KeepKey

KeepKey is a USB hardware wallet with a 256 x 64 OLED screen, an aluminum enclosure and no secure element, a choice its maker presents as deliberate. It launched in 2015 and is still sold: KeepKey’s store listed it at $59.95 in the Classic finish, with free US shipping, on 14 October 2026. The footer of keepkey.com names KeepKey LLC, and the homepage lists Denver, Colorado under shipping. Kraken’s security researchers count KeepKey among the derivatives of the Trezor Model One.

Who is KeepKey for?

It fits someone who wants the firmware and the hardware design open to inspection: KeepKey’s product page says the device OS, firmware “AND hardware schematics” are on GitHub, built from parts anyone can source. It also suits people who hold coins on several chains and want swaps inside the companion app; the homepage advertises “THORChain swaps built-in”.

It is a weaker fit if you want:

• a secure element: KeepKey lists “None (by design)”;
• SLIP39 or Shamir backups: we found no KeepKey statement of support;
• a Bitcoin-only edition: we found none;
• no cable: it connects and draws power only over USB.

What is the KeepKey screen like?

KeepKey lists a “256×64 SSD1322 OLED Display” for on-device transaction checks, but not its size in inches, and it publishes no dimensions or weight. The device has no battery: KeepKey’s hardware overview (January 2026) says it is USB-powered only, so it is off when unplugged.

Two input details differ from many wallets:

• PIN: KeepKey’s PIN guide (April 2025) says the device shows a randomized 3 x 3 grid while KeepKey Desktop shows a blank grid in the same layout, so you click positions rather than type digits.
• Wrong PINs: KeepKey’s pages disagree. The FAQ says “Wrong PINs never wipe your KeepKey” and that the wait grows after each failed try; the PIN guide says the device wipes itself after too many wrong entries.

The companion apps are KeepKey Desktop for macOS, Windows and Linux, a browser extension and a mobile app.

Is KeepKey safe without a secure element?

KeepKey argues it is. The product page lists an industry-standard microcontroller with a “Public datasheet, no NDA required” and says “Security through transparency, not obscurity.” The hardware overview adds that secure elements “Can’t be independently audited” and require trusting the chip vendor.

The trade-off is a documented record of physical attacks:

• December 2019. Kraken Security Labs showed that voltage glitching extracts the encrypted seed with about 15 minutes of physical access, after which the PIN is “trivial to brute force”. Kraken said a fix was difficult “without a hardware redesign” and recommended a BIP39 passphrase, which is not stored on the device. A second Kraken post said the underlying chip weakness cannot be reliably mitigated in firmware.
• July 2021. Researcher Christian Reitter published a fault-injection attack needing invasive physical access that bypassed trusted boot protections in firmware 6.1.x to 7.1.4 with bootloader 2.0.0. He names 7.1.7 as the first correctly patched version and says ShapeShift, then the vendor, patched it and paid a bug bounty.

Whether the 2019 findings apply to units sold today is unclear. Kraken’s January 2020 Trezor report identified KeepKey as using the STM32F205, the chip the hardware overview still names, while the product page lists an STM32F405. We found no KeepKey statement on board revisions.

Is KeepKey open source?

Yes, including hardware. Besides the firmware and schematics, the firmware releases on GitHub carry build steps and an expected hash so anyone can check a release against the source. Version 7.14.1, published on 5 June 2026, is signed by three of five firmware keys, according to its release notes.

How do KeepKey backup and recovery work?

KeepKey uses a BIP39 recovery phrase of 12 or 24 words. The FAQ says you can “Recover on a new KeepKey (or any BIP39-compatible wallet)”, and that on a KeepKey you enter the words with a scrambled keyboard on the device’s screen. If the device is lost, the FAQ notes, “Your funds are on the blockchain, not the device.”

A BIP39 passphrase is supported; the product page describes it as “Hidden wallets for plausible deniability”. Kraken’s first report says the passphrase is not stored on the device, so its extraction attack does not reveal it. Losing it means losing the funds behind it. See our seed phrase guide.

For multisig, the FAQ answers “Yes”, and an April 2025 KeepKey guide walks through a 2-of-2 Bitcoin wallet with Electrum.

Which coins does KeepKey support?

The homepage advertises “11 native chains + all EVM tokens”, naming Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and THORChain among them; we have not counted the list. The firmware 7.14.0 release notes (April 2026) add Solana, Tron, TON and Zcash.

How much is a KeepKey?

KeepKey’s store listed it at $59.95 on 14 October 2026, with Red, Green, Gold and Silver finishes also offered; we did not check taxes or shipping outside the US. On the same date Trezor’s Safe 3 product page listed the Trezor Safe 3, which has a secure element, at $59. For more options, see the wallet database and our methodology.

What we could not verify

• Microcontroller in current units. KeepKey’s own pages name two different chips, so we cannot say which units the 2019 attacks affect.
• Wrong-PIN behavior. The FAQ and the PIN guide give opposite answers on whether repeated wrong PINs wipe the device.
• Display. The hardware overview names an SSD1306 OLED, the product page an SSD1322; screen size is not published.
• Size and weight. KeepKey does not publish them.
• Country of manufacture. Not found.
• SLIP39 and a Bitcoin-only edition. Neither found.