ICP custody options

Understand the benefits and limitations of each custody option so you can choose the wallet that best suits your needs.

Onchain Wallets Onchain dapps that are easily accessible with the creation of an Internet Identity. Great for daily use and small amount transfers. Oisy NNS frontend dapp with Internet Identity AstroX ME NFID Wallet Orbit (private alpha) Stoic wallet	Mobile Wallets Mobile apps offer easy access to crypto assets for people who use them frequently. Plug wallet AstroX ME Klever AirGap Trust Wallet	Hardware Wallets Maximum security. Hardware wallets hold private keys in airgapped machines or ledger devices. Ledger Nano and other Ledger hardware devices AirGap Tangem Taurus ICP Custody with Quill (Minimalistic ledger and governance toolkit for cold wallets) Networked computer ICP custody with seed phrase and air-gapped machine
Institutional Custody For anyone managing large amounts of crypto assets. Institutional custodians offer reliability and customer support. Coinbase Sygnum Copper Crypto Finance Dfns (wallet-as-a-service) Primevault Taurus NFID Wallet Orbit (private alpha)	Browser-Extensions Great for users already familiar with crypto wallets from other chains. Plug wallet Trust Wallet Bitfinity Wallet Metamask (MSQ snap) Primevault (coupled to institutional custody)	Special Use Cases ICP staking, voting & governance (NNS) NNS frontend dapp Ledger Nano ICP staking SNS staking & governance NNS frontend dapp Ledger Nano ICP staking

Do you want maximum control of your keys?

No? Then, use third party custody solutions:

Third party custody solutions allow you to trade-off ease-of-use for control. The trade-off is simple: if you do not feel comfortable managing your own keys and are willing to have a third party to have access to your keys for the sake of being hand-held through the process, then third party solutions can be the right choice for you.

Third party custody solutions include the Institutional Custody solutions listed above, as well as any of the exchanges supporting ICP on these lists:

• CoinMarketCap list of ICP exchanges
• CoinGecko list of ICP exchanges

Yes? Then, use self-custody:

All of the solutions above, except Institutional Custody, are self-custody. On ICP, Oisy and other Onchain Wallets are the preferred solution.

Self-custody: Maximum ease option

If you choose self-custody, the simplest option to consider is Oisy. And if Staking is required, then ICP Custody with NNS frontend dapp. It consists of using an Internet Identity with the NNS frontend dapp.

Traits

• It's the most convenient, entirely web-based, with no need to download or install anything.
• The NNS frontend dapp has all the functionality you need.
• This is a very common method.
• This method is ideal for people who want the easiest path to control their ICP.
• This custody solution has staking and voting built-in if you want to participate in governance.

Self-custody: Maximum control option

If you choose self-custody, the options which maximize control are:

• ICP custody with seed phrase and air-gapped machine
• ICP custody with Ledger Nano

Traits

• This option requires more technical understanding.
• This is the safest option from a software point of view because the user relies on less software surface area, but it is the riskiest from a human point of view in that it puts the risk of the user's seed phrase and private key custody on them.
• Ideal for people who want as much control over their ICP as possible.
• This custody solution has staking built-in if you want to stake as well.

See Also

• Tutorials for acquiring, managing, and staking ICP