Secure ElementNFC13+ networks
Cypherock X1 vs Ellipal X Card
Cypherock X1 offers open-source code, Shamir Backup, full desktop support. Ellipal X Card features seedless design, iOS support — and costs $30 less.
2 wallets
Open-source vs Closed
$30 price gap
iOS support differs
Quick VerdictUpdated 2026
Cypherock X1
Best overall
Ellipal X Card
Best value
Open-formula rating|40+ criteria analyzed|Last updated October 2026|No sponsored rankingsSee methodology
Key Takeaways
- Security scores are close (within 4 points)
- Ellipal X Card wins in ease of use (70/100)
- Ellipal X Card is more affordable ($69)
- Both support 20+ cryptocurrencies
- Best for beginners: Ellipal X Card (easier setup)
Cypherock X1 vs Ellipal X Card: Key Differences
Both Cypherock X1 and Ellipal X Card can keep your crypto safe — the real question is which one fits the way you actually use it. We've put both through our open-formula scoring on 40+ criteria: Cypherock X1 (Cypherock) lands at 61/100, Ellipal X Card (Ellipal) at 60/100. The $30 gap between $99 and $69 isn't arbitrary — these are two different bets on what matters in a hardware wallet, and the right pick depends on which bet you'd take.
Winner by Category
Which wallet leads in each area
Security
Cypherock X1Winner70/100
Ellipal X Card66/100
Ease of Use
Cypherock X159/100
Ellipal X CardWinner70/100
Price
Cypherock X1$99
Ellipal X CardWinner$69
Coin Support
Cypherock X120+
Ellipal X CardWinner45+
Privacy
Cypherock X1Winner23/100
Ellipal X Card14/100
Beginner Friendly
Cypherock X159/100
Ellipal X CardWinner70/100
Comparing:
Cypherock X1
Ellipal X Card
Comparison Table
Key specifications for your decision
| Criteria | Cypherock X1 Cypherock $99 | Ellipal X Card Ellipal $69 |
|---|---|---|
Overall Rating | 61 | 60 |
Security | 70 | 66 |
Usability | 59 | 70 |
Price | $99 | $69 |
A secure element is a tamper-resistant chip built to store secrets and resist physical attacks such as side-channel analysis and fault injection. Learn more — Secure Element | Yes | Yes |
Open Source Firmware refers to firmware in hardware devices, like wallets, where the source code is publicly available, allowing transparency, auditability, and customization. Learn more — Open Source | Firmware, in part | No |
Bluetooth Connectivity enables wireless communication between devices, like hardware wallets and smartphones, using Bluetooth or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for secure data transfer. Learn more — Bluetooth | No | No |
USB | Yes | No |
Networks | 20+ | 45+ |
A passphrase is an additional security layer for cryptocurrency wallets, acting as a 25th word in the BIP39 seed phrase, protecting access to hidden wallets. Learn more — Passphrase | Yes | Yes |
A touchscreen display is a screen that allows users to interact with a device by touching the surface, commonly used in hardware wallets for easy navigation and transaction confirmation. Learn more — Display | 0.96-Inch 128 X 64 Px OLED | None (No Screen On The Card; Transactions Reviewed In The Phone App) |
Recovery is the process of restoring access to a cryptocurrency wallet using its seed phrase or mnemonic backup if the original wallet is lost or inaccessible. Learn more — Backup Method | Multi-card | Multi-card |
Setup Time | ~20 min | ~3 min |
IP Rating refers to the level of protection a device has against dust and water, often used for hardware wallets to indicate their durability in various environments. Learn more — Water Resist | None | Yes |
Our Verdict: Cypherock X1 or Ellipal X Card?
Choose Cypherock X1 if...
- You want verifiable, open-source firmware and software
- You want advanced backup with Shamir Secret Sharing
- You are comfortable managing a seed phrase
- You need full desktop support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Skip Cypherock X1 if...
- ×You manage crypto from an iPhone (no iOS app here)
Choose Ellipal X Card if...
- You are comfortable managing a seed phrase
- You need iPhone (iOS) compatibility
- You want to save $30 without sacrificing core security
- You want a quick ~3-minute setup
Skip Ellipal X Card if...
- ×You manage crypto from a desktop (no Windows, macOS, or Linux app)
- ×Open-source firmware is non-negotiable for you
- ×You want Shamir Secret Sharing for split, geographically distributed backups
Our pick for most users
Both wallets score similarly (61 vs 60/100) — your choice depends on which features matter most to you.
Bottom line: Security scores are essentially tied here, so this isn't where the choice lives. Day to day, Ellipal X Card is the easier one to live with. If budget is real, Ellipal X Card comes in $30 cheaper without giving up the basics.
Price: Cypherock X1 vs Ellipal X Card
Cypherock X1 costs $99, while Ellipal X Card is priced at $69 — a $30 difference. The extra cost of Cypherock X1 gets you a 1-point higher overall rating. For budget buyers, Ellipal X Card offers solid security at a lower price point.
