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Should I use OnlyKey?

OnlyKey Hardware Password Manager | One PIN to remember - onlykey.io

Depends. Buy OnlyKey if you're a privacy-minded individual who wants one open-source device for passwords and 2FA and tolerates fiddly setup. Skip it if you want plug-and-play 2FA (a YubiKey is simpler) or centralized credential management for a team.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 50+ public sources; many snippets truncated, so no numeric review ratings could be verified.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$55 one-time

OnlyKey (Color)

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierNo

Best for

  • Privacy enthusiasts wanting offline storage
  • One-key password + 2FA carry
  • Open source auditors
  • Tinkers comfortable with setup apps

Not for

  • Teams needing centralized credential management
  • Casual users wanting plug-and-play 2FA
  • Anyone with more than 24 logins
  • People who won't maintain a backup key

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Wrong PIN attempts wipe the key — losing your PIN means losing stored passwords

medium

24-account cap per device; heavy password users will outgrow it

medium

Small team; users have openly asked if development is dead

low

Many users keep a YubiKey as backup — budget for two devices

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Open source hardware and firmware
  • Password manager, 2FA, and TOTP combined in one device
  • $55 one-time purchase; no subscription fees
  • Stores up to 24 accounts fully offline
  • Works as FIDO2, U2F, YubiKey OTP, and Google Authenticator

Cons

  • Setup needs companion app and on-device PIN typing
  • Only 24 account slots per device
  • Users have questioned whether the project is still alive
  • Python tooling carried a vulnerable dependency (CVE-2024-23342)

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/02/2026 - 12 sources - Open source with PIN-protected offline storage; two dependency-level CVEs tracked, no device breaches reported.

official x3review x5security x2news x2
  • CVE-2026-74870, Information disclosure in openssl_encrypt (pip) dependency, CVSS 3.3, flagged against OnlyKey App.
  • CVE-2024-23342 (python-ecdsa), Vulnerable python-ecdsa library in OnlyKey Python tooling; maintainer committed to updating it.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $55 one-time

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. One-time $55 covers password manager plus 2FA
  • Ease of use: 2/5. App setup and keypad PIN entry add friction
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Passwords, FIDO2/U2F, TOTP, SSH/GPG agent in one
  • Support quality: 2/5. Tiny team; users questioned project continuity
  • Security posture: 3/5. Open source; low-severity app CVEs disclosed
  • $55 Starting price one-time hardware, no subscription
  • 24 accounts Capacity per device
  • Yes Open source hardware, firmware, and apps
  • $40K Crowdfunded OnlyKey DUO, 4x its goal

Pricing

OnlyKey (Color)

$55 one-time

  • Hardware password manager, 24 accounts
  • FIDO2/U2F + TOTP + YubiKey OTP
  • No subscription

Security

Open source with PIN-protected offline storage; two dependency-level CVEs tracked, no device breaches reported.

  • CVE-2026-74870Information disclosure in openssl_encrypt (pip) dependency, CVSS 3.3, flagged against OnlyKey App.⁸
  • CVE-2024-23342 (python-ecdsa)Vulnerable python-ecdsa library in OnlyKey Python tooling; maintainer committed to updating it.⁹

What users say

Users value the all-in-one offline design and fair price but weigh it constantly against YubiKey and Nitrokey, and some have worried about the project's continuity.

“OnlyKey is live and well”
Reddit, r/OnlyKey
“The price is okay so far”
Google Groups, qubes-users
“I use Onlykey regularly.”
Reddit, r/PrivacyGuides
Full analysis

Based on 50+ public sources; many snippets truncated, so no numeric review ratings could be verified.

Solid $55 offline password manager + 2FA key for privacy enthusiasts; too fiddly and solo-run for teams.

Methodology

Based on 50+ public sources; many snippets truncated, so no numeric review ratings could be verified.

Sources

  1. OnlyKey homepage — $55 pricingonlykey.io
    official
  2. OnlyKey Product Details — 24 account capacityonlykey.io
    official
  3. OnlyKey G2 reviewsg2.com
    review
  4. Testing an OnlyKey hardware password managerjpmens.net
    review
  5. YubiKey vs OnlyKey (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  6. Is Onlykey dead? (Reddit)reddit.com
    review
  7. Usability Assessment of the OnlyKey Hardware Two-Factor Token (arXiv)arxiv.org
    review
  8. CVE-2026-74870 — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  9. python-ecdsa CVE-2024-23342 — OnlyKey GitHub issuegithub.com
    security
  10. OnlyKey Docs — Securitydocs.onlykey.io
    official
  11. Best security keys of 2026 — ZDNetzdnet.com
    news
  12. OnlyKey DUO Kickstarterkickstarter.com
    news

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