One of the most important aspects of investing in cryptocurrency is keeping the assets secure. To this effect, using the best cold storage wallets tend to be the safest route. By holding assets offline, the threat of digital attack is all but nullified, greatly improving overall security.
Throughout this guide, we’ll be taking a look at the best cold wallets for crypto, discussing what a cold wallet is and how they work, as well as taking a look at some of the benefits cold storage offers. Let’s dive in.
The 10 Best Crypto Cold Wallets Ranked
In order to make sure our readers stay secure during these unpredictable times, we’ve compiled this list of the best crypto cold wallets and included a review of each slightly further down the page.
- Ledger Nano X – Overall Best Cold Storage Wallet
- Trezor – Well-Known Manufacturer of Hardware Wallets
- Atomic Wallet – Software-Based Cold Storage Wallet
- Keepkey – Cheap Cold Storage Crypto Wallet
- Ledger Nano S – Budget Offering from Ledger
- SafePal S1 – Hardware Wallet with Investment from Binance
- Armory – Offline Free Bitcoin Wallet
- Wallet Generator – Leading Paper Wallet Creation Tool
- Coldcard – Credit-Card Style Lightweight Hardware Wallet
- Bitbox – Swiss-Made Hardware Wallet
Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.
Top 10 Best Cold Storage Crypto Wallets Reviewed
To make selecting the best cold storage wallet easier, we’ve reviewed 10 of the top crypto wallets that are currently available.
1. Ledger Nano X – Overall Best Cold Storage Wallet
Ledger is likely the most famous manufacturer of hardware wallets on the planet. The company is trusted by large companies as well as thousands of retail investors around the globe. The Ledger Nano X is the company’s flagship hardware wallet and is up there with the best crypto cold wallets.
One drawback to the Nano X is the price. The wallet will set a budding investor back $149, not insignificant but ultimately a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of protection offered. The process of setting up a Nano X is mostly straightforward, although it can definitely be slightly confusing for new users. The device is secured with a series of 24 random words and a pin set by the device owner. This means that even if a bad actor were to gain access to the physical ledger device, they would still need either the 6-character pin or the recovery phrase to take control of any funds.
The Nano X can store over 5,500 different tokens and has enough storage space to hold up to 100 different assets simultaneously. For investors that might need to buy or sell assets at a moment’s notice, the Ledger Live app (comes with every Ledger device) comes complete with an in-built exchange and swapping capabilities. While the fees on the exchange are a little high (as third parties power the exchange, the convenience it offers is wonderful. It’s not the most efficient place to buy and sell frequently but when the times call for a quick purchase it does come in clutch.
Overall, the Ledger Nano X is the best cold storage wallet on the market. It’s simple to use, stylish, from a trusted company, and more importantly extremely secure. It’s a great piece of kit and a must-have for any security-conscious investor. With that said, there are a few phishing sites designed to imitate Ledger, so it’s imperative to only buy the device from the official Ledger website.
For a more detailed analysis, be sure to read our Ledger Nano X review.
Pros
- Extremely secure
- Great company
- Trusted by thousands
- Support for most major tokens
- In-built exchange
- Ledger Live
Cons
- Slightly pricey
- Exchange fees a tad high
Price | Top Features | In-built Exchange? | Our Rating (0 to 5) |
$149 | Market-leading security
Ledger Live Store up to 100 assets |
Yes | 5/5 |
Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.
2. Trezor – Well-Known Manufacturer of Hardware Wallets
Coming in at a close second is the Trezor cold wallet. This company is the main competitor to Ledger and provides hardware wallets of a similar caliber to the big name brand. Trezor was actually launched prior to Ledger in 2013 but the company has done well to maintain a spotless track record.
The company offers two devices, the Trezor One and the Model T. Both wallets are similar but there are a few key differences to be aware of. Firstly, the Trezor One lacks support for a few big cryptos including ADA, XRP, XMR, EOS, and XTZ. However, the Model T does support the aforementioned assets so it’s always worth an investor considering what cryptos they plan to store before making a purchase. Furthermore, the Model T offers expandable storage whereas the One does not, meaning the Model T can store a greater number of assets than its little brother.