Who Should Pick Which Wallet
Recommendations based on real-world use cases
Cypherock X1
$99Best for:
Lower priceWalletConnect support5000+ coinsNFC support
Pros
- +No single seed phrase by default: a 2-of-5 Shamir split across the Vault and four NFC cards
- +Any two of the five parts restore the wallet, so one lost card or a lost Vault does not lose funds
- +Public Vault firmware; WalletScrutiny reproduced builds up to v0.6.1539 (January 2025)
- +Keylabs audited Vault hardware, firmware and bootloader in 2022 and verified the fixes
Cons
- −The full key is rebuilt in the Vault MCU's RAM for each signature; Keylabs: the seed is exposed on it
- −Desktop only: the mobile app cannot connect to the device, and every transaction needs USB to cySync
- −cySync sends Mixpanel analytics by default (opt-out toggle); no Tor, no custom node
- −Bootloader and X1 Card applet are closed; the firmware licence is MIT with a Commons Clause
Ellipal X Card
$69Best for:
AffordableWalletConnect supportAndroid supportiOS support
Pros
- +Always creates a standard BIP39 seed phrase, so recovery does not depend on Ellipal or on the cards
- +Credit-card format with no battery, cable or charging; signs by tapping an iPhone or Android phone
- +Secure chip that Ellipal describes as CC EAL6+, with keys generated by its hardware random number generator
- +Optional duplicate cards and passphrase (hidden wallet) support
Cons
- −No screen on the card: addresses and amounts are checked only in the phone app
- −Firmware is locked at the factory and can never be updated, so a flaw could not be patched
- −No published chip model, certificate or independent audit; security claims are Ellipal's
- −No desktop app: phone with NFC only
Best for These Profiles
Pre-Purchase Checklist
Important points to verify regardless of your choice
All wallets ship from official manufacturer stores with full warranty.
Cypherock X1 vs Ellipal X Card: Frequently Asked Questions
Answers about Cypherock X1 vs Ellipal X Card
Is Cypherock X1 better than Ellipal X Card?
On the numbers, Cypherock X1 comes out ahead — 61/100 vs 60/100 — but 'better' isn't quite the right frame. Ellipal X Card is more affordable at $69, which matters more for some buyers than overall score does. If overall rating is what you actually weigh first, take Cypherock X1. If budget is the constraint that shapes your decision, Ellipal X Card is the smarter buy. Either way, both are real hardware wallets — neither is a mistake.
How much do Cypherock X1 and Ellipal X Card cost?
Cypherock X1 costs $99, Ellipal X Card costs $69. These are list prices for the standard edition from official manufacturer stores. A few things worth knowing: hardware wallet prices barely move during the year, so 'waiting for a sale' rarely pays off — Black Friday is the one exception, with 10–20% off being typical. Avoid third-party listings even if they're cheaper; the supply chain risk on a tampered device wipes out any savings the first time you load funds. And don't buy a 'used' hardware wallet, ever — even if it claims to be reset.
Can Cypherock X1 be used on iPhone (iOS)?
No — Cypherock X1 has no iOS app today, and there's no public roadmap for one. It works fine with Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, but iPhone users are out of luck. If your primary device is an iPhone and you don't want a separate computer just to manage crypto, Ellipal X Card is the practical pick: it has a native iOS app and the full feature set works over Lightning or Bluetooth.
What happens if I lose all my Cypherock X1 cards?
Funds are unrecoverable. There's no seed phrase to fall back on, no recovery service, no manufacturer override — that's the explicit design trade-off. The mitigation is the multi-card set: every card you receive is a complete, independent backup of the same wallet. Realistic plan: keep one card on you, one at home in a safe, and one with a trusted person or in a bank deposit box. Lose any two and you're still fine. Lose all of them and the coins are gone forever.
Which wallet is better for DeFi and Web3: Cypherock X1 or Ellipal X Card?
Cypherock X1 — and the gap is bigger than the spec sheets make it look. Cypherock X1 has WalletConnect built in, which means you sign DeFi transactions directly from a hardware wallet without exposing keys to a hot wallet. Ellipal X Card can technically work with DeFi via third-party software, but every extra step is one more place an attacker can intercept the transaction you're approving. If you're going to be clicking 'Sign' on smart contracts more than once a month, the difference compounds fast.
Cypherock X1 vs Ellipal X Card: which has better backup options?
Cypherock X1 uses multiple linked NFC cards as encrypted backups (no seed phrase). Ellipal X Card uses multiple linked NFC cards as encrypted backups (no seed phrase). Both work — but they reflect different ideas about what 'backup' should be. The seed phrase approach (BIP-39) is the open industry standard: portable across most wallets, well-documented, and recoverable on any compatible device. The downside is well-known too — it's a piece of paper that's a single photograph or careless moment away from disaster. Card-based backups can't be photographed and don't write themselves down, but they're proprietary, which means you trust one manufacturer to stay in business and keep the format alive. Pick based on which failure mode worries you more.
Is Cypherock X1 more secure than Ellipal X Card because it's open-source?
Not automatically — and this is a more nuanced question than the marketing suggests. Open-source (Cypherock X1) lets anyone (researchers, hobbyists, paranoid users) read the firmware and verify there are no backdoors. That's the strongest possible trust signal. Ellipal X Card keeps source code private but compensates with paid third-party audits from and certifications like CC EAL5+/EAL6+ on the secure element. Open-source is the more transparent posture; audited closed-source can still be cryptographically airtight. Our honest take: if open-source is the deciding factor for you philosophically, pick Cypherock X1 — but don't dismiss Ellipal X Card as 'less secure' purely on that basis.
Can Ellipal X Card be used with a desktop computer?
No — Ellipal X Card is mobile-only with no Windows, macOS, or Linux app available. If you do most of your crypto work on a laptop or desktop (DeFi power users, traders, anyone running a full node), this is a real limitation, not a minor inconvenience. Cypherock X1 supports all three desktop operating systems with a polished companion app, and that's the practical pick if desktop is your main interface.
Made your decision?
Check out full reviews or find the best price from official vendors.
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Official store
Cypherock X1$99 · 61/100
Ellipal X Card$69 · 60/100
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