Topic: Best open source hardware wallets for BTC? (Read 662 times)

Not all users prioritize the same level of security or have the same technical knowledge when storing cryptocurrencies. I found that while Ledger did face criticism for their handling of the situation, the incident did not directly affect the security of the hardware wallet itself. The compromises related to the disclosure of customer data remain intact. It's worth mentioning that if open-source hardware wallets are your top priority, then you should consider Trezor, Coldcard Wallet, and BitBox. These wallets have been known for their commitment to open source principles, allowing the community to review and verify code for added security.

Electrum's tried and tested but sometimes it just fails and when it does it fails horribly, so take using Electrum with a massive hand of salt.

Although I would agree with the fact that Hard Drive wallets are still good when it comes to saving your bitcoins. Been hearing lately that Trezor's the king but Ellipal could be as good as it in terms of security, plus the recent debacle with Trezor just rids them of that hard-earned trust and respect their users had for them, so I don't think you should dabble with this one too at least for now. Jade Wallet's great, when it comes to cost efficiency, and then Passport but that one's expensive with less features but the security I must say is top-notch.

Well, Coldcard isn't open-source either. But unlike Ledger, Coldcard has a public and verifiable codebase.

Electrum's tried and tested but sometimes it just fails and when it does it fails horribly, so take using Electrum with a massive hand of salt.

The mobile and desktop electrum wallets are actually good. But there was a time someone on this forum complained of losing funds on an electrum wallet because of not updating to the latest firmware. I don't know if this has been really proven to be true. I have tried looking up google for help but I have not really gotten anything concrete and I would appreciate if someone can help me out.

Well, in search of the best hardware wallet to use since ledger has broken their users trust, try using either a desktop or mobile Electrum wallet for the main time and move all your funds from that of ledger to your newly acquired Bitcoin wallet. Before it becomes too late, when the ledge is either hit with a security bridge or any funny news from the SEC,

No doubt about that--but I don't suspect that Ledger is ever going to release the numbers since they're not a public company and thus don't have to.  Nor are they likely to further damage their brand by announcing a drop in sales or in users.  But man, I really would like to know how much this debacle is (or is going to) hitting them as far as profits go.

And to Abiky I'd say with respect to HW wallets, closed-source code is a bad thing as Ledger has proven.  Such code might be acceptable in other things, but not when it comes to crypto--at least not as far as I can see.

From everything I've read since this went down with Ledger, the best HW wallet brands for bitcoin are BitBox, Blockstream Jade, and Keystone.  Some folks have mentioned others, but I'm pretty sure that's because they were paid sponsorships on Youtube.  I'm pretty turned off by Ledger and HW wallets in general now, so I don't think I'll be buying any new ones (except perhaps as collectibles).

Right now, I can't point to a particular hardware wallet I can vouch for as open source, but one which I am personally looking forward to using is Arculus from chainge finance, Arculus is a hardware which I believe have not started shipping out, but from all I've read about it, it may likely be a great choice, though like I said , I've not confirmed if the wallet is open source or not.

With governments getting their hands into the crypto industry lately, we should be prepared for the worst. They may compromise the company making the hardware wallet, but if the device is open source, their efforts will be futile in the long run.

...My choice would be Electrum...

Just to make things clear, Ledger wallet's firmware is not yet open source, and somewhat controversial after the announcement of the ledger recover product.

If you just want to store btc, then the Coldcard MK4 is your best option.

But there was a time someone on this forum complained of losing funds on an electrum wallet because of not updating to the latest firmware. I don't know if this has been really proven to be true. I have tried looking up google for help but I have not really gotten anything concrete and I would appreciate if someone can help me out.

The mobile and desktop electrum wallets are actually good. But there was a time someone on this forum complained of losing funds on an electrum wallet because of not updating to the latest firmware. I don't know if this has been really proven to be true. I have tried looking up google for help but I have not really gotten anything concrete and I would appreciate if someone can help me out.

