Hardware wallets are physical devices that store cryptocurrencies. They store private keys in offline mode. They can neither get connected to the internet nor can run complicated apps. Hence, they are considered safe from attacks. Let us now compare Ledger vs Ngrave ZERO.
Ledger hardware wallet was founded in 2014 and is one of the largest hardware wallet manufacturers in the world. They have sold more than two million devices.
Ngrave is a digital asset security company whose focus is upon eradicating the loss and malicious hacking of cryptocurrencies. The primary objective is to provide everyone with a safe and secure wallet. They believe that it is us versus them; the hackers, getting hacked and losing your keys. It offers its users various solutions to the “private key paradox.” They offer a product suite that consists of Ngrave ZERO wallet, Ngrave LIQUID app, and GRAPHENE.
Ngrave and Ledger are well-known hardware wallet manufacturers. Ngrave wallets are relatively new but are backed by Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) and Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography(COSIC). Ngrave leads Ledger in physical appearance, security, and connectivity but is costly. Therefore if you are looking for a high-budget secure hardware wallet, Ngrave steals the show. On the other hand, if you want to opt for a budget-friendly one, Ledger wallets can do the needful.
| Category | Winner | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Appearance | Ngrave | Ngrave wallet is a pocket-size touchscreen device with a camera, built-in fingerprint sensor, and light sensor. |
| Connectivity | Ngrave | The transactions are entirely air-gapped. All communication takes place through QR codes. |
| Cost | Ledger | They are cheaper. |
| Security | Ngrave | They offer secure hardware and software solutions such as personalized key, quasi indestructible key storage, GRAPHENE, and the highest level of security certification, EAL7. |
| Battery | Ngrave/ Ledger Nano S | Ledger Nano S doesn’t require a battery.Ngrave offers better battery power than Ledger Nano X. |
| Hardware | Draw | Both the wallets use custom and secure hardware. |
| Cryptocurrency Support | Draw | Both the wallets support an almost equal number of cryptocurrencies. |
| Compatibility with other Apps | Draw | Both the wallets have their proprietary app.Ledger and Ngrave offer the Ledger Live app and the Ngrave Liquid app, respectively. |
Table of Contents
Ledger vs Ngrave ZERO: Physical appearance
| Category | Ledger Nano S | Ledger Nano X | Ngrave Zero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 128 x 32 | 128 x 64 | 4inch |
| Size | 56.95mm x 17.4mm x 9.1mm | 72mm x 18.6mm x 11.75mm | 125mm x 72mm x 14mm |
Buttons: Ngrave wallet has a button on the device’s side to switch on/off the device. Ledger Nano S bitcoin wallet provides two buttons to navigate at the top of the device, while Ledger Nano X has two front-facing buttons at each side of the screen. It’s easier to use because it is analogous to using smartphones. If you long-press both the buttons, you will directly return to the home screen for Ledger Nano X.You will have to navigate to settings for Nano S and then quit to go back to the home screen.
Screen Size: Ngrave provides a larger screen size than Ledger. You can easily view all transactions sent or the address where you would like to receive the funds. The larger the screen size, the easier for users to navigate through the apps. You should ensure that the transaction address in the wallet and the one on the internet-enabled device match.
Ledger crypto wallet uses brushed stainless steel and plastic, making the ledger wallet more portable and durable.
Ngrave is water and dust resistant. To make it tamper-resistant, it has an inner casing, outer casing, and PCB. Additionally, it has a 640 x 480 built-in camera, a 12 x 12 mm fingerprint sensor, and a built-in light sensor.
Ledger vs Ngrave ZERO: Connectivity
Since hardware wallets cannot connect to the internet, it needs to be connected to an internet-enabled device to complete the transaction
Ngrave is a standalone device that is completely “air-gapped.” It doesn’t require any connection like Bluetooth, USB, NFC, or Wi-Fi, bringing down the digital attack surface to a minimum.
Ngrave provides a USB-C port for wall charging. All the firmware updates are securely transmitted over USB. All the updates are verified in an isolated partition fully sandboxed from the rest of the operating system. The updates take place in that section of the operating system, which is not responsible for security. Ngrave does not involve rewriting the entire firmware. They add and remove only certain specific features. All the updates are going to be signed, and a few of them will also be open source. The device must be rebooted before updating.
The NGRAVE LIQUID app is connected to the blockchain that communicates with the hardware wallet using QR Codes. The private keys never leave the wallet.
The Ledger wallet App can be connected to both smartphones and desktops.
Ledger Nano S ethereum wallet uses USB type Micro-B for connection.
Ledger Nano X can be connected using Bluetooth as well as a USB cable. It uses USB Type-C. They ensure that even if the Bluetooth is compromised, the attacker won’t get hold of the user’s private keys.
Ngrave vs Ledger: Battery
Ngrave hardware wallet consumes a 1200 mAH (Ultra-Efficient Low Power) battery. It uses a USB compatible battery charger.
Ledger Nano S doesn’t require a battery.
Ledger Nano X uses a battery of 100 mAh that can be charged by connecting a USB cable to a laptop or PC. If the device is in continuous use, it offers a battery life of 8 hours, but it extends up to three months if it is kept idle.
Ngrave vs Ledger: Hardware
Ngrave provides a multi-layered anti tempered hardware device that uses high-end material. The metal casing reduces the range of private keys while doing a brute force attack and guards the radio frequencies that could be picked by an attacker. It uses custom firmware, which has been verified by security experts. They are planning to open-source the firmware for community review.
Ledger uses a really distinctive hardware architecture known as BOLOS (Blockchain Open Ledger Operating System) and specialized chips known as Secure Elements. The Secure Element has an STM32 microcontroller (MCU), which acts as a router between the peripherals and the Secure Element. It sends a notification whenever new data is about to be received.
