Understanding OneKey Hardware Wallets

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0800

I recently needed to research hardware wallets for work. After looking at Ledger, I also wanted to understand OneKey, since it is another mainstream option and worth considering in a technical evaluation.

Supporting a Custom Blockchain

If you want a custom blockchain to use OneKey for secure storage and signing, there are two paths:

Develop an app under the firmware repository, submit a PR, and once merged, the new chain is supported after users upgrade their firmware.
Use an official SDK such as the Web SDK to connect the wallet in the appropriate context.

How End Users Use It

There is no concept of “installing an app” on OneKey. All the user can do is upgrade the firmware.

Ledger vs OneKey Comparison

Ledger requires installing an app on the device; OneKey does not, but it requires a firmware upgrade. You can think of Ledger as an app store model and OneKey as an OS model.
Ledger app submission goes through a store listing request. OneKey support is added via a GitHub PR on the open-source firmware repo — once the PR is merged, it is done.
In development, both use a simulator for non-device testing. For real hardware, Ledger has restrictions and requires a model that supports sideloading, while OneKey has no such restriction, though it still requires a firmware upgrade.

References

https://developer.onekey.so/zh/

OneKey | Attack on Life

Understanding OneKey Hardware Wallets

Supporting a Custom Blockchain

How End Users Use It

Ledger vs OneKey Comparison

References