How we test and score every wallet
One fixed 40-point standard, applied the same way to every wallet we review, and exactly what we look for in each. No maker can buy a place, a badge, or a kinder word.
What we promise before a single score
Bought at our cost
We purchase every wallet ourselves, at retail. No loaners, no review units, no strings that a maker could later pull.
One 40-point standard
Every wallet meets the same rubric, so a score on one review means the same thing as a score on another.
A week of real use
Each wallet is set up, funded and carried through daily life before it earns a mark. Marks reflect living with it, not a spec sheet.
No paid entries
Affiliate links fund the work, but they never move a score, a ranking, or the order of a list. Ever.
What we look for: the forty points
These are the five things we look for in any wallet, crypto or everyday, weighted into a forty-point score and then expressed as a single mark out of ten.
Security
Chip certification, breach history, how keys are isolated, and how the device resists physical and remote attack.
Ease of use
Setup, daily use, and how hard the wallet and its app are to get wrong. The safest wallet is the one used correctly.
Assets & capacity
For crypto, how many coins, tokens and chains it truly supports. For everyday wallets, how much it carries without bulk.
Value
What you pay against what a rival gives for the money, judged against the stake the wallet is meant to protect.
Recovery & support
How safely you can restore if the wallet is lost or dies, and how well the maker stands behind it.
How the forty points are earned
Each of the five criteria is marked against the same notes we keep for every wallet, so a score means the same thing across the whole register.
| Criterion | Points | What earns a high mark | What loses points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | 10 | A certified secure element, open-source firmware, a clean breach history, and keys that never leave the device. | Closed, unaudited code; weak key isolation; unexplained breaches. |
| Ease of use | 8 | Fast setup, a clear app, and a design that is hard to get dangerously wrong. | Confusing flows that make a costly mistake easy. |
| Assets & capacity | 8 | Broad, current coin and chain support; or, for carry, holding what you use without bulk. | Narrow support, or a wallet that is bulky or too small for real use. |
| Value | 7 | Strong value measured against the stake the wallet is meant to protect. | A price that outruns what the wallet actually delivers. |
| Recovery & support | 7 | Robust backup such as Shamir or a passphrase, a clear recovery path, and support that answers. | Fragile recovery, no backup options, or support that vanishes after the sale. |
The five marks add up to forty points, expressed as a single score out of ten. Because every wallet is measured the same way, a mark means the same thing whether you are reading a hardware wallet review or an everyday cardholder review.
How we test a wallet, step by step
Every wallet is bought at our own cost and set up exactly as a first-time owner would, from the sealed box. The routine differs by kind.
Testing a crypto wallet
- Buy it direct from the maker or an authorised store, never a marketplace reseller, so it cannot have been tampered with in transit.
- Run the maker's authenticity check the first time it connects.
- Set it up as new and generate a fresh recovery phrase on the device. We never accept a pre-printed seed.
- Fund it, then send and receive across more than one chain.
- Wipe it and restore from the recovery phrase before trusting it with anything.
- Check the specifics: secure-element certification, open-source status, and any breach history, all against primary sources.
- Live with it for a full week, noting every point of daily friction.
Testing an everyday wallet
- Buy it at retail, in the finish most people would actually choose.
- Load it with the cards and cash we really carry, not a staged minimum.
- Carry it every day for a week, through pockets, bags and real use.
- Work the mechanism repeatedly, whether a pop-up, a pull-tab or a MagSafe magnet.
- Judge the materials and how they wear, and test RFID shielding wherever it is claimed.
- Weigh capacity against slimness the way a buyer has to.
- Only then score it against the same forty-point standard.
What the mark means
| Mark | What it means |
|---|---|
| 9.0 – 10 | Exceptional. The best in its class; buy with confidence. |
| 8.0 – 8.9 | Excellent. A strong, safe choice with only minor trade-offs. |
| 7.0 – 7.9 | Good. Solid for most people, but weigh the caveats we flag. |
| 6.0 – 6.9 | Fair. Usable, but with real compromises; only for a specific need. |
| Below 6.0 | Weak. We would steer you to something better. |
What can never change a score
The mark is set by the wallet's performance against the standard, and by nothing else. In particular, none of the following has ever moved a score, a ranking, or the order of a list:
- Whether a maker runs an affiliate program.
- Whether they advertise, anywhere.
- Whether they would prefer a kinder write-up.
- Whether they offered a free unit, which we decline for review purposes.
Affiliate links fund the buying and the testing, and we disclose them wherever they appear. Because we pay for every wallet ourselves, no maker has any hold over what we publish.
Re-checked monthly
Every wallet in the register is revisited each month, so the marks reflect the product as it is now, not as it launched.
Re-scored on change
A major firmware update, a price change, or a new security issue triggers a fresh look, and the score moves if the facts do.
Corrections welcome
Specs and firmware change and we sometimes get things wrong. Flag an error and we fix it; accuracy matters more than being right.
The people behind the standard
The WalletPicks Desk
Hands-on wallet testingBuys every wallet at retail, sets it up from the sealed box, and lives with it for a week before applying the forty-point standard.
View profile →Marko Ristić
Editor & Fact-CheckerChecks every security claim, chip certification and breach history against primary sources before a review is published.
View profile →Methodology FAQ
Do you accept payment for reviews or rankings?
No. Every wallet is bought at our own cost and scored on the same fixed forty-point standard. No maker can pay for a place, a higher mark, or a kinder verdict. Affiliate links fund the work and are disclosed, but they never move a score.
How is the score calculated?
Each wallet is marked on five weighted criteria: security (10), ease of use (8), assets and capacity (8), value (7) and recovery and support (7), for forty points in total, then expressed as a single mark out of ten.
How long do you test a wallet before scoring it?
At least a full week of real use. Crypto wallets are funded and put through a wipe-and-restore; everyday wallets are carried daily with real cards and cash. We only score after living with the product, never from a spec sheet.
How often are reviews updated?
The register is re-checked monthly, and any wallet is re-scored when it ships a major firmware update, changes price, or a new security issue comes to light.
Do you keep the wallets you review?
Yes. Because we buy them ourselves, we keep them for re-testing when firmware or circumstances change, which is part of how the register stays current.
How can I trust reviews from an in-house desk?
Our work is verifiable rather than personality-driven: the standard is public, the scores are comparable, security claims are checked against primary sources, and a named editor fact-checks every review before it goes live.
Read the register
Every wallet we have tested, ranked by the standard on this page.
Read the register →