Try using either a desktop or mobile Electrum wallet for the main time and move all your funds from that of ledger to your newly acquired Bitcoin wallet. Before it becomes too late, when the ledge is either hit with a security bridge or any funny news from the SEC,

Does anyone know of any good hardware wallets that are open source? I've been using a Ledger Nano for years but not being open source is a deal breaker for me. With the Ledger Recover feature meant to help restore people's private keys/seeds by complying with KYC, the hardware wallet could be compromised as we know it. If it's not open source, it cannot be trusted.

Any suggestions and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I am not very much familiar with hardware wallets, but I've always believe ledger and trezor were the best of them all until recently when alot got revealed about ledger, and then, the issue of them not being open source came up, Trezor  on the other hand have been doing quite well but several people believe they have some kind of privacy  issue which originated from Wasabi's coinjoin services integrated into the wallet..

Right now, I can't point to a particular hardware wallet I can vouch for as open source, but one which I am personally looking forward to using is Arculus from chainge finance, Arculus is a hardware which I believe have not started shipping out, but from all I've read about it, it may likely be a great choice, though like I said , I've not confirmed if the wallet is open source or not.

I guess you're right. The vast majority of crypto users want convenience on top of privacy/security/decentralization. While Ledger will lose customers because of its recovery service, it won't be much of a big deal compared to the rest of the people who really don't care about anything. For crypto veterans like myself, we would look into other alternatives that respects the true values of crypto/Blockchain tech. I'm glad there are plenty of open source alternatives on the market. This would make crypto stronger in the long run. Would you imagine hardware wallet companies being compromised by the government in the future? If there were no open source wallets, no one would be able to use a hardware wallet without giving away their privacy and freedom. I hope Ledger learns its lesson and decides to abandon plans to launch the recovery service. Maybe it will turn into an open source hardware wallet company in the long run? 

As a solution, I am now contemplating acquiring a Trezor wallet, which has a reputable standing and is open source.

With an open-source wallet like Trezor, there are no hidden vulnerabilities that could be exploited to steal our cryptocurrencies.

I am not very much familiar with hardware wallets, but I've always believe ledger and trezor were the best of them all until recently when alot got revealed about ledger, and then, the issue of them not being open source came up, Trezor  on the other hand have been doing quite well but several people believe they have some kind of privacy  issue which originated from Wasabi's coinjoin services integrated into the wallet..

Right now, I can't point to a particular hardware wallet I can vouch for as open source, but one which I am personally looking forward to using is Arculus from chainge finance, Arculus is a hardware which I believe have not started shipping out, but from all I've read about it, it may likely be a great choice, though like I said , I've not confirmed if the wallet is open source or not.

Ledger will probably lose a percentage of their current userbase because people have found out their hardware wallets aren't as safe as they trusted Ledger they would be.  

Not to be harsh, but if closed-source is a deal-breaker, what have you been waiting for in all your years of using Ledger? The wallet was closed-source back then and still is now. The question is how has that affected your use of it? The real deal-breaker and reason to abandon Ledger is their upcoming Ledger Recover feature. I agree with that.

The data breaches were related to customers who purchased their devices directly from ledger and all the breach revealed was their shipping addresses, so it wasn't such a big deal.

If you were actively using online stores for the last 10 years, your address is being included in hacked databases sold on deep web anyway.

But it's not. With the whole obscurity about how they encryp your seedphrase to be able to recover your private keys should you get a new ledger device, it's best to go for the better, more transparent alternatives.

This is also not the first time ledger wallet has come under scrutiny, there have bee data breaches in the past that exposed its users to personalized scams. They also did not reveal the hack early enough but waited about a month before reporting on the hack, not giving their users a heads up to change their personal details on other platforms.

According to what I found out about Passport, it is regarded as open source, even by some members on this forum.

Why do you think that cryptocurrencies have no future in this scenario?

The source for everything to do with a Passport is viewable on their GitHub.