You might be interested in:
Ledger vs Ngrave ZERO: Security
Certification
Ngrave is EAL7, CE, and ROHS certified. EAL7 is the highest security assurance and certification in the world. It uses STM32MP157C (2019) MCU/MPU.
Ledger has certification level CC EAL5+.Ledger Nano S uses secure element chip ST31H320 (secure) + STM32F042 while Nano X uses ST33J2M0 (secure) + STM32WB55.
Supply Chain Attacks
Ngrave crypto wallet offers cryptographic attestation to ensure that your device has not tampered physically by scanning a QRCode.
Ledger uses stickers to ensure that no one has physically tampered with the wallet after it left the factory. They also use a trusted computing base that is validated using cryptographic proofs. You can verify the integrity of the device by performing an attestation check. T
Storage of Recovery Seed Phrase
Ledger allows you to set a pin code by toggling between the two buttons. For confirming, you have to press both the buttons simultaneously. Now, your device is password protected.
While initializing your device, you will receive a 24-word seed phrase. You can restore all your funds using this whenever your device is lost or stolen. The seed phrase must be stored offline and in a secure place.
Ngrave offers two ways to secure your wallets. The primary way is to select a 12,18 or 24-word recovery seed phrase. The second way is by creating a customized key, also referred to as the “NGRAVE Perfect Key”. The key is a 64 character hexadecimal equivalent of the 256-bit master seed. The process involves the subsequent steps-
- Select a four-digit pin code.
- Ngrave uses biometric data to secure your private keys.
- The camera takes light from the built-in light sensors. To enhance the randomness and the strength of the key photons, measure the ambient light. An interior chip processes all this information to form a key that changes in real-time. You will interact with the key making it impossible even for Ngrave to know. Thus removing any possible backdoor to the keys by either the hardware wallet manufacturer or the chip manufacturer.
You have the option to select between “unfreeze” and “freeze” to stop and start the keys changing in real-time. Additionally, you can highlight, select, and shuffle specific parts of the keys making the experience intuitive and fast.
Ngrave offers a high-quality stainless steel solution called the Ngrave GRAPHENE for backup. It is a highly durable cryptographic puzzle capable of withstanding housefires ( 1660 °C / 3020°F), shock, water, corrosion, or any extreme situation. It is an encrypted non-electronic solution. It consists of two plates, which you is advised to be kept in separate locations. As long as both the plates are together, you can find out the key else not.
A hole needs to be made in the GRAPHENE for every character by using an automated embossing pen. The characters on the first plate are arranged differently for every customer. There are 1024 holes in the first plate with 1078 possible configurations. This key is split into two plates eliminating a single point of failure. You can know the key only if the two plates are together.
If you lose the upper plate. You have the following options –
- Ngrave attaches an order number to each package delivered to its customer. By using the order number, the upper plate configuration can be known.
- The customer support keeps offline records of all the orders and shares information about the configuration after identifying yourself using KYC data.
The Ngrave team will only store the order details if you want them to. If you don’t choose this option, you can never recover the upper plate configuration. You should never take pictures of these plates or store them online.
The plates have posthumous continuity. The locations could be stipulated in a traditional notary, will, or blockchain notary. If you have been inactive on the app for a specified time, notifications will be sent. If you don’t respond to these notifications, it could trigger additional smart contract logic giving the plates’ location, but some conditions are attached to this.
It uses an integrity verifier in the ARM®TrustZone® module. If the wallet detects that someone is trying to access the hardware, it will wipe all the information.
Ngrave vs Ledger: Cryptocurrency Support
Ledger support 1000+ coins. They support all ERC20 tokens on the Ethereum network. The popular ones being Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Polkadot, EOS, and Litecoin.
Ngrave supports 1000+ ERC20 tokens. The popular ones being Bitcoin, Ethereum, EOS, Litecoin, and Neo.
Ngrave vs Ledger: Compatibility with other apps
Ngrave offers its own app named NGRAVE LIQUID. You can scan the QR code in the wallet to download the Ngrave mobile wallet. You can further scan the subsequent QR Code to sync all your accounts on the device to your app.
All the communication between the LIQUID and Ngrave ZERO will be through QR codes. The wallet communicates with the LIQUID, and then the LIQUID communicates with the blockchain. It cannot access your private keys and fetches the real-time data of all the transactions. It gives us a robust mobile application experience.
Ledger Live app can manage 27 assets and ERC20 tokens from your desktop and mobile.
Ledger Nano S supports Android devices, whereas Ledger Nano X can support both Android and iOS.They are compatible with 1100 apps., Ledger Nano X has storage space for installing 3 to 20 apps, whereas Nano X can install up to 100 apps
Ngrave vs Ledger: Price
| 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 |
| Ngrave | Ngrave Zero | 334.00 | 278,00 |
| Ngrave | Ngrave ZERO and GRAPHENE | 418.00 | 348,00 |
You can preorder Ngrave wallets, and the estimated delivery is Jan 2021.
Ngrave vs Ledger: Pros and Cons
| Ngrave | Ledger |
| Pros The transactions are fast. The wallet is portable and durable. Supports all the major cryptocurrencies. | Pros A wide variety of coins are supported. Offers advanced security features. |
| Cons It is quite expensive. | Cons There is no live customer care service. |
Ledger vs Ngrave: Conclusion
In conclusion, Ngrave and Ledger are well-known hardware wallet manufacturers. Ngrave wallets are relatively new but are backed by Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) and Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography(COSIC). Ngrave leads Ledger in physical appearance, security, and connectivity but is costly. Therefore if you are looking for a high-budget secure hardware wallet, Ngrave steals the show. On the other hand, if you want to opt for a budget-friendly one, Ledger wallets can do the needful.
Also Read
