KeepKey scores 20 points above Tangem, led by rebuildable firmware, checkable keys, and maker independence. Tangem ranks #23 and KeepKey #14 of 23 published hardware wallets. Every term of the gap is on the ledger below; the inputs are on the audit receipt.
Tangem42
vs
KeepKey62
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99 · ranks #23 and #14 of 23
KeepKey scores 20 points above Tangem, led by rebuildable firmware, checkable keys, and maker independence.
Tangem #23 of 2342
KeepKey #14 of 2362
Scores are out of 100; published scores fall within 41–99; a bar is empty at 41 and full at 99.
Why, term by termKeepKey leads on 4 of 6 published criteria; Tangem on 2. The terms sum to the gap.
TermKeepKeyTangemWeightPoints
Rebuildable firmware10/100/106.5+16.8for KeepKey+8.6 of 32
Secure element0/103/106.5−5.1for Tangem−2.6 of 32
Checkable keys4/100/102.9+3.0for KeepKey+1.5 of 32
Genuine check5/107/102.9−1.5for Tangem−0.8 of 32
Maker independence10/104/102.6+4.1for KeepKey+2.1 of 32
Fund-loss record10/107/102.6+2.1for KeepKey+1.1 of 32
Net of the terms+19.5
Reproduced gap+19.5
Published gapAfter score rounding and bounds — see the note below6242+20.0
Weight is in points of the 86-point weighted total. Points are score points of the gap between the two.
KeepKeyScore 62No secure element by design — open firmware rebuilt and matched, and no fund loss since 2015Strength: Firmware anyone can rebuild and match — 10/10Watch-out: No secure element: in 2019 Kraken extracted a KeepKey seed in about 15 minutes with the device in hand, through a chip flaw no firmware update can fix; a strong passphrase is the defenceTangemScore 42Tap-to-phone NFC cards — closed firmware, and a 2026 laser attack it cannot patchStrength: Proof the device is genuine and unmodified — 7/10Watch-out: In July 2026 Ledger Donjon reset the card password with a laser fault and signed transactions; it affects every card in circulation and cannot be patched
Quick facts
At a glance
3 of 5 rows read the same for both.
FactTangemKeepKey
One-time priceSnapshotTangem Wallet 2 Cards set at $59.90 on https://tangem.com/en/pricing/, read 1 October 2026.KeepKey at $59.95 ("Buy Now — $59.95") on https://keepkey.com/product, read 1 October 2026.
Asset coverageEditorial——
Region fitSnapshotus, europe, globalus, europe, global
Custody modelEditorialSelf-custody: the keys stay on the deviceSelf-custody: the keys stay on the device
Security postureSnapshotSecure element, EAL6+ certified; closed source; no air-gapped signing.No secure element; fully open source; no air-gapped signing.
From the published criteria
Which should you pick?
Tangem
42#23 of 23
Pick it when
Pick Tangem if secure element matters most — it scores 3/10 to KeepKey's 0/10 there (weight 27).
Strength
Proof the device is genuine and unmodified — 7/10
Tradeoff
In July 2026 Ledger Donjon reset the card password with a laser fault and signed transactions; it affects every card in circulation and cannot be patched
KeepKey
62#14 of 23
Leads
Pick it when
Pick KeepKey if rebuildable firmware matters most — it scores 10/10 to Tangem's 0/10 there (weight 27).
Strength
Firmware anyone can rebuild and match — 10/10
Tradeoff
No secure element: in 2019 Kraken extracted a KeepKey seed in about 15 minutes with the device in hand, through a chip flaw no firmware update can fix; a strong passphrase is the defence
Self-identify in 10 seconds
Which one is actually for you?