The physical Passport assembly can viewed here: https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport-assembly
The hardware for the three boards within a Passport can be viewed here: https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport-electronics
And finally the firmware: https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport-firmware

For Passport Version 2, the physical and hardware files are here: https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport2-hardware
And the firmware is here: https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/passport2

The companion app Envoy is here: https://github.com/Foundation-Devices/envoy

~snip

There is nothing wrong with your post except most people aren't interested in assembling their own devices. And they shouldn't have to do that to interact with cryptocurrencies. If that becomes a norm, then we can call it a day. Crypto has no future in that scenario.   

I am not a programming, but I will like someone that knows about it like o_e_l_e_o to comment about it here. But if everything I have found out about the wallet is true, the secure element should be open source.

Secure Elements are generally closed-source, in Ledger and elsewhere. Even Passport I think is using a closed-source SE, the same one used by other brands like Coldcard.

Open Source

The best security is through openness, not secrecy. Passport is proudly open source – all software, electrical, and mechanical components are open and auditable. There is no hidden code or restricted information. You can even build a Passport yourself, from scratch!

Our hardware is open sourced via CERN’s Open Hardware License and our firmware via GPL. This means that Passport meets the legal definition for open source hardware. You can view the electronics here and firmware here. Mechanical designs will be posted soon.

I've been using a Ledger Nano for years but not being open source is a deal breaker for me.

...the secure element in all their wallets are all close source.

A HW device can remain safe if it is not assembled / created by the hands of such companies as Ledger or Trezor. I am inclined to believe that sooner or later any manufacturer of hardware wallets may come under pressure from states, and even ideological companies (supporters of the ideas of the cryptocommunity) will be forced to surrender. Therefore, I believe that the safest HW wallet will be the device that you assemble with your own hands. The BTC-community needs to look in this direction and develop such an opportunity, when even an ordinary user without special technical skills can assemble such a device as a designer. Assembled the physical part, installed the firmware, connected it to electrum and use it.

Decentralized hardware wallets must also be decentralized, otherwise all this decentralization becomes meaningless. Bitcoin in your wallet should not depend on HW manufacturers anyone.

I don't think they are. If Ledger is good at one thing, that's marketing and advertising their products and services. They did a lousy job with the PR for Ledger Recover the first time. I think they will hang back, gather their thoughts, and try again once the storm passes.

We are forgetting that many ideas shared by members of this forum is not what the regular crypto user thinks. The average person isn't going to run their own node, stay clear of centralized exchanges, never submit KYC, or worry too much about privacy-invasive software and services. I don't think they will see the dangers in sharing their seeds with multiple online partners either if you package it and sell it to them in a nice wrapping.

Ledger will probably lose a percentage of their current userbase because people have found out their hardware wallets aren't as safe as they trusted Ledger they would be. In the long run, they might make up for it with new users, like the millions of mothers  looking to purchase hardware wallets where there is a system in place to correct their mistakes.   

I'd steer clear from any Ledger products, and choose an open source alternative instead. Who knows if the company's days are numbered? Just my thoughts

The real deal-breaker isn't whether wallet is open-source or not (at least for me) but the clear vision of the company that builds that wallet. Ledger is a company with very cynical attitude towards their own customers and they are very money-oriented instead of being a privacy-oriented company.
At some point, the same applies to Trezor. While they are open-source, it doesn't mean their wallet is secure because their devices suffer from unfixable seed extraction vulnerabilities and at the same time, the problem lies within company too. This company is very pro-government, has partnered with Wasabi and Blockchain Analysis companies.

...

Ledger is sacrificing the privacy of all users with updates that no one really needs.
A clear vision and mission for open-source wallets will be a sign of how they will be in the future.

As for the vulnerability of their devices, it can probably still be fixed with some further development.

The Ledger cannot be compromised if, after the update, you did not click "YES" when the question appeared there - "Whether to add a recovery function".
If you clicked NO, then the Ledger remains in the previous state. Without the possibility of remote recovery by other people.

I understand the solution you are suggesting. But how and how can we assemble a hardware wallet for ourselves? How is it that an ordinary person like me, who knows nothing about hardware engineering or basic assembly techniques, can do it on my own?

