Private and open-source alternatives to Ledger
15 crypto wallets rated against the same public privacy criteria as Ledger, with our picks first.
Why look for an alternative?
- Open source: partial. The Ledger Wallet app, SDK and device apps are open source (Ledger Wallet under MIT), but the low-level secure element operating system code is closed.
- No trackers or telemetry: no. The Exodus report finds Google AdMob and Google Firebase Analytics in the Android app, and the website uses Contentsquare, Hotjar and advertising cookies.
- No ads or data sales: no. Funded by hardware sales, but the cookie policy lists targeting cookies from Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter and Snapchat that build interest profiles for ads.
- Independent audit: partial. Ledger states a third-party security laboratory audits the operating system before each release, but the reports are not public.
The alternatives
Bitcoin Core Grade A
Reference implementation of Bitcoin: a full node that downloads and validates the entire blockchain, with a built-in wallet, a graphical interface and an RPC interface.
Bitcoin Core scores 90 out of 100 (grade A) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Cake Wallet Grade B
Open-source, self-custodial mobile and desktop wallet for Monero, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies, with built-in exchange and purchase integrations.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Cake Wallet scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Electrum Grade B
Lightweight Bitcoin wallet for desktop and Android that verifies transactions through SPV servers, with support for hardware wallets, multisig, watch-only wallets and Lightning.
Based in Germany (Fourteen Eyes). Electrum scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Feather Wallet Grade B
Open-source desktop Monero wallet for Linux, Tails, Windows and macOS, with Tor support, hardware wallet support and coin control.
Feather Wallet scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Phoenix Grade B
Self-custodial Bitcoin Lightning wallet for Android and iOS from ACINQ, which manages channels and liquidity automatically through the ACINQ node.
Based in France (Nine Eyes). Phoenix scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Sparrow Wallet Grade B
Desktop Bitcoin wallet with detailed transaction and UTXO control, hardware wallet and multisig support, and the option to connect to a personal Bitcoin Core or Electrum server over Tor.
Sparrow Wallet scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Specter Desktop Grade B
Desktop app and web interface for managing Bitcoin multisig and single-key wallets with hardware signers, using a personal Bitcoin Core node or an Electrum server.
Based in Switzerland. Specter Desktop scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Wasabi Wallet Grade B
Open source desktop Bitcoin wallet that routes traffic through Tor and supports WabiSabi coinjoins. The original zkSNACKs coordinator has shut down, so coinjoin requires configuring a third-party or self-hosted coordinator.
Wasabi Wallet scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
ZEUS Grade B
Self-custodial Bitcoin and Lightning wallet for Android and iOS that runs an embedded Lightning node or connects to a personal LND, Core Lightning or other remote node.
ZEUS scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
BitBox02 Grade C
Swiss hardware wallet for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with open source firmware and companion app, a secure chip, multisig support and microSD card backups.
Based in Switzerland. BitBox02 scores 60 out of 100 (grade C) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 2 of 4 criteria: open source and no ads or data sales.
Blockstream Jade Grade D
Open-source Bitcoin and Liquid hardware wallet from Blockstream, with a camera for air-gapped QR signing and a virtual secure element that splits PIN protection between the device and a remote oracle server.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Blockstream Jade scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 2 of 4 criteria: open source and no ads or data sales.
BlueWallet Grade D
Self-custodial Bitcoin wallet for Android, iOS and macOS with watch-only wallets, multisig vaults, coin control, hardware wallet support and the option to connect to a personal Electrum server.
BlueWallet scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 2 of 4 criteria: open source and no ads or data sales.
COLDCARD Grade D
Bitcoin-only hardware wallet from Coinkite designed for air-gapped signing using a microSD card or NFC, with secure elements, PIN protection and multisig support.
Based in Canada (Five Eyes). COLDCARD scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 2 of 4 criteria: open source and no ads or data sales.
Bitkey Grade D
Bitcoin wallet from Block made of a phone app, a hardware key and a Block-run server key in a 2-of-3 multisig setup, with recovery without a seed phrase.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Bitkey scores 40 out of 100 (grade D) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 1 of 4 criteria: open source.
Envoy Grade D
Companion mobile app for the Foundation Passport hardware wallet, used to set up the device, manage accounts and send transactions over QR codes, with encrypted cloud backups.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Envoy scores 40 out of 100 (grade D) on the crypto wallets criteria. It meets 1 of 4 criteria: open source.