Updated 2026-07-31. Written by the Keepcrypt team, so read our verdict knowing where we stand. Every Cryptosteel figure below links to a public source.
Short answer: if you want the simplest possible full-phrase backup in one object, Cryptosteel is excellent and costs less. If you believe the person who finds your backup is a bigger threat than the fire that never comes, Keepcrypt is built for you.
Cryptosteel earned its position. Cryptosteel is the longest-standing brand in metal seed backup and the reference point the whole category gets measured against. The Capsule is a machined stainless cylinder that stores a recovery phrase on pre-stamped steel character tiles threaded onto an internal core. On pure durability there is nothing to attack. Steel tiles rated far beyond house-fire temperatures, no power, no electronics, no failure modes beyond losing the thing.
Keepcrypt starts from a different question. Metal backup solved fire and water years ago, and left the discovery problem untouched. A capsule, a plate, or a cassette announces what it is to anyone who opens the drawer. It survives the disaster and fails the houseguest, the contractor, the burglar, the curious relative. Keepcrypt objects read as a AAA battery, an M10 screw, a door hinge. Words engrave into titanium, and no single object ever holds a full phrase, so even a found object exposes nothing on its own.
Material
How words are stored
Full 24-word phrase in one object
Fire and water survival
What it looks like on a table
Passes a casual search of the room
Single point of discovery
24-word setup price
Cryptosteel figures as of 2026-07-31. Sources: Cryptosteel Capsule Solo product page · Cryptosteel FAQ (materials, capacity) · Hardware-wallets.net Capsule review
They solve different threat models. Cryptosteel solved fire and water and is the most established brand in metal backup. Keepcrypt also survives fire and water but is built for one additional threat, discovery. A Capsule on a shelf reads as a crypto device. A Keepcrypt Cell reads as a AAA battery.
No, and that is deliberate. Cell and Screw hold 5 words each, Hinge holds 12. You distribute a phrase across objects and locations, so finding one object never exposes the whole seed. Cryptosteel stores the full phrase in a single capsule, which is simpler but concentrates the risk in one findable place.
Yes. Cryptosteel quotes stainless tiles rated to 1400 C, far beyond house-fire temperatures. Keepcrypt engraves titanium sealed in stainless bodies, which holds engraving through house-fire conditions. On durability the two are peers. The difference is what happens when someone searches the room.
For a 24-word phrase, the 5-Cell pack at $219 or the complete Set at $299. For 12 words, the Hinge at $99 is the cheapest single-object option in the catalogue. All packs include the engraving pen, practice pieces, and the bead stand.