Certainly, the government will not stop with Ledger, they will continue to attack other hardware wallet companies is inevitable. I understand the solution you are suggesting. But how and how can we assemble a hardware wallet for ourselves? How is it that an ordinary person like me, who knows nothing about hardware engineering or basic assembly techniques, can do it on my own?

I am also struggling to find another solution because I know that it is only a matter of time before hardware wallets are controlled by the government. I am also considering using a separate computer or smartphone with the Electrum wallet installed and dedicated to storage only. I don't know if it is more secure than a hardware wallet?

It’s better to hold the bitcoin in the cold storage as compared to the normal wallet.From 2016,huge bitcoin wallet was hacked by many people.Even some of my friends had loss some bitcoin.One of my friend had lost his 9 Bitcoin,which he received from his uncle as the birthday gift.It’s good enough to gift some bitcoin to your younger people.It will bring the young people to bitcoin at the earliest period is good one.After the decade,the young people of our generation will have a use of bitcoin.So it’s better one to allow the young people to know more about cryptocurrency and specially bitcoin into life settlement.

A HW device can remain safe if it is not assembled / created by the hands of such companies as Ledger or Trezor. I am inclined to believe that sooner or later any manufacturer of hardware wallets may come under pressure from states, and even ideological companies (supporters of the ideas of the cryptocommunity) will be forced to surrender. Therefore, I believe that the safest HW wallet will be the device that you assemble with your own hands. The BTC-community needs to look in this direction and develop such an opportunity, when even an ordinary user without special technical skills can assemble such a device as a designer. Assembled the physical part, installed the firmware, connected it to electrum and use it.

Decentralized hardware wallets must also be decentralized, otherwise all this decentralization becomes meaningless. Bitcoin in your wallet should not depend on HW manufacturers anyone.

After all, I think we’ll all reach one conclusion: the best storage is cold storage by using older hardware (eg. an old laptop). Keep that thing offline and use Electrum, there’s nothing else you’ll ever need, man.

I’m so tired and sick of their BS. All these companies are obviously targets and some of them will kneel to the government. Just.. DIY a great cold storage and roll with it.

Does anyone know of any good hardware wallets that are open source? I've been using a Ledger Nano for years but not being open source is a deal breaker for me. With the Ledger Recover feature meant to help restore people's private keys/seeds by complying with KYC, the hardware wallet could be compromised as we know it. If it's not open source, it cannot be trusted.

Any suggestions and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

That's the bad part of using Ledger Nano they don't have open-source code for their hardware wallets and we do not know what's behind the program of their device.

Why not use Trezor instead which is open-source I do not know if it's the best one but Trezor is already a popular wallet that supports multiple cryptocurrencies.

Or if you just want to store Bitcoin only then a Cold card might be optional.

The real deal-breaker isn't whether wallet is open-source or not (at least for me) but the clear vision of the company that builds that wallet. Ledger is a company with very cynical attitude towards their own customers and they are very money-oriented instead of being a privacy-oriented company.

At some point, the same applies to Trezor. While they are open-source, it doesn't mean their wallet is secure because their devices suffer from unfixable seed extraction vulnerabilities and at the same time, the problem lies within company too. This company is very pro-government, has partnered with Wasabi and Blockchain Analysis companies.

There are a few excellent open source hardware wallets available for securing your Bitcoin (BTC) holdings. One popular choice is the Trezor Model T, which features a color touchscreen and supports multiple cryptocurrencies. It is praised for its user-friendly interface and robust security measures. Another notable option is the Ledger Nano S, known for its compact design and affordability. It offers a wide range of coin support and has a strong reputation in the crypto community. Both wallets prioritize open source principles, allowing users to review and verify their software's security. Ultimately, the choice between these two wallets depends on your specific preferences and requirements.

Does anyone know of any good hardware wallets that are open source? I've been using a Ledger Nano for years but not being open source is a deal breaker for me. With the Ledger Recover feature meant to help restore people's private keys/seeds by complying with KYC, the hardware wallet could be compromised as we know it. If it's not open source, it cannot be trusted.