Tangem
Choose Tangem if secure element matters most
Secure element: 3/10 against 0/10 for KeepKey (weight 27)
Genuine check: 7/10 against 5/10 for KeepKey (weight 12)
TangemScore 42Tap-to-phone NFC cards — closed firmware, and a 2026 laser attack it cannot patchStrength: Proof the device is genuine and unmodified — 7/10Watch-out: In July 2026 Ledger Donjon reset the card password with a laser fault and signed transactions; it affects every card in circulation and cannot be patched
KeepKeyLeads
Choose KeepKey if rebuildable firmware matters most
Rebuildable firmware: 10/10 against 0/10 for Tangem (weight 27)
Checkable keys: 4/10 against 0/10 for Tangem (weight 12)
Maker independence: 10/10 against 4/10 for Tangem (weight 11)
KeepKeyScore 62No secure element by design — open firmware rebuilt and matched, and no fund loss since 2015Strength: Firmware anyone can rebuild and match — 10/10Watch-out: No secure element: in 2019 Kraken extracted a KeepKey seed in about 15 minutes with the device in hand, through a chip flaw no firmware update can fix; a strong passphrase is the defence
Criterion by criterion
Scorecard
Published criteria · weight in points of 8612 of 12 cells scored. Strength is read from the evidence file; the weight is the published one. Methodology
Secure element
by 3 of 10weight 6.5 of 86Tangem leads
Tangem3/10 out of 10
KeepKey0/10 out of 10
Rebuildable firmware
by 10 of 10weight 6.5 of 86KeepKey leads
Tangem0/10 out of 10
KeepKey10/10 out of 10
Genuine check
by 2 of 10weight 2.9 of 86Tangem leads
Tangem7/10 out of 10
KeepKey5/10 out of 10
Checkable keys
by 4 of 10weight 2.9 of 86KeepKey leads
Tangem0/10 out of 10
KeepKey4/10 out of 10
Maker independence
by 6 of 10weight 2.6 of 86KeepKey leads
Tangem4/10 out of 10
KeepKey10/10 out of 10
Fund-loss record
by 3 of 10weight 2.6 of 86KeepKey leads
Tangem7/10 out of 10
KeepKey10/10 out of 10
Score dimensions
weights sum to 86
The published score is five dimensions, each weighted for the category. "Published criteria" is the criteria block above; the other four are the engine's own terms — availability, friction, trust record, measured data. Each bar is one side's points out of that dimension's maximum; the weight beside the name is its points of the 86-point weighted total. The published criteria above can fill 24 of the block’s 30. A weight marked “constant here” belongs to a dimension every ranked product in the category holds at the same value: it still counts in the total, and it orders nothing here.
Availabilityweight 20 of 86 · constant here
Tangem14/20KeepKey14/20
Tie
Published criteriaweight 30 of 86
Tangem6.9/30KeepKey14.4/30
KeepKey leads
Frictionweight 10 of 86 · constant here
Tangem2.7/10KeepKey2.7/10
Tie
Trust recordweight 8 of 86 · constant here
Tangem3.2/8KeepKey3.2/8
Tie
Measured dataweight 18 of 86 · constant here
Tangem5.5/18KeepKey5.5/18
Tie
Decision rulePublished order
Choose KeepKey unless the term Tangem leads on is the one you are buying.
Pick Tangem if secure element matters most — it scores 3/10 to KeepKey's 0/10 there (weight 27).
The published order weighs every criterion the same way for everyone. To weigh them your way, run .
From the published order
Next best action
If this isn't your case
Other matchups worth comparing
How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores
Key failure: your own keys are made, shown or recovered unsafely.
Scored by Secure element you can look up · 27% (Tangem 3/10, KeepKey 0/10)
Scored by Firmware anyone can rebuild and match · 27% (Tangem 0/10, KeepKey 10/10)
Scored by Proof the device is genuine and unmodified · 12% (Tangem 7/10, KeepKey 5/10)
Scored by Key creation and signing you can check · 12% (Tangem 0/10, KeepKey 4/10)
Scored by Sign and recover without the maker · 11% (Tangem 4/10, KeepKey 10/10)
Scored by Years in buyers' hands without a device-level fund loss · 11% (Tangem 7/10, KeepKey 10/10)
Every failure family that applies to this category is scored, except Information failure, which the provider pages show as a fact.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
KeepKey scores 20 points above Tangem, led by rebuildable firmware, checkable keys, and maker independence. Published scores, out of 100: Tangem 42 (rank 23 of 23 hardware wallets), KeepKey 62 (rank 14 of 23).
Reviewed means both products compared here was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.
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