Crypto hardware wallet comparison KeepKey vs Keystone 3 Pro
Our impressions
KeepKey
Keystone 3 Pro
- Has a great community and (d)app ecosystem
- Supports 3 concurrent seed phrases
- Convenient user experience with the huge touchscreen
- Completely autonomous device with long lasting battery lifetime (should be at least 100+ hours in sleep mode when using the device a couple times per day, 18+ months when turned off)
- Easy process for online Device Verification
- Outdated microUSB port
- Needs constant USB connection
- The airgapped QR code paradigm requires a camera on the paired device for certain interactions
- We love their dedication to open source “EVERY SINGLE LINE” of code they write, including their hardware designs. As long as they do not deliver on their promise, it sadly still is a closed source product.
The product has a nice build quality and finish, a solid (d)app ecosystem, and a great community. The product launched in 2015 and it shows its age, compared to newer hardware wallet products. Most notably it has no secure element, a microUSB port, and limits itself to a single button for on-device input.
That being said, we would still prefer it over any software wallet, though.
The Keystone 3 Pro is a device that we can see in a “broad adoption of everyday Crypto financial transactions” scenario. It is a fully air-gapped, autonomous device that has great battery life with an easy to use interface on a convenient 4-inch touchscreen. We would add it to our everyday carry in an instant, in a world where QR code based Crypto payments are available at every shop and venue.
Disclaimer: Our impressions are based on a compilation of factors tailored to the average user’s perspective. It is also important to note that whether a feature is a “pro” or “con” can depend on your situation and preferences. What may be an advantage in one scenario could be a challenge in another, and vice versa. Therefore, while reviewing these points, it’s essential to consider your unique requirements and circumstances when making decisions. This list aims to provide an idea of what to anticipate, but it is not the ultimate guide to determining whether something will work for you or not.
Key features
KeepKey
Keystone 3 Pro
2015
2023
Supports multiple coins
Supports 7.000+ assets on 340+ blockchains
Supports multiple coins
5000+ Coins Supported (Bitcoin & EVM chains)
Bitcoin-only Firmware is supposedly in the works, with an estimated release date some time before the next Bitcoin halving
Source: Comment on reddit.com
- Firmware
- Companion software
- Planned
The Keystone team is working on also open sourcing “EVERY SINGLE LINE of code we’ve written”, including their hardware design, with an announced release date in November 2023. The announcement is worded in a way that it leaves some room of what we really can expect to be released and if they can meet their own release date.
Source: Official blog post concerning Open Source
As the focus of the Keystone 3 series is on 3rd party app compatibility the previous companion software will be faded out in the future.
Source: second hand user comment on reddit.com
- BIP-39 (Mnemonic phrase)
- Passphrase
- BIP-39 (Mnemonic phrase)
- SLIP-39 (Shamir backup)
- Passphrase
- Multiple seedphrases on one device
- On device PIN entry
after 3 wrong PIN entries an increasing timeout is applied for each wrong PIN (we stopped testing at 256 seconds around wrong PIN #8 or so)
- Secure element
- On device PIN entry
- Factory reset with wrong PIN
- On device passphrase entry
- On device recovery
- Fingerprint sensor
- Air-gapped QR code
Triple Secure Element Chips
USB & MicroSD Card Firmware Upgrading
PCI Anti-tamper Feature
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- Android
on Linux make sure to add udev rules
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- Android
- iOS
- ChromeOS
can be used in conjunction with the companion app to store TOTP secrets and generate codes for TOTP based 2FA
Technical specifications
KeepKey
Keystone 3 Pro
94 mm x 38.4 mm x 12.2 mm
3.7 in x 1.51 in x 0.48 in
62.44 mm x 103.9 mm x 12.08 mm
2.46 in x 4.09 in x 0.48 in
52 g
1.83 oz
103 g
3.63 oz
- Monochrome
- OLED
256×64 pixels
- Color
- Touchscreen
4-Inch LCD TFT Touchscreen
480 x 800 pixels
- micro USB
- USB-C (limited to charging and firmware updates)
- Bluetooth
- microSD card
n/a
PCI security standards
Black plastics and Anodized Aluminum
Black plastics (PC + ABS)