Any suggestions and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

As I said, the vulnerability is unfixable. It still exists and will always exist on these devices. Coldcard is certainly airgapped, but it is not open source as Pmalek points out and the company behind it spread lies about competitors for their own gain. I personally wouldn't use it.

If I had to buy a hardware wallet right now, I would buy a Passport. But I'd much rather continue to use a separate airgapped, encrypted device, running a FOSS OS and wallet.

It can be said that what Ledger did has disappointed many people. But we need to realize one thing, all these hardware wallet companies are in business, and they are regulated by the government. If the government cannot control the bitcoin network, then of course, they will target exchanges, hardware wallet companies, or all the companies that provide bitcoin related services to control bitcoin indirectly. I also fear that other hardware wallet companies like Trezor will be unable to avoid government pursuit. They won't stop until they reach their goal. So I have more worries in the future, we should find another solution instead of like before, always thinking that hardware wallet is the safest.

I think Ledger sold itself to the government. They were pushed to comply with KYC through their own little service. But the community is not stupid. Most hardcore crypto users will now abandon Ledger products because of this. It's a pity because I've thought the company stood for crypto's original values. With open source hardware wallets, you don't need to trust the company other than to verify the code if everything is secure. Who knows if these alternatives ultimately beat Ledger in the long run?

Pretty cool. I like the fact that the Jade wallet is a lot cheaper than the Ledger Nano X. But your solution seems to be even better using an esp32card. I wonder if this will work on smartphones (Android) or only on PC? I'm usually mobile, so I'd prefer something I could use to pay with BTC wherever I go. With this, who needs Ledger anymore?

I can advise you to seriously consider Blockstream's Jade hardware wallet as it has all the code clearly visible on Github and a very low cost of around $70 or so.  And that's not all, you can also compile this wallet on an esp32 card such as the lygo or stick c plus and reduce costs to just a few tens of dollars.  Furthermore, I had already talked about this choice in the thread opened a few weeks ago. 
https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.62169741

While if you ask me which is the best software, my choice falls on Electrum.

Some are using trezor and they say it is open source and cheaper than Ledger. In my opinion, I don't think anything is 100% secure, and Ledger is an example. We trusted them for years until they announced their damn service. The best way is that you divide your assets into parts and store them in different wallets, I think only then will our assets be more secure.

Does anyone know of any good hardware wallets that are open source? I've been using a Ledger Nano for years but not being open source is a deal breaker for me. With the Ledger Recover feature meant to help restore people's private keys/seeds by complying with KYC, the hardware wallet could be compromised as we know it. If it's not open source, it cannot be trusted.

I like this method, and I am planning it too, prepare an old pc and install linux os, combine it with Electrum, and keep them always offline. I think it is more secure than any hardware wallet on the market because they are all manufactured by companies, and these companies cannot resist government control. Bad things have happened to Ledger, and if the government doesn't want to stop it, other hardware companies will be next.

After all, I think we’ll all reach one conclusion: the best storage is cold storage by using older hardware (eg. an old laptop). Keep that thing offline and use Electrum, there’s nothing else you’ll ever need, man.

I’m so tired and sick of their BS. All these companies are obviously targets and some of them will kneel to the government. Just.. DIY a great cold storage and roll with it.

I'm torn between this and Trezor. I am using their blockstream green wallet software and also saw their other product which is the hardware wallet. But I think, there's more confidence in the usage of Trezor as it's the other hardware wallet that's next or now over than the Ledger hardware wallets.

Yeah, it's an open source and one of the best wallets but it's not a hardware wallet.

Since it's a software wallet, you can risk losing your BTC if the hacker gets access to your device. With a hardware wallet, they'd need to get physical access to the wallet and enter a PIN to steal all of your coins. Electrum allows you to create a cold storage wallet, but I'd certainly won't be using that to make day-to-day payments with BTC. That's why I prefer hardware wallets, even though some are expensive.

