Keystone review

The device is priced at $149, a one off purchase. As a hardware wallet it keeps working offline, with no subscription attached to holding. A Trezor device sits at $79, so Keystone asks for more at the checkout.

Custody is self custody, so the keys stay with the holder and never sit with a company. If the device is lost, recovery depends on the backup, and the options listed are seed and shamir. Nothing sits with a third party to claim back.

Yes, the firmware is open source, so the code can be read and checked by anyone rather than taken on trust. That suits readers who want to see what runs on the signing chip. The device also carries 3 secure element chips for protection.

Asset support is listed as 5,500, which puts Keystone near the top of wallets ranked on that measure. Hardware wallets here run as far as 30,000 assets, so a long list is realistic.

Support runs on email, help centre and community, which is email, a help centre and a community. No live chat or phone line is listed, so a pressing question may have to wait for a written reply. The help centre is the first place to look.

No licence is listed for the business, so there is no regulator or protection scheme behind the product. Because custody is self custody, a loss sits with the holder rather than a compensation scheme. The company trades as Yanssie HK Limited in Hong Kong.

The trade off is price against build. Trezor costs $79, while Keystone costs $149 and adds 3 secure element chips with open source firmware. A buyer on a budget gets further with Trezor; a buyer who wants the chip set and open code gets more from Keystone.

No, this is a hardware wallet for holding and signing, not a place to trade. Coins have to be sent in from another wallet before they can be stored. The balance stays under the holder's own control throughout.