Cold storage & custody · Roundup

Every way to keep Solana keys cold, compared

"Cold storage" covers very different designs: a key sealed in a chip, a key on paper, a key that only exists in RAM for a hundred microseconds. This page lays out every approach people actually use on Solana and what each one asks you to trust.

Last reviewed 2026-09-04 · Each row links to a full comparison with first-party sources

At a glance

	Price	Key at rest	Transaction path	Source
Coldstar	~$10 drive; software free	AES-256-GCM file; RAM-only while signing	QR; fully air-gapped	MIT
Ledger	Varies by model	Secure element, EAL5+/EAL6+	USB, Bluetooth, NFC; not air-gapped	Apps open, OS not published
Trezor	$59 (Safe 3), $129 (Safe 5)	EAL6+ secure element	USB-C; not air-gapped	Firmware GPL-3.0
Keystone 3 Pro	$149	Three secure elements	QR + microSD; air-gapped	Published; one pre-compiled MCU library
OneKey	$99 (Classic 1S), $278 (Pro)	One to four EAL6+ secure elements	USB/Bluetooth; Pro adds QR air gap	Open, reproducible firmware
SafePal S1	$49.99 (S1), $89.99 (S1 Pro)	EAL6+ secure element	QR only; air-gapped	Partially open
Tangem	$59.90 for two cards	EAL6+ card, non-updatable firmware	NFC tap via the online phone	App open; card firmware closed
Squads	Free + 0.1 SOL; Pro $49/mo	On-chain M-of-N; members' own wallets	Members sign from their wallets	Program AGPL-3.0
a Solana keypair file	Free	Unencrypted JSON on disk	Any process on the host can sign	Apache-2.0
Phantom	Free	Encrypted in the extension/app, online	On-device; no air gap	App closed; SDKs open

Short cells; the linked pages carry the detail and the sources. Coldstar is beta software with an independent audit planned before its production release, and that is stated on every page.

The options

Coldstar

Encrypted keyfile on any USB drive, decrypted only in RAM on an offline machine, transactions by QR. Free, MIT, scriptable. Beta.

How it works · Agent signing

Ledger Hardware wallet

Certified secure element with the broadest wallet support. Signs while connected over USB or Bluetooth.

Coldstar vs Ledger →

Trezor Hardware wallet

Open-firmware device with an EAL6+ chip from $59. USB-C only.

Coldstar vs Trezor →

Keystone 3 Pro Air-gapped hardware wallet

QR air-gapped device with three secure elements and Solflare support.

Coldstar vs Keystone 3 Pro →

OneKey Open-source hardware wallet

Open, reproducible firmware; the Pro model signs over QR as well as Bluetooth and NFC.

Coldstar vs OneKey →

SafePal S1 Air-gapped hardware wallet

Lowest-priced QR air-gapped device with a secure element.

Coldstar vs SafePal S1 →

Tangem NFC card wallet

Seedless NFC cards for phone-first users.

Coldstar vs Tangem →

Squads On-chain multisig

Not storage but the on-chain quorum layer: M-of-N approval, roles, spending limits, time locks. Each member still needs a cold key.

Coldstar vs Squads →

a Solana keypair file Developer default

The developer default. Unencrypted, and Solana's own docs call it the least secure option. Fine for devnet only.

Coldstar vs a Solana keypair file →

Phantom Hot wallet

A hot wallet, included because it is where most Solana sits. Right for spending, wrong for savings.

Coldstar vs Phantom →

How to choose

The key should never touch a network. That rules out hot wallets and keypair files for real funds, and it means USB-connected devices rely on the chip rather than isolation.
Air gap by QR is the strongest common pattern: Keystone, SafePal, OneKey Pro, ELLIPAL, or Coldstar.
Multisig is a layer, not a substitute. Squads decides who must approve; each approver still needs their own cold key.
Automation changes the answer. If a treasury or agent must sign without a human present, only Coldstar's policy-gated model fits; every device requires a press.

Frequently asked questions

Is a hardware wallet the same as cold storage?

Not exactly. A hardware wallet keeps the key in a chip but signs while connected to an online computer. Cold storage in the strict sense means the key never has a network path, which is what air-gapped QR devices and Coldstar's offline signing provide.

Is a paper wallet safe for Solana?

For receiving and holding, yes. To spend, you must import the key into an online wallet, which exposes it completely. Coldstar keeps the key offline through the signing step instead.

Do I need multisig?

For a team or DAO treasury, yes: Squads is the Solana standard. For an individual, a single cold key with a good backup is usually enough.

Try Coldstar in two minutes

Open source, MIT. macOS, Linux, Windows — and on the Solana Seeker dApp Store.

pip install coldstar

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