Some are using trezor and they say it is open source and cheaper than Ledger. In my opinion, I don't think anything is 100% secure, and Ledger is an example. We trusted them for years until they announced their damn service. The best way is that you divide your assets into parts and store them in different wallets, I think only then will our assets be more secure.

Ledger is a good hardware wallet. 

I can advise you to seriously consider Blockstream's Jade hardware wallet as it has all the code clearly visible on Github and a very low cost of around $70 or so. 

While if you ask me which is the best software, my choice falls on Electrum.

Who need a closed source hardware wallet?

I can use an open source non custodial wallet like Electrum wallet, and set up a multisig wallet with Electrum or a cold wallet with Electrum. It is safer than using a closed source hardware wallet.

Does anyone know of any good hardware wallets that are open source?

As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, there are several open-source hardware wallets available for storing Bitcoin (BTC). However, it's important to note that the landscape of hardware wallets can change over time, so it's recommended to conduct your own research and verify the latest information before making a decision.

One popular open-source hardware wallet for Bitcoin is the Trezor Model T. Trezor is a well-established brand known for its security features and user-friendly interface. The Trezor Model T supports multiple cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, and offers features like a touch screen, passphrase encryption, and a secure recovery process.

Another option is the Coldcard Wallet, developed by Coinkite. It is designed specifically for Bitcoin and offers advanced security features such as multi-signature support, hardware-based entropy, and air-gapped signing. The Coldcard Wallet is open source, and its firmware is available on GitHub, allowing the community to verify and audit the code.

While these are popular choices, it's essential to consider your own requirements, security preferences, and any additional features you may need before selecting a hardware wallet. Additionally, it's always a good practice to check for the latest information and reviews to ensure you make an informed decision based on the most up-to-date knowledge available.

They are losing customers. Closed source, and their Ledger Recovery Service broke basics of a good wallet.

You are speaking fact here but do you know that the Electrum wallet stays online most times because you are running on your smartphone with a 24/7 internet connection?

You are speaking fact here but do you know that the Electrum wallet stays online most times because you are running on your smartphone with a 24/7 internet connection? This is where hardware wallets beat got wallets, staying offline is what hardware is good at and this makes them the best type of crypto wallet, but Electrum as a open source wallet is better than hardware wallets that are closed source, your point is valid.

Who need a closed source hardware wallet?

I can use an open source non custodial wallet like Electrum wallet, and set up a multisig wallet with Electrum or a cold wallet with Electrum. It is safer than using a closed source hardware wallet.

They are losing customers. Closed source, and their Ledger Recovery Service broke basics of a good wallet.

The hardware wallet is closed source (AFAIK) so there's no way to know how your keys are stored/encrypted on the device. I really hope open source alternatives win for the good of the crypto/Blockchain industry.

Who knows if Ledger is bound to die soon? Just my opinion

You can see the list of open source hardware wallet here: Open source hardware wallet

I will recommend passport.

Some people also recommend Keystone.

I would have recommended Trezor but the recent coinjoin with the help of Wasabi makes coinjoin to be censored and no privacy anymore as the transactions are monitored by Chainanlysis.

As for Ledger Nano wallet, it has been on of the worst wallets that I can not recommend anyone. I do not recommend the wallet before because they were careless with customers data and also the secure element in all their wallets are all close source.

Ledger is a good hardware wallet.

Does anyone know of any good hardware wallets that are open source? I've been using a Ledger Nano for years but not being open source is a deal breaker for me. With the Ledger Recover feature meant to help restore people's private keys/seeds by complying with KYC, the hardware wallet could be compromised as we know it. If it's not open source, it cannot be trusted.

Any suggestions and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Well, in search of the best hardware wallet to use since ledger has broken their users trust, try using either a desktop or mobile Electrum wallet for the main time and move all your funds from that of ledger to your newly acquired Bitcoin wallet. Before it becomes too late, when the ledge is either hit with a security bridge or any funny news from the SEC,