Get the extension The Air-Gapped Wallet
You Can Actually Verify
A hardware wallet asks you to trust a sealed chip and closed firmware. Locker Protocol asks for nothing: the smart contracts are public and verified on-chain, and the extension holds no wallet key. You sign on a phone that never touches the internet.
Why people look for an alternative
Three dated facts, each documented by Ledger's own public communications.
Customer database breach
Order data of about 272,000 customers (names, home addresses, phone numbers) ended up public, followed by phishing campaigns and physical threats. Buying a security device created the very data that exposed its owners.
Ledger Recover
A firmware update showed the seed can leave the Secure Element when firmware asks for it. "Keys never leave the chip" became a policy, not a property.
Connect Kit supply-chain attack
A compromised Ledger npm library served a wallet drainer inside major dApps for several hours. The attack surface wasn't the device: it was the vendor.
Ledger is a trademark of Ledger SAS, used here only to identify the product being compared. Every fact above links to Ledger's own public communications.
What changes with Locker
Optical air gap
No USB, no Bluetooth, no NFC. Transactions cross as QR codes you can see. There is no hidden channel, because there is no channel.
Nothing to trust blind
The contracts are published and verified on every chain. The extension holds no wallet key, so nothing in the browser can withdraw or send your funds.
Nothing to buy, nothing to ship
Any factory-reset phone becomes the vault. No order and no delivery, so no name or home address of yours to leak.
Keep your dApps
The Locker extension is a drop-in Web3 wallet: your existing dApp workflow stays exactly the same, only the signing moves off-line.
Locker vs Ledger, side by side
| Feature | Locker | Ledger |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | €79–€399 |
| Signing channel | QR codes only (optical) | USB / Bluetooth |
| Source code | Contracts public & verified on-chain | Apps open, firmware closed |
| Seed extraction path | None by construction | Recover: firmware-assisted, opt-in |
| Supply-chain exposure | No hardware, rebuildable software | Device manufacturing and delivery |
| Personal data required | None | Shipping identity (leaked in 2020) |
| dApp workflow | Drop-in extension (EIP-6963) | Ledger Live or third-party wallet |
| On-chain multisig, vesting and locks | Built in | No |
| Certified secure element | No | Yes (CC EAL5+) Advantage Ledger |
| Institutional custody and insurance | No | Yes (Enterprise) Advantage Ledger |
Price
Locker
Free
Ledger
€79–€399
Signing channel
Locker
QR codes only (optical)
Ledger
USB / Bluetooth
Source code
Locker
Contracts public & verified on-chain
Ledger
Apps open, firmware closed
Seed extraction path
Locker
None by construction
Ledger
Recover: firmware-assisted, opt-in
Supply-chain exposure
Locker
No hardware, rebuildable software
Ledger
Device manufacturing and delivery
Personal data required
Locker
None
Ledger
Shipping identity (leaked in 2020)
dApp workflow
Locker
Drop-in extension (EIP-6963)
Ledger
Ledger Live or third-party wallet
On-chain multisig, vesting and locks
Locker
Built in
Ledger
No
Certified secure element
Locker
No
Ledger
Yes (CC EAL5+)
Advantage Ledger
Institutional custody and insurance
Locker
No
Ledger
Yes (Enterprise)
Advantage Ledger
What a secure element does better
A certified secure element resists physical extraction: an attacker who steals the device and owns lab equipment faces a hardened chip. That is a real advantage, and we don't claim otherwise. Our answer is different: against remote attacks (malware, drainers, supply-chain compromises), which cause the overwhelming majority of crypto losses, an optical air gap is stricter than any cable.
Read the full threat model →Leave in about 10 minutes
Three steps, no purchase, no account.
Turn an old phone into a vault
Factory-reset it, switch to airplane mode, install the vault from a QR code. It never goes online again.
Print your paper backup
An encrypted QR code restores your vault anywhere. Whoever finds the paper sees only ciphertext.
Transfer your funds
Send from your current wallet to your new address at your own pace. Nothing has to move in bulk.
Frequently asked questions
Is a phone really as secure as a hardware wallet?
Against remote attacks such as malware, drainers or phishing, an offline phone signing over QR codes is stricter than a USB or Bluetooth device: there is no channel to attack. Against physical lab-grade extraction, a certified secure element keeps an edge; our threat model documents this honestly instead of claiming otherwise.
Do I need to buy anything at all?
No. Any phone you already own becomes the vault after a factory reset and airplane mode. No device to order, no shipping, no account, and therefore no customer database to leak.
Will my dApps still work?
Yes. The Locker extension registers as a standard Web3 wallet (EIP-6963), so dApps detect it like any browser wallet. Your workflow stays the same: only the signature happens on the offline vault, through QR codes.
What happens if the phone breaks or is lost?
You restore from your paper backup: an encrypted QR code printed when you created the vault. With the paper and your password, you recover on any other phone in minutes.
Why is it free, and what's the business model?
Installing and using the wallet is free, and stays that way. The project earns a small fee on swaps, bridges and Hyperliquid orders made from the extension (at most 0.25%, and 0.05% on Hyperliquid, always shown before you sign), and sells an optional pre-configured hardware vault for those who prefer a dedicated device. The keys and the protocol never depend on either.