BitBox is a hardware wallet brand from Shift Crypto AG, a privately held company registered in the canton of Zurich and based in Adliswil, Switzerland 1. It sells two devices, the BitBox02 and the newer BitBox02 Nova. Each comes in a Multi edition for Bitcoin and selected other coins, or a Bitcoin-only edition with slimmer firmware. Both work with the free BitBoxApp 4. Like any hardware wallet, a BitBox keeps your private keys offline and signs transactions on the device, and Shift Crypto never holds your coins. One difference stands out: BitBox's default backup is a microSD card, though you can also write down recovery words 4. (This page is about the crypto wallet, not the retro game consoles or the Bitcoin ATM operator that share the name.)
BitBox began in 2015 with the BitBox01, created by Douglas Bakkum and Jonas Schnelli. Bakkum is now CEO and a board member of Shift Crypto AG 1. A 2019 EU funding record lists the company under an earlier name, Shift Cryptosecurity AG. That record says the first-generation device had about 16,000 users in more than 100 countries at the time 2. In June 2023 the company moved its customer-facing branding to BitBox. Shift Crypto AG remains the legal entity that sells the devices and signs contracts 3.
Shift Crypto says the BitBox02 is designed and manufactured in Switzerland and that the company is privately held. It does not publish its investors 1.
| BitBox02 Nova | BitBox02 | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | June 2025 5 | 2019 (succeeded BitBox01) |
| Secure chip | Certified secure chip (EAL6+) in a dual-chip design 4 | Microchip ATECC608B secure chip + ATSAMD51J20A microcontroller 4 |
| Screen | Glass OLED 4 | 128×64 white OLED 4 |
| Connection | USB-C, plus Bluetooth for iPhone/iPad (can be permanently disabled) 45 | USB-C only 4 |
| Backup | microSD card or recovery words 4 | microSD card or recovery words 4 |
| Shop price | $196 6 | $167 6 |
The Multi edition supports Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Cardano and, by BitBox's count, more than 1,500 ERC-20 tokens, and it adds universal two-factor (U2F) login 45. The Bitcoin-only edition strips out everything except Bitcoin. That means less code that could contain bugs, but you cannot add other coins later. The price is the same for both editions 6.
The Nova's Bluetooth link, called "Whisper", runs on a separate microcontroller from the signing chip and uses randomized addresses so the device is harder to track 5. If you do not need a phone connection, you can switch Bluetooth off permanently.
Shift Crypto never needs your recovery words or microSD backup. Anyone who asks for them is attempting theft; see crypto phishing.
As of October 23, 2026, BitBox's official shop listed the BitBox02 Nova at $196 and the BitBox02 at $167, for either edition. Accessories are extra: a two-pack of microSD backup cards ($28), metal backup plates such as the Steelwallet ($73) and tamper-evident bags 6. The shop says import costs are covered and advertises 2–3 working-day UPS Express shipping to the US 6.
The BitBoxApp is free. Sending coins costs only the blockchain's network fee. Swaps or purchases arranged through partner services inside the app are priced by those partners.
A BitBox protects keys in two ways. Keys stay on the device, and every transaction must be confirmed on the device's own screen, so malware on your computer cannot simply move your coins. Shift Crypto publishes the firmware and BitBoxApp source code on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license, so outside researchers can review it 7. It also runs a bug bounty program, and several of the fixes listed below came from outside researchers through it 89.
What the design does not protect against: someone who gets your recovery words or microSD backup, phishing sites, and approving a transaction without checking the address on the screen.
BitBox's distinguishing features are its microSD backup, Swiss design and manufacturing, a Bitcoin-only edition at the same price as the Multi, and published firmware source code. Ledger uses a closed-source secure-element operating system and sells an optional ID-based recovery service. Trezor is also open source but relies on written recovery phrases. For CoinPulse's separate assessment, see CoinPulse's BitBox rating and evidence and the hardware wallet ratings.
BitBox has no reported theft of user funds through its devices or infrastructure in the sources checked. The company has disclosed and patched several vulnerabilities:
Hacks in DefiLlama’s public database are also scored as the security record on the BitBox rating page.
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