Buying A Hardware Wallet This Holiday Season?
You want to buy a new crypto hardware wallet this holiday season.
Over the past year, we’ve tested 17 different crypto wallets so you don’t have to.
Here’s our guide of the top 5 best crypto wallets to buy under $100.
Trezor Safe 3 ($79)
Black Friday: 40% Off
Trezor is a no brainer when it comes to cold wallets, and their reputation proves that, being the original creators of the first hardware wallet on the market.
Safe 3 is the brand’s lowest end model, but it still packs a punch.
Build quality is decent, made of plastic with aluminum backplates. This gives it a super lightweight feel.
The Safe 3 has a 1 inch screen and 2 buttons for navigation.
There’s also a few basic color options, which is nice since most budget wallets only come in black.
This device is USB-C only, and is compatible on all devices except iOS, which is view only.
With the Safe 3 device, we get the usual crypto setup: generate a seed phrase and create a pin code.
Trezor Suite is the company’s app, and it works extremely well. It completes all neccessary tasks, but nothing extraordinary.
On the app, users can buy, send, sell and receive crypto. There’s no dapp section, and we can generate up to 10 wallet addresses per blockchain.
Token support is lacking compared to other brands, so if you’re into strange niche tokens and blockchains, Trezor may not be right for you.
As for security, Trezor Safe 3 hosts an EAL 6+ secure element chip for top protection. Unlike most hardware wallets, all Trezor devices are 100% open sourced, and much of their reputation is built off this transparent deliberate fact.
One other cool feature is that you can download Bitcoin only software, which avoids the risk of storing other tokens with your bitcoins.
As mentioned, Trezor has one of the best reputations in the industry, and the Safe 3 has scored well on many independent review websites.
Altogether, this wallet is a great option for both new and experienced users wanting to store some crypto safely and securely with a trusted brand.
Ledger Nano S Plus ($59)
Black Friday: $10 in BTC
When it comes to Ledger, quality is always assured. And that’s still true with their entry model Nano S Plus.
The Nano S Plus contains a plastic body with a stainless steel arm, a 1 inch OLED display, and 2 buttons for navigation. The screen is similarly sized with the Trezor Safe 3.
Ledger has excellent color options fitting all personalities.
Another similarity to Trezor Safe 3 is that Nano S Plus is USB-C only, and is compatible with all devices except for iOS.
Nano S Plus has the same traditional setup as most wallets: generate a seed phrase and create a pin code.
Ledger Wallet (previously Ledger Live) is the company’s app, and is by the far the best wallet app on the market. We’re just completely overwhelmed with features and a clean user friendly design.
Buy, sell, swap, send and receive tokens, connect to dapps via the explore tab and you can generate unlimited amounts of wallet addresses for each blockchain.
One point that must be made clear is that the Nano S Plus has very limited storage for blockchain apps. What this means is that you might only be able to store up to a handful of tokens from different blockchains at one time.
If you want to store tons of diverse tokens, we’d suggest Ledger Nano X (which is 50% off for Black Friday) for a bigger storage option.
As for token support, Ledger has integrated most major blockchains, but only has support for Ethereum NFTs.
Ledger Nano S Plus rocks an EAL 6+ secure element chip for enhanced security. But do note that Ledger is 95% open sourced due to an NDA agreement signed with the chip manufacturer.
The company has many mixed reviews, but that doesn’t take away from their top tier security practices. The Nano S Plus device has scored significantly well on multiple 3rd party review websites and is a common first hardware wallet (Aldaron included).
Also, Ledger recently reduced the Nano S Plus’s cost from $79 to $59. Include $10 of BTC with a purchase and that makes the total cost $49!
If storage space for many different tokens isn’t important to you, this wallet may be your best bet.
Tangem Wallet ($70)
Black Friday: 30% Off
Taking a completely different approach, Tangem Wallet has become extremely popular the past few years.
These cards have a suave matte black finish and are surprisingly durable. We’ve tried to snap them in half and there’s no chance.
As you can imagine with cards, they’re definitely the most probable type of crypto wallet out there. And Tangem has the most stylish and appealing designs of any wallet on the market.
Even including a Stealth version with no logos at all for complete anonymity.
Each set comes with two or three cards, but three are way better. One of them will be the main card, and the other two are the backup cards. If we lost one, we can use the other two to regain access to our account.
It’s really that simple.
Using NFC, Tangem is mobile only on both iOS and Android.
Setting up Tangem is THE easiest experience in crypto: download the app, scan the cards a few times using NFC, and set up an access code, aka password.
We can also generate a seed phrase in app, which gives you another backup in case all cards are lost.
Tangem app is the brand’s native app. It is a solid experience, but lacks many features available in Ledger Wallet.
