Blockstream Jade is a family of open-source, Bitcoin-and-Liquid hardware signers that do without a certified secure chip. Instead they split the secret that unlocks your keys between the device and a remote “blind oracle” server. As of October 2026, Blockstream’s US store lists the Jade Plus at $149–$169 depending on the option, the original Jade (now called Jade Classic) at $79, and the Jade Core at $99 (sold out). This review is based on Blockstream’s documentation and its December 2025 security disclosure. It focuses on whom you trust when you use the oracle, and how to remove that dependency.
Key takeaways
- Jade has no secure element. Your recovery phrase is encrypted on the device with a key that needs your PIN, a device secret and an oracle secret. Three wrong PINs make both the device and the oracle delete their keys.
- By default Blockstream runs the oracle. You can self-host the open-source blind PIN server, or skip it entirely by unlocking with your recovery phrase or a SeedQR each time.
- The Jade Plus and Jade Classic have cameras for air-gapped QR signing. The Jade Core does not support QR or stateless air-gapped signing.
- A firmware flaw reported by DARKNAVY (affecting 1.0.24–1.0.36) was fixed in 1.0.37 on 13 November 2025. Version 1.0.38 added anti-rollback. Blockstream reports no known exploitation.
- Jade works with the Blockstream app (formerly Blockstream Green), Sparrow and Electrum, among others.
Blockstream Jade and Jade Plus: what you get
| Model | Store price (US, October 2026) | Camera / QR air-gap | Connectivity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jade Plus | $149–$169 by option | Yes, plus SeedQR | USB-C, Bluetooth, SD card or USB drive connector, battery | Launched 3 January 2025. Aluminium versions in five colours were announced in June 2026. |
| Jade Core | $99 (sold out) | No | USB-C, Bluetooth | Entry model aimed at app-paired use, announced June 2026 |
| Jade Classic (original Jade) | $79 (on sale at $67 at the time of checking) | Yes | USB-C, Bluetooth | Still in production, per Blockstream’s June 2026 post |
Blockstream’s own comparison page has at times shown $99.99 and $169.99, so prices vary by page, region and colour. Treat the store checkout as the authority. A Jade Plus + JadeLink bundle is also listed ($169–$189). Check the product page for what the JadeLink accessory adds before paying for the bundle.
All models share the same custody model (self-custody), open-source firmware, firmware-level features (BIP39 passphrase, duress PIN, two-factor options) and asset scope: Bitcoin and the Liquid sidechain only. For what any hardware signer does and does not protect against, see what is a hardware wallet. For the broader self-custody picture, see our wallets and security hub.
Buying safely: the official domains are blockstream.com and its store, store.blockstream.com. Type them yourself or use a bookmark. In 2025, phishing emails posing as Jade “firmware updates” circulated. Install firmware only through the Blockstream app or Blockstream’s own flashing tool, never from an emailed link.
The blind oracle: protecting your PIN without a secure chip
Most hardware wallets rely on a secure element, a tamper-resistant chip that refuses to release a secret after too many wrong PINs. Jade uses a general-purpose ESP32 microcontroller, which on its own cannot enforce that limit against an attacker who physically extracts its flash memory. Blockstream’s answer is to move the attempt counter off the device.
How the unlock works
- Your recovery phrase sits on Jade’s flash, encrypted with an AES-256 key.
- That key can only be rebuilt from three ingredients: your PIN, a secret stored on the Jade, and a secret held by the oracle.
- When you enter your PIN, the companion app opens an encrypted channel to the oracle and relays the exchange. Jade itself never talks to the oracle directly, according to Blockstream’s help centre. The connection can run over Tor.
- The oracle holds no PIN, addresses or keys. It stores only what it needs to release its share and count attempts. After three wrong PINs, the oracle and the device both delete their secrets, and you must restore from your recovery phrase.
What an attacker with your Jade can and cannot do
- Can: dump the encrypted flash, try to tamper with the hardware, or, if they also watch you type it, learn your PIN.
- Cannot, per Blockstream: decrypt the phrase offline. Without the oracle’s share, the dump is useless, and the oracle cuts them off after three guesses. Secure Boot blocks unsigned firmware.
- Grey area: security researchers demonstrated attacks on Jade at Geekcon 2025, but the details were not fully disclosed. Treat claims about physical attacks as unconfirmed either way.
Who you are trusting, and how to stop
The default setup asks you to trust that Blockstream’s oracle stays online and honest. It cannot steal funds on its own, because it never sees your phrase. If it disappeared, though, you could not unlock with a PIN and would need your recovery phrase. Blockstream documents three ways out:
- Personal blind oracle: run the open-source blind_pin_server (Docker, port 8096, optionally over Tor on a home node). Blockstream marks its guide as preliminary. Pointing an initialised Jade at your own oracle requires a factory reset and restore.