Both the Model T and the One are extremely secure devices that follow similar security principles to Ledger. In order to access funds, the physical device must be present and even still requires a pin to get into the device. At $74.99 and $299,99 respectively, both the cheaper and premium options are more expensive than Ledger’s comparative offerings.
Both the Trezor One and Model T are respectable wallets that offer a phenomenal level of security. While the premium model is a touch on the pricey side, its expandable storage, and touchscreen help to justify the additional cost. While Ledger does slightly better in terms of user experience, both companies make the best crypto cold wallets and are worth considering.
Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.
Pros
- Very secure
- Expandable storage (Model T only)
- Easy setup
- The original hardware wallet
Cons
- More costly than a Ledger
Price | Top Features | In-built Exchange? | Our Rating (0 to 5) |
$75-$300 | Trezor Suite
Simple setup market-leading security |
Yes | 4.5/5 |
Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.
3. Atomic Wallet – Software-Based Cold Storage Wallet
Atomic Wallet is completely free and trusted by over 4 million users around the world. While it might not offer the same level of security as a Ledger or Trezor cold wallet, it’s a solid choice for any investor that isn’t a fan of needing a physical device to access their funds.
Atomic Wallet is software-based and available on a multitude of platforms including Android, IOS, and Windows. The wallet is decentralized and non-custodial, meaning investors have complete control and ownership of their assets. Considering how many platforms are suspending withdrawals at the moment, having total ownership of funds is a big bonus.
For investors looking to create a well-diversified portfolio, Atomic Wallet is great. It supports thousands of cryptocurrencies including XRP and ADA, check out our XRP price prediction Furthermore, Atomic also offers an in-built crypto exchange that makes buying and selling a breeze. Fees on the exchange are a little high (a common theme with wallet exchanges) but investors can earn up to 1% cashback on their purchases which is a nice bonus.
Overall, Atomic Wallet is a well-designed and secure wallet. It might not have as good tech as devices like a Trezor or Ledger cold wallet but with zero upfront costs, it’s a worthy addition to our list of the best cold wallets for crypto.
Pros
- Free
- Decemtrazied
- In-built exchange
- Easy-to-use
- Cashback
Cons
- Less secure than a hardware wallet
- High exchange fees
Price | Top Features | In-built Exchange? | Our Rating (0 to 5) |
$0 | Non-custodial
Free Decentralized |
Yes | 4/5 |
Cryptoassets are a highly volatile unregulated investment product. No UK or EU investor protection.
4. Keepkey – Cheap Cold Storage Crypto Wallet
Not everybody has hundreds of dollars to spend on a bitcoin cold wallet. However, Keepkey from ShapeShift offers the same great hardware wallet protection for almost half the cost of the bigger names.
A KeepKey wallet costs just $49, making it much more accessible than some alternatives. However, this reduced cost does come at a price. The KeepKey wallet has support for less than 50 cryptocurrencies. While this shouldn’t be too much of an issue for most investors, it’s crucial to check ahead of time if it supports the assets you want to store.
KeepKey is a solid product from an established company. Additionally, as it’s part of the ShapeShift ecosystem, it features a powerful, integrated exchange that can be used for buying and selling a range of assets, perfect for investors looking for the best cryptocurrencies. It’s definitely a more budget option than the big-name cold wallet storage providers but for investors looking for a simple to use, cheaper alternative then it’s a worthy pick.
Pros
- Cheap
- In-built exchange
- Well-designed
Cons
- Doesn’t support many assets
Price | Top Features | In-built Exchange? | Our Rating (0 to 5) |
$49 | From a reputable company
Simple-to-use Excellent price to performance |
Yes | 4/5 |
5. Ledger Nano S – Budget Offering from Ledger
Not everyone needs the Bluetooth, larger display, and 100 asset storage offered by Ledger’s premium offering. For those investors, the Ledger Nano S could be perfect.
It’s important to note that while the Nano S is still available, Ledger has stopped producing the device and it’s being discontinued. It will be replaced with the Nano S Plus which has mostly the same features as the Nano X, although it does lack Bluetooth or a battery.
The budget cryptocurrency cold wallet comes equipped with most of the same security features as its more pricey counterpart but there are a few areas where the…
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