangem Wallet

Tangem Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 3.8 against 3.5 for SafePal S1.

Criterion
Editorial rating
SafePal S1
3.5
Tangem Wallet
3.8

SafePal S1 and Tangem Wallet, 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.

SafePal S1 and Tangem Wallet compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactSafePal S1Tangem Wallet
Editorial rating3.53.8 (favoured on this row)
StatusAvailableAvailable
Made bySafePalTangem
PriceNot published$59.9
Who holds the keysself-custodial, keys held offline on a device with no USB data, WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC connectionself-custodial, keys generated and held inside each card's certified chip, with no seed phrase by default
Bitcoin-onlyNoNo
Runs oniOS, AndroidiOS, Android
ScreenSmall color screen with a camera for reading QR codesNone. The card has no display, so you verify transactions on your phone
ConnectivityQR codes only: no USB data, WiFi, Bluetooth or NFCNFC tap against a phone running the Tangem app
ReleasedNot statedNot stated
Countries on the maker's listNo published list201
Last reviewed2026-08-252026-08-25

Pros and cons, side by side

SafePal S1

What works

  • No USB data, WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC: the only channel in or out is a QR code on a camera
  • SafePal's budget cold storage line, positioned below the newer Bluetooth X1
  • Broad asset support with swap, buy and DeFi features for people who hold more than bitcoin
  • SafePal accepted an outside security report from Kraken Security Labs and shipped a fix

What to watch

  • Not bitcoin-only, and the companion app is a broad crypto app rather than a focused signer
  • The February 2021 Kraken disclosure showed the firmware update check could be downgraded without the user noticing
  • Verification happens on a small screen, which makes careful address checking slower
  • SafePal publishes no shipping country policy, pointing at a reseller network instead

Tangem Wallet

What works

  • Keys are generated inside a certified chip and never leave it, with no seed phrase to steal by default
  • Sold in sets of two or three, so the backup is a second card rather than a written phrase
  • Nothing to charge, connect or cable up: you tap the card against your phone
  • Tangem states that no Tangem server sits between your card, your phone and the blockchain
  • Buy and swap are built into the app

What to watch

  • No screen, so you verify transaction details on the phone rather than on the device itself
  • Lose every card in the set without having created a seed phrase and the funds are unrecoverable
  • Not bitcoin-only
  • Tangem refuses delivery to 40 named jurisdictions, Colombia, Laos and Vietnam among them

Frequently asked questions

Is SafePal S1 or Tangem Wallet better?

Tangem Wallet rates higher on our rubric: 3.8 against 3.5 for SafePal S1. 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.

Is SafePal S1 or Tangem Wallet bitcoin-only?

Neither: both support assets beyond bitcoin. SafePal S1: Multi-asset: bitcoin among a long list of chains and tokens, managed through the SafePal app. Tangem Wallet: Multi-asset, with buy and swap built into the app.

The full reviews: SafePal S1 and Tangem Wallet, each with its sources, and every wallet we review.

More comparisons

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