BitBox02 vs Monero GUI Comparison

A new wallet gets 24 BIP39 recovery words; the device can also restore 12-word phrases. The default backup is a file with the wallet secret on the included microSD card, which is not encrypted; the 24 words can be shown on the device screen at any time after you re-enter the device password.

Monero's own 25-word seed: 24 words encode the private spend key and the 25th is a checksum. It is not BIP39, but it is the most widely used seed format among Monero wallets. The GUI creates and restores only this format, and can also restore a wallet from its private keys or from a hardware wallet.

The BitBox shop ships only to a name and postal address and asks for an email address. You can pay with Bitcoin or Lightning through BitBox's own BTCPay Server instead of a card. BitBox says order data is anonymised after 30 days, but invoices are kept for ten years under Swiss law.

BitBox says each device receives an attestation key at the factory, which the BitBoxApp checks every time you connect, and that the chips are covered in epoxy and the case halves are glued so that opening them breaks plastic pins. The device ships in a vacuum-sealed bag with a patterned seal. BitBox itself says these checks cannot rule out every physical modification of a genuine device.

Shift Crypto AG is registered in the Canton of Zurich, with its address in Adliswil. Its privacy policy follows the Swiss data protection act and the GDPR, and says personal data is stored in the EU.

The Monero Project calls itself a loose collective of individuals; the GUI has no company behind it. The terms of use of getmonero.org, last revised in June 2017, are governed by the laws of South Africa.

A privately held Swiss company that sells under the BitBox brand. Its founders started the BitBox line in 2015; the BitBox02 came out in 2019.

Built by volunteer and crowdfunded contributors under the oversight of the Monero Core Team. No part of the block reward goes to development; the project is funded by donations to its General Fund and through the Community Crowdfunding System.