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Trezor vs Tangem
Open-source verifiability against sheer convenience. These two sit at opposite ends of the same trade-off.
Both links below are affiliate links — what that means. It does not change what is written here; every entry carries a drawback for the same reason.
Short answer
Choose Trezor if…You want open firmware and an on-device screen, and you accept a slightly awkward setup for it.
Visit Trezor →Choose Tangem if…You want self-custody to take two minutes. Understand the seedless option first: losing all your cards means the coins are gone, because there is no phrase written down anywhere.
Visit Tangem →Side by side
| Trezor | Tangem | |
|---|---|---|
| Launched | 2013 | 2017 |
| Based / registered | Czech Republic | Switzerland |
| Who holds the assets | Self-custody — you hold the keys | Self-custody — you hold the keys |
| Identity verification | None | None |
| Available to US residents | Yes — sold worldwide | Yes — sold worldwide |
| Supports |
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What each one is actually good at
TrezorFully open-source firmware and hardware design — the only way anyone outside the company can actually verify what the device does.
Worth knowing. Openness has a cost: some models are vulnerable to physical extraction if an attacker gets the device, which is exactly what a passphrase exists to defend against. Supports fewer assets than Ledger.
TangemA card you tap against a phone, with nothing to charge and no screen to fail. For someone who would otherwise leave coins on an exchange because a hardware wallet feels like work, this is the one they will actually use.
Worth knowing. No screen means you verify transactions on your phone, so a compromised phone is a real risk. The seedless mode is elegant but means losing all your cards is unrecoverable — there is no phrase to write down.
What do they cost?
Both are one-off hardware purchases, and both run several models at different prices. We do not reprint a price list — it would be wrong the next time either runs a sale — so here are the official shops:
Buy direct from the manufacturer, never from a marketplace listing. A hardware wallet bought second-hand or from a reseller can arrive pre-initialised with somebody else’s recovery phrase, and the coins leave the moment you fund it. How to choose one →
Before you commit
Availability changes. Regulators bar platforms, platforms withdraw from markets, and this page was last checked on 2026-08-05 — confirm on the platform’s own terms that it serves your country before you sign up.
And whichever you pick, the device is the easy half. The recovery phrase is what actually protects the coins — how to store one properly matters more than which brand you bought.