BitBox
Switzerland
Open Source
BitBox is a Swiss hardware wallet made by Shift Crypto AG in Zurich. The company was founded in 2015, the BitBox02 followed in 2019, and its successor BitBox02 Nova is available in...
European Crypto Hardware Wallets
Ledger
France
EU
Ledger is a French company headquartered in Paris that builds hardware wallets for storing crypto assets offline. It started in 2014 and says it has sold more than 7 million devices to...
Tangem
Switzerland
Tangem is a Swiss company headquartered in Zug that builds hardware wallets in the form of NFC cards. It was founded in 2018 and launched what it calls the world's first NFC...
Trezor
Czechia
EU
Open Source
Trezor is a hardware wallet brand made by SatoshiLabs, a technology company based in Prague. Trezor states that it created the world's first hardware crypto wallet, the Trezor Model One, and describes...
Did we miss one? Feel free to submit a suggestion!
Submit SuggestionA hardware wallet is a small device that stores the private keys of crypto assets offline and signs transactions inside the device. Because the keys never leave the device, a hacked computer or phone cannot simply copy them. The European hardware wallets below are made by companies headquartered in France, the Czech Republic and Switzerland. They are the usual next step for people who hold crypto for longer than a trading session, for example after buying on one of the European crypto exchanges.
Hardware wallets compared
| Wallet | Headquarters | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Ledger | Paris, France | More than 7 million devices sold, Secure Element with proprietary operating system, models Nano, Flex and Stax |
| Trezor | Prague, Czech Republic | Pioneer of hardware wallets, open source hardware and firmware, Safe 5 and Safe 7 |
| BitBox | Zurich, Switzerland | Swiss-made, open source firmware, Multi and Bitcoin-only editions, microSD backup |
| Tangem | Zug, Switzerland | NFC cards instead of a device with a screen, backup through additional cards, EAL6+ chip |
Which wallet fits which user
- Many different coins and apps: Ledger supports a very wide list of assets.
- Verifiable code: Trezor and BitBox publish their firmware, so independent experts can check it.
- Bitcoin only: BitBox sells a Bitcoin-only edition with a smaller attack surface.
- Simple handling without a seed phrase: Tangem uses cards that are tapped on the phone and backed up with extra cards.
What to check before buying
- Where to buy: Buy from the manufacturer or an authorised reseller only, because tampered devices from unofficial sellers are a known risk.
- Recovery: The recovery phrase or backup cards are the only way back to the funds. Store them offline and never type them on a computer.
- Open or closed: Open source code can be audited by anyone, closed secure elements rely on trust in the manufacturer and on certifications.
- Supported assets: Check that the coins and tokens you hold are supported before buying.
What Europe does not offer
All listed wallets are non-custodial. That means no manufacturer can recover a lost recovery phrase, and there is no bank-style protection for the funds. The makers also differ on an important point: the operating system of Ledger's secure element is proprietary, while Trezor and BitBox publish their firmware. Crypto assets are volatile, and a hardware wallet protects against theft of the keys, not against price losses.