Hardware wallets are physical devices to store cryptocurrencies. They contain private keys in an offline mode and can neither connect to the internet nor run complicated apps. Hence are considered safe from attacks.
Trezor and Ledger are the most popular hardware wallet manufacturers in the world. Ledger offers two models Ledger Nano S and Nano X. There are two models that Trezor offers are Trezor One and Trezor T.
These four wallets are the leading choice of users when it comes to the safety of their crypto assets. In this article, we will compare all the four models.
Table of Contents
Physical Appearance
| Category | Nano S | Nano X | Trezor One | Trezor T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 128 x 32 pixels | 128 x 64 pixels | 128×64 pixels. | 240×240 pixels. |
| Size | 56.95mm x17.4mm x 9.1mm | 72mm x 18.6mm x 11.75mm | 60mm x 30mm x 6mm | 64 mm x 39 mm x 10 mm |
| Weight | 16.2g | 34g | 46g | 96g |
The size of the screen is a very crucial aspect. The seed phrase, amount of coins you send and receive, public address, and other transaction details need to be verified correctly.
The larger the screen the better. Trezor T has the largest screen among all.
Trezor T is a touchscreen device. The Trezor One hardware wallet has an OLED screen, while the Trezor model T uses an LCD touch-screen. Both of the screens provide adequate space on the screen in order to display the images, warnings, transition details, or requests.
Ledger Nano S has a screen contrast of blue on a black background while Ledger Nano X cryptocurrency hardware wallet has white on black background.
Ledger uses brushed stainless steel and plastic. This makes the device more durable and portable. Ledger Nano S and X have a similar design. It is small and compact. It has a minimalistic interface.
Trezor uses reinforced plastic. In order to assemble the casing, ultrasonic welding is used.
Ledger Nano S wallet includes 2 buttons to navigate at the top of the device, whereas Nano X has two front-facing buttons that are positioned at both sides of the screen.
It is easier to operate due to it being similar to operating smartphones. For Ledger Nano X, if you long-press both the buttons you can directly go back to the home screen. While for Nano S you need to navigate to settings, then down to quit, and then double click to go back to the home screen.
Trezor One has two buttons. Hardware wallet Trezor T is a complete touchscreen device. It protects your passwords from keyloggers.
Trezor is heavier than Ledger.
Connectivity
Hardware wallets are offline devices and need to connect to an internet enabled device, such as Laptop, to complete the transactions. Only certain important transaction related data is transmitted from the wallet to the Laptop.
| Connection Type | Nano S | Nano X | Trezor One | Trezor T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB | Micro B | Type-C | Micro B | Type-C |
| Bluetooth | Not supported | Supported | Not supported | Not supported |
Ledger Nano X can connect to smartphones and tablets only using Bluetooth. It uses the Ledger Live mobile application. Bluetooth connection does give an attack surface but even if it is compromised the attacker won’t be able to get hold of the keys.
Battery
Trezor One, Trezor T, and Ledger Nano S do not require a battery. They draw power through a USB connection.
Ledger Nano X has a battery with a 100 mAh capacity. By connecting a USB cable to a PC or a laptop, you can charge the battery. It has a battery life of 8 hours when the device is in continuous use. Whereas, if kept idle, the battery life can extend up to around 3 months.
Compatibility with other devices
Trezor One and Trezor T hardware wallets are compatible both with computers and smartphones. It supports Windows 10, macOS 10.11 and higher, Linux and Android.
Ledger Nano S and Ledger Nano X are also compatible both with computers and smartphones. It supports Windows 8+, macOS 10.10+, Linux excluding ARM Processors, and Android 7+.
Additionally, Ledger Nano X is also compatible with iOS 9+ smartphones.
Other crypto wallets support
While talking about Ledger Live app, it is capable of managing 27 assets and ERC20 tokens from the mobile and desktop.
Ledger Nano S can only support Android devices, whereas on the other hand, Ledger Nano X is equipped with features that help it support both Android and iOS.
They are compatible with more than 50 applications.
Trezor has its proprietary application Trezor Wallet. It has an easy to use interface. You can manage your funds easily. It is also compatible with a lot of independent cryptocurrency wallets such as Electrum, Mycelium, Exodus, Wallet, and many others. It is compatible with four watch only wallets: bitWallet, ArcBit, Blockonomics, and Sentinel. You can also use certain third-party online services Bitex, Coinmap, Bitstamp, Cryptee, and more.
Though both Trezor and Ledger have their own native apps Ledger Live is comparatively fast, robust, and user-friendly.
Also Read: Best (SOL) Solana Wallets 2021: Which is better, Hardware or Software Wallet?
Cryptocurrency Support
Ledger wallets support 1000+ crypto assets. It supports all ERC20 tokens on the Ethereum network. The popular ones are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Polkadot, EOS, Litecoin, and many more.
Trezor wallets support 1631+ coins. It supports all ERC20 tokens on the Ethereum network.
The popular ones are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Tezos, Ripple, and many others.
Hardware
The ledger wallet possesses a very peculiar hardware architecture, comprising of an extremely secure Operating System BOLOS (Blockchain Open Ledger Operating System) along with certain specialized chips known as Secure Elements.
With the goal of utilizing the Secure Element’s distinctive security capabilities along with holding the capacity to manage the various peripheral devices, the Secure Element has a STM32 microcontroller (MCU).
It acts as a router between the peripherals and the Secure Element and notifies it when new data is about to be received. The Secure Element is behind the execution of all applications of the BOLOS environment.
The processor which is used by a Trezor is an ARM Cortex-M3 processor @ 120 MHz, with the software being custom. It has a micro SD card slot. Trezor Model T has only one chip or one micro-controller for generating and storing the private keys.