To send transactions with Tangem, simply scan the ring or cards on a phone to confirm. It tremendously easy to use and speedy as well.
The dapp section is lacking, using WalletConnect.
And most importantly, we can only create one wallet address per blockchain. That’s no good for users who like to have multiple bitcoin wallets, for example.
Token support is on average lower than other wallets, but NFT support is quite expansive, where we had no problem moving over Solana NFTs.
Along with an NFC chip, inside each Tangem card is an EAL 6+ secure element chip, which generates all cryptographic tasks. This chip is not open sourced, making Tangem 95% open sourced.
Tangem has a decent reputation amongst users as previously mentioned. And many third party sites have given Tangem Wallet positive reviews.
The biggest caveat with Tangem is that without a screen, these cards sacrifice security for ease of use. Since we can’t check transaction details on a hardware wallet screen, be careful with large amounts of crypto.
Definitely recommended for new users or as a second hardware wallet.
Safepal X1 ($69)
Black Friday: 15% Off (Code: AldaronBF)
Safepal makes decent budget devices that aren’t aesthetically pretty, but definitely get the job done.
What sets Safepal X1 apart is that it’s the cheapest and only device on this list that connects via encrypted Bluetooth.
Compared to the Safe 3 and Nano S Plus, the X1 is easier to navigate due to its 12 button design. The screen is also 2 inches, which is a huge plus for signing transactions.
Although the device made from plastic, it’s build is shockingly strong, withstanding any bends and twists.
The hardware wallet can also connect via USB-C, which hosts a 200 mah battery. Compatibility wise, the X1 is mobile only, meaning the app supports both iOS and Android.
Safepal X1 walks users through the traditional seed phrase and pin code system during setup.
Safepal Wallet Suite app lets users send, receive and stake tokens. The UI is nicely laid out and each section has helpful tutorial prompts for those new to crypto.
And users can generate unlimited wallets for each blockchain.
Safepal has some of the best token support, integrating over 200 blockchains, as well as tons of support for major NFTs.
Security with Safepal is done through the EAL 5+ secure element chip. But as with most hardware wallets, the X1 is 95% open sourced.
It’s also worth mentioning that firmware updates are a tad bit frustrating on the X1. This needs to be done through PC only.
Safepal has gained a solid reputation over the years, including decent reviews for the Safepal X1 device as well.
As the only Bluetooth option on this list, if you dislike cables, this hardware wallet is an excellent budget choice. And for token support, it’s hard to beat Safepal X1 in this price range.
Cardware Wallet BTC-Only ($77)
Black Friday: ???
It had to be covered, because this niche wallet is awesome!
Cardware was just launched this year and is the first hardware wallet company from Africa.
The device is super light but in no way flimsy. It’s got some of the most uniquely transparent casing, 4 buttons for navigation and a large screen to display clear details.
USB-C on the bottom charges the device, but doesn’t transfer any data.
This device is the only one on the list that uses QR scanning and is said to be 100% offline, aka air-gapped.
It’s also available on both mobile and PC.
Setup with Cardware Wallet is definitely the most fun way to use a hardware wallet.
We can choose 3 options: generate with the included camera, roll a d20 die 64 times, or roll a d6 die 100 times. Then write down the seed phrase, pair the device and enter a pin code.
Cardware Wallet Web app is as simplistic as they come, but that’s in no way a bad thing as a Bitcoin only wallet. Just send or receive bitcoin.
To send, input the information and scan a few QR codes.
There’s no dapp section.
And we can also generate unlimited wallet addresses for Bitcoin. It’s nice to store your bitcoins away from altcoins to be completely safe.
Cardware Wallet secures the device with an EAL 6+ secure element chip. But the chip is not open sourced, making the device 95% open sourced.
As a newcomer, Cardware Wallet lacks any reputation at the moment. And reviews for the device are scarce other than our personal experience.
This wallet is enjoyable to use, and there aren’t many budget Bitcoin dedicated devices. Most Bitcoin only cold wallets are super expensive, so at $77 it’s hard to pass this deal up.
Which Hardware Wallet Should You Buy?
When deciding which hardware wallet to buy, consider the following.
- For the best overall experience, we’d say Trezor Safe 3, Ledger Nano S Plus or Tangem Wallet.
- For the most portable user friendly device, grab a Tangem Wallet.
- For a traditional experience, buy a Safepal X1, Ledger Nano S Plus or Trezor Safe 3.
- For a unique BTC only airgapped wallet, Cardware Wallet is a great option.
If you want the best prices on any device, check the discount page or links included.
Also, you may be looking for the best overall hardware wallets, so check out this post here for the five best devices for 2025.
Happy holidays and catch ya in the next one!