- SeedQR / stateless use: the Jade Plus and Classic can be unlocked by scanning a QR-encoded seed each session, so no PIN data is stored and no oracle is involved.
- Typed recovery phrase: the slowest option, but it works on any Jade.
Air-gapped QR mode and SeedQR backups
In QR mode, Jade’s camera reads transactions from your screen and shows the signed result as an animated QR code. The device never needs a USB data connection or Bluetooth to sign. This matters for the 2025 flaw described below: Blockstream says QR mode exposed no RPC interface and was not affected. The Jade Core lacks a camera, so it cannot use this mode.
SeedQR is a standard for encoding a BIP39 phrase as a grid you can stamp or draw. Used with a Jade Plus or Classic, it allows a “stateless” pattern: the device holds nothing between sessions, and the SeedQR card is the key. That shifts all the risk onto physical storage of the card. Anyone who photographs it owns your coins. Our guide to seed phrase storage covers durable formats. The BIP39 phrase itself restores in any standard Bitcoin wallet, so you are not locked in to Blockstream.
Bitcoin and Liquid: what Blockstream Jade supports (and doesn’t)
- Bitcoin: single-signature and multisig, BIP39 passphrases, and PSBT signing with compatible coordinators.
- Liquid: Blockstream’s federated sidechain for L-BTC and issued assets (including Liquid USDt), with confidential transactions. Blockstream’s app added Lightning-to-Liquid swaps in late 2025. Note that Liquid’s peg is run by a federation of functionaries, which is a trust model distinct from Bitcoin’s main chain.
- Not supported: Ethereum, Solana, other altcoins and NFTs. If you need them, our hardware wallet comparison covers multi-chain devices.
Companion apps for Jade
The Blockstream app (unveiled in May 2025 as the successor to Blockstream Green, and still listed as “Green” in some app stores) is the default. It handles the oracle connection, buying, Liquid and firmware updates. Sparrow is the usual choice for coin control, multisig coordination and connecting your own node. See our Sparrow wallet review. Electrum also lists Jade among supported devices. Other Bitcoin coordinators support Jade too. Check each one’s current device list before relying on it for multisig.
In December 2025, DARKNAVY also reported problems in how the Blockstream app interacted with Jade. Blockstream says it fixed them within a week and audited both the app and its web flashing tool.
Price, firmware history and fixes
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 3 January 2025 | Jade Plus launched |
| May 2025 | Blockstream app launched, replacing Green branding |
| Early October 2025 | DARKNAVY submits a full report: missing size check in the register_descriptor RPC could overwrite the stack (firmware 1.0.24–1.0.36) |
| 13 November 2025 | Firmware 1.0.37 fixes it. Version 1.0.38 follows about a week later with anti-rollback. |
| 16 December 2025 | Public disclosure. Worst case: limited code execution and possible secret extraction on an unlocked device via USB or Bluetooth. QR mode was unaffected. No confirmed fund losses, per Blockstream. |
| 2 June 2026 | Lineup update: Jade Core ($99), Jade Plus colour range, Jade Classic retained |
Blockstream also stated that Jade was unaffected by the 2025 Coldcard random-number issue and by the ESP32 “hidden debug commands” claims (CVE-2025-27840). The practical step for owners is to make sure firmware is 1.0.38 or later, updated through the official app.
FAQ
Is Blockstream Jade safe without a secure element?
Jade replaces the secure element with a blind oracle. The key that decrypts your phrase needs your PIN, a device secret and an oracle secret, and three wrong PINs wipe both sides. That protects against offline brute-force of a stolen device. It adds a dependency on the oracle, which you can remove by self-hosting it or by using SeedQR.
What is the difference between Jade Plus and Jade Core?
According to Blockstream, the Jade Plus has a camera for air-gapped QR signing and SeedQR, a battery and an SD-card connector. The Jade Core uses USB-C and Bluetooth only and cannot sign air-gapped. As of October 2026 the store lists the Plus at $149–$169 and the Core at $99, sold out.
Can I use Blockstream Jade with Sparrow?
Yes. Sparrow supports Jade over USB and through QR codes on camera-equipped models, and is commonly used for coin control and multisig with Jade. Electrum also lists Jade as a supported device. The Blockstream app remains the simplest route for setup and firmware updates.
Does Blockstream Jade support Liquid?
Yes. All current Jade models support Bitcoin and the Liquid sidechain, including L-BTC and Liquid-issued assets, through the Blockstream app. Jade does not support Ethereum or other non-Bitcoin chains.
Crypto is volatile and risky; this is education, not financial advice. Do your own research.
