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Ledger faces backlash after adding fees to its new Multisig app, even as it launches a product refresh anchored by the Nano Gen5 device and a rebranded Ledger Wallet app. Developers and users say the pricing risks centralizing self-custody, while Ledger frames the change as paying for infrastructure and security features.
Ledger’s Multisig app now charges a $10 flat fee per transaction, and a 0.05% variable fee for token transfers, in addition to network gas costs. The rollout sparked immediate pushback across crypto social channels and industry outlets.
Company documentation and blog posts describe the service as built on Safe, with Ledger’s backend coordinating signatures and adding Clear Signing and Transaction Check. That architecture led some developers to argue that the model centralizes control in a single interface.
Ethereum developer pcaversaccio accused Ledger of turning its wallet interface into a “single choke point,” while praising the technical lift. Ledger’s CTO, Charles Guillemet, later corrected earlier messaging that called Multisig free, saying the reference was a typo.
Industry coverage also raised concerns about how a closed coordination layer could impact transparency expectations surrounding self-custody tooling, even if the underlying Safe protocol remains open-source.
Ledger renamed its companion app from Ledger Live to Ledger Wallet and introduced the Nano Gen5, priced at $179. The device adds an E Ink touchscreen, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC for recovery and security keys, and supports Clear Signing.
Coverage from technology media described the shift from “hardware wallet” to “signer,” reflecting a strategy to expand beyond crypto transactions toward broader identity and authorization use cases.
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Ledger states it has sold more than 8 million devices and that its products secure over 20% of global crypto assets. The firm also notes that no Ledger device has been successfully hacked in the real world.
Security researchers, however, caution that hardware protection does not stop social-engineering risks such as phishing. Kaspersky advises users that scams can still compromise funds if victims reveal seed phrases or sign malicious transactions.
Competition also intensified this week. Trezor announced the Safe 7, featuring a transparent, auditable secure element and what it describes as a “quantum-secure” update architecture, underscoring a race to balance transparency, usability, and resilience.
Critics also note that Ledger’s new Multisig does not support older Nano S devices, which lack the memory required for advanced signing features, prompting some users to switch to newer hardware or alternative coordinators.
Users who prefer open-source flows can coordinate multisig with Specter Desktop or Sparrow Wallet, which support Ledger devices. Ledger also documents setups using external coordinators for Bitcoin and multisig accounts for teams and DAOs today globally.
