Ledger vs Trezor: the facts side by side
Six current devices from the two best-known hardware wallet makers, compared on the same sourced questions. No sponsors, no affiliate links, and no winner: you get the facts and decide.
Ledger and Trezor devices, same questions
"n/v" means we could not verify it from a source we could read. Counts of weaknesses are publicly disclosed problems with the device or firmware; more is not automatically worse, because well-studied devices get more reports. Prices are not shown because the stores' price fields did not load for our reader.
Differences that follow from the table
- Firmware code. Ledger firmware: partly open. Trezor firmware: open source.
- Secure element. All six devices list a secure element chip per their makers' pages. Safe 7 is described as using two elements.
- Connections. Ledger lists Bluetooth on Nano X and Flex and NFC on Flex. Trezor Safe 7 lists encrypted Bluetooth; Safe 3 and Safe 5 list USB only.
- Backups. Trezor lists the Shamir backup (SLIP-39) on its Safe models. Ledger offers an optional paid recovery service, which we explain on each device page.
- Recorded weaknesses. 2 disclosed for the three Ledger devices, 7 for the three Trezor devices, in the sources we found. Read each device page for who found them and whether they are fixed.
Ledger vs Trezor questions
Ledger or Trezor: which is better?
We do not pick one. The table shows how the two makers' devices differ on facts that matter to different buyers: firmware openness, secure element, connections, backup options and publicly recorded weaknesses. Which fits you depends on what you hold and how you want to sign. This is education, not advice.
Does Ledger have a secure element and Trezor not?
Per the makers' own pages, all three Ledger models in our list use a secure element chip. Trezor Safe 3, 5 and 7 also list a secure element (an Infineon OPTIGA Trust M on Safe 3 and 5; a dual-element design on Safe 7). Older Trezor models without one are not in this comparison.
Is the code of Ledger and Trezor open source?
Ledger firmware: partly open. Trezor firmware: open source. Check each device page for the licence, what is open and what was not verified.
Has either company had security incidents?
Yes, both makers have had company-level incidents such as customer-data exposures. They are listed on every device page of the brand, with sources. They are not weaknesses of the device itself, and a device weakness record is not proof of safety or danger: see the page on how to read it.
Which is cheaper?
We publish a price only when we read it on the maker's own store, and the stores' price fields did not load for our reader. The sources give launch prices; check the maker's store for the current price.
How we work
We take no money from wallet makers and use no affiliate links. Every fact comes from the maker or a named independent source. See how we check, and the full comparison of 18 devices.