Click here to view the full spreadsheet on Google Docs (Includes colour coding and notes for why something might be maybe, etc, and also lets you see how overall score is calculated)
The table below will automatically resize depending on your screen width, you can view all the information for a given wallet by pressing the green circle next to its name.
Model | Overall Score | Price (USD) | Storage Capacity | Purchase Link (Some Affiliate) | Discount Code | Survivability | Features | Review Video | Fire-Resistant Material | Water Proof Materials | Corrosion Resistant | Extreme Fire Survivability | Extreme Crush Survivability | Tamper Evident Seal Possible | Lockable (With Standard Padlock) | Supports 24 Word Seed (Also supports 12 word seed) | No Extra Tools Required | Secure Disposal Method | Setup Difficulty | Re-Usability | Non Destructive Verification Possible | Provision for Additional Context/Information/Data | Support for Non-English BIP39 languages | Support for Custom Words (eg: General passwords, Passphrase) | Support for arbitrary word length & format (With included tools and parts) | Includes support for numbers, symbols, etc (With included tools and parts) | Supports unambigious use of both upper and lower case letters (With included tools and parts) | Review Details Last Updated (DD/MM/YYYY) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystone Tablet | 74 | $39.00 | One BIP39 Seed (Up to 24 Words) | https://bit.ly/3gOdITV | 86 | 50 | https://bit.ly/2VkWnbc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Disassemble | Easy | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | 22/01/2020 | |
| Crypto Steel Cassette | 74 | $120.00 | 123 Characters. (Enough for 12/24 Word BIP39 or 20 Word SLIP39 Seeds, Passphrases) | http://bit.ly/2Rn0v9t | Crypto_Guide_cryptosteel10 (10% off) | 86 | 50 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Disassemble | Medium | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | 22/01/2020 | |
| Crypto Steel Capsule | 88 | $80.00 | One BIP39 Seed (Up to 24 Words) | http://bit.ly/3azJZKB | Crypto_Guide_cryptosteel10 (10% off) | 100 | 64 | https://bit.ly/3EbmSGO | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Disassemble | Easy | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 22/01/2020 |
| ColdTi | 81 | $20.00 | One BIP39 Seed (Up to 24 Words) | https://amzn.to/3loF5Eo | 100 | 43 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Destroy | Difficult | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | 22/01/2020 | ||
| Paper/Card + Pencil | 24 | $0.00 | Unlimited | 0 | 71 | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 22/01/2020 | |||
| Keystone Tablet Punch | 81 | $24.00 | One BIP39 Seed (Up to 24 Words) | https://bit.ly/3cRHcPW | 100 | 43 | https://bit.ly/39rQm4x | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | 30/11/2020 | |
| Crypto Key Stack | 88 | $99 (Explorer, 3 cards) | Three BIP39 Seeds (Up to 24 Words) - Expandable with More Plates | https://bit.ly/37kG1oj | 100 | 64 | https://bit.ly/2JkXO6Y | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 30/11/2020 | |
| Cryptotag Zeus | 79 | $150 | One BIP39 Seed (Up to 24 Words) | https://bit.ly/3RGOtDJ | 100 | 36 | https://bit.ly/3k0iROw | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | 01/11/2021 | |
| Black Seed Ink | 90 | $27 (Single Plate) | One BIP39 Seed (Up to 24 Words) - Expandable with More Plates | https://bit.ly/3NQr4yM | 100 | 71 | https://bit.ly/3jSRaHz | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | 06/04/2022 | |
| Cryptotag Odin | 74 | $200 (Odin 3) | Three SLIP39 Shares (Up to 20 Words per Share) - Expandable with More Cores | https://bit.ly/3T0onwp | 100 | 21 | https://bit.ly/3S8njaI | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Not Applicable | No | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | 2022/10/04 | |
| Cryoseed | 81 | $75 | One BIP39 Seed (Up to 24 Words) | http://bit.ly/3YK20yz | 100 | 43 | http://bit.ly/3Iw8kUB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | 2023/02/15 | |
| HODLR | 79 | $150 | Varies, BIP39/SLIP39 Seed (Up to 24 Words) per HODLR Puck | https://bit.ly/3Yd5mec | 100 | 36 | https://youtu.be/xZpCl_mXQWs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | 2023/07/26 | |
| OneKey KeyTag | 76 | $59 | Two BIP39 Seeds (Up to 24 Words) | https://bit.ly/435QS25 | 100 | 29 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Destroy | Easy | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | 2024/03/07 |
Seed storage methods are limited to those that I have had hands-on experience with.
What do the columns mean and why does it matter?
The scores themselves are somewhat arbitrary, with each “feature” receiving basically an equal weighting in the scores for each category… (This may change in the future) Many of the categories are difficult to define in an absolute sense, so it is worth looking at the feature list for a given wallet to see which features are missing which would lead to a lower score. Don’t simply assume that a score that is 50% higher means a storage method is 50% better for ever type of user or usage…
Summary Scores
Overall Score: An average of the suitability, security and usability scores.
Seed Storage Capacity: Some devices come as a package that can store multiple seeds and get cheaper with each additional seed that is stored. (eg: Crypto Key Stack)
Survivability: The ability of the seed storage method to withstand damage from external elements and events.
Features: The overall score for the usability and security features that the seed storage method has which enable it to be used easily and reliability by an average user.
Survivability Features
Fire-Resistant Material: Whether the seed storage mechanism is made of a material that will survive a typical house/bush fire intact. (This will require something like stainless steel, titanium, etc, not just aluminium)
Water Proof Material: Whether the seed storage mechanism is made of a material that will not be damaged by water.
Corrosion Resistant: Whether the seed storage mechanism is made of a material that will not be damaged by corrosive water. (eg: Salt water, some cleaning chemicals)
Extreme Fire Survivability, Extreme Crush Survivability: Jameson Lopp has done some excellent tests for metal wallets. In these tests he subjects the metal seed storage methods to extreme tests, typically far beyond what you would find in a normal house fire or flood. He has done these tests annually and you can find the articles here, here and here.
Features
Tamper Evident Seal Possible: Does the seed storage method have a reliable way that a user can store it in a tamper evident way?
Lockable: Does the seed storage method provide a means to lock the device? (A padlock isn’t a substitute for storing in a tamper evident way, but can act as a minor deterrent)
Secure Disposal Method: How simply can a user dispose of the seed in such a way that someone who found it wouldn’t be able to recover any data from it? (Though I would always recommend keeping copies of old seeds… Far less risk of accidentally throwing out the wrong seed or having someone send funds to an address you no longer control… Whether you choose keep a physical copy or a digital copy of old seeds will depend on your needs around security, privacy, etc…)
Supports 24 Word Seed: Does the seed storage method supports users storing a full 24 word seed?
No Extra Tools Required: Does the seed storage method come with all the tools that you need to use it?
Setup Difficulty: How hard is it to correctly and reliably set up the seed storage method for the first time? (eg: Does the user need to be good at using a metal stamp, etc)
Re-usability: Can the user re-use the seed storage mechanism with a new seed if they so wish?
Non-Destructive Verification Possible: Is it possible for a user to verify the seed words in the storage mechanism without disturbing/moving them in such a way that an error/data loss may occur during this test?
Support for Custom Words: Does the storage mechanism easily and securely support storing arbitrary words, beyond the BIP39 word list? (eg: So that someone might use a separate one to store general passwords, a BIP39 passphrase, use Shamir’s Secret Sharing, etc)