Security
Security is one of the main reasons, people buy Hardware wallets. .
In Trezor wallets, the password is entered via the keyboard of the connected device, which further makes it secure against potential attackers.
In Ledger Nano S, the password is linked to another PIN which is entered using the normal keys making it vulnerable to keyloggers.
However, in Ledger Nano X pin is entered using its touchscreen. Therefore when it comes to security while entering the pin Ledger Nano X is considered to be the safest.
Trezor wallets use a password manager. It works with Google Chrome. It supports MacOS, Windows, and Linux. You can install the Trezor Password Manager Chrome extension (TPM) and sign in with Google Drive or Dropbox. You can also connect your Trezor device by entering your PIN and then enable Password Manager on your Trezor device.
There are two ways by which the device could be prone to physical attacks.
- It could be compromised even before you receive it. Trezor uses tamper-evident seals to avoid that. They are sealed using industrial glue. If someone tries to tamper it and put it again, it will be evident. We will know that the wallet has been compromised. Ledger has a trusted computing base that uses cryptographic proofs. You can verify the integrity of the device by performing a quick check. It also prevents evil maid attacks.
2. The device can be stolen. It is protected by a pin. If there are three unsuccessful attempts, it will wipe off all the data. It will self destruct and will lock the user out. This works both for Ledger and Trezor.
Trezor and Ledger are protected from remote attacks. They cannot connect to the internet directly and when they are connected to an internet-enabled device.
Ledger Nano S uses secure element chip ST31H320 (secure) + STM32F042 whereas Nano X uses ST33J2M0 (secure) + STM32WB55.
Ledger Nano S and Nano X have certification level CC EAL5+.
Trezor wallet One and Trezor model T wallet have certification levels CE and RoHS.
Easy of Use
The cryptocurrency hardware wallet Trezor One has better ease of use compared to Ledger Nano S. This is because it has a better display and is larger. This makes authorizing all the transaction details such as amount send, received public address, and many other comparatively easier.
Trezor T has better ease of use compared to Ledger Nano X because it has a color touchscreen device and is larger in size. It is easier to enter all information using a touchscreen compared to using only two buttons.
Open-source
Ledger
The Ledger wallets run their own proprietary operating system BOLOS. This means that you cannot see what the underlying code and the firmware that it runs on is. However, the specifications are completely open and detailed. All the cryptographic operations are deterministic. It will allow you to have the necessary information.
Trezor
The Trezor wallets have open-source firmware and software. Using an open source has both advantages and disadvantages. The problems can be identified easily but it comes with an attached security risk.
You can learn more about Trezor on its GitHub.
Pricing
| Company | Model Name | Price (USD) | Price( EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ledger | Ledger Nano S | 71.92 | 60.62 |
| Ledger | Ledger Nano X | 145.06 | 122.28 |
| Ledger Family Pack | Three Ledger Nano S’ | 170.63 | 143.70 |
| Trezor | Trezor One | 57.48 | 48.76 |
| Trezor | Trezor T | 175.69 | 149 |
| Trezor Ultimate Pack | Trezor Model T, The Trezor Model One, and a Cryptosteel Capsule. | 293.42 | 247.11 |
Now, by analyzing the table given below and keeping the price range a common determinant, we can observe the comparison of Trezor’s and Ledger’s earliest models, which is Trezor One crypto wallet and Ledger Nano S respectively.
The second table draws out the comparison between Trezor T and Ledger Nano X that comes under the category of a higher price range.
Also Read: Best Cardano Wallets: Software vs Hardware
Trezor One vs Ledger Nano S
| Category | Winner | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Trezor One | It has better pixel quality |
| Weight | Ledger Nano S | It is lightweight. |
| Size | Trezor One | They are bigger in size offering better visibility of the transaction data. |
| Material | Ledger Nano S | It uses bruised stainless steel that gives it better longevity. |
| Price | Trezor One | It is cheaper. |
| Connectivity | Draw | Both of them support USB Micro B |
| Battery | Draw | Both of them draw power from USB connection. |
| Compatibility with other devices | Draw | Both of them support the same devices. |
| Other crypto wallets suppot | Draw | Both of them support their proprietary app and other independent apps. |
| Hardware | Draw | Trezor is open source and Ledger is not, so it depends on your choice. |
| Security | Draw | Both are equally secure. |
| Ease of use | Trezor One | It has a better display and a bigger screen. |
| Open Source | Trezor One | It uses open-source firmware and software. |
Trezor T vs Ledger Nano X
| Category | Winner | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Trezor T | It has a 240 x 240 pixel RGB display with a touchscreen. |
| Weight | Ledger Nano X | It is much light weighted as compared to others. |
| Size | Trezor T | They are bigger in size offering better visibility of the transaction data. |
| Material | Ledger Nano X | It uses bruised stainless steel that makes it more durable. |
| Price | Ledger Nano X | It is cheaper. |
| Connectivity | Trezor T | It supports Bluetooth connection. |
| Battery | Draw | The Trezor T has 100 mAh battery while Ledger Nano X does not need one. |
| Compatibility with other devices | Ledger Nano X | iOS 9+ smartphones. |
| Other crypto wallets support | Draw | Both of them support their proprietary app and other independent apps. |
| Hardware | Draw | Trezor is open source and Ledger is not, so it depends on your choice. |
| Security | Trezor T | It has a touchscreen device hence protecting our pin from getting attacked by keyloggers. |
| Ease of use | Trezor T | It has a color touchscreen device and has a bigger size. |
| Open Source | Trezor T | It uses open-source firmware and software. |
Let us know what you think about our comparison of hardware wallets in the comment section.
