Created: 2026-01-29 08:30 (GMT+11)
| Feature | nos2x / nos2x-fox | Amber | nsecBunker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Browser extension (Chrome/Firefox) | Android mobile app | Server/daemon (self-hosted or cloud) |
| Protocol | NIP-07 | NIP-55 (Android intents) + NIP-46 | NIP-46 |
| Where keys live | Browser extension storage | Mobile device | Server/remote daemon |
| Connection | Direct (window.nostr object) | Android intents + relays | Via Nostr relays |
| Multi-user | ❌ Single user | ❌ Single user | ✅ Multiple users |
| Shared identities | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Permission scoping | ✅ Per-site (you approve) | ✅ Fine-grained per app | ✅ Fine-grained per token |
| Offline | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ❌ Requires relay connectivity |
| Hardware wallet style | ❌ No (software) | ✅ Phone as hardware device | |
| Requires server | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (unless self-hosted) |
| Revoke access | ✅ Remove from extension | ✅ Revoke app permissions | ✅ Revoke token |
| Team/company use | ❌ No | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| iOS support | ✅ Yes (via iOS browser) | ❌ No (Android only) | ✅ Yes (via NIP-46 apps) |
| Open source | ✅ Public domain | ✅ MIT | ✅ MIT |
How it works:
- Installs as a browser extension
- Exposes
window.nostrobject to websites (NIP-07) - Keys stored in browser extension storage
- When a site wants to sign, extension pops up a prompt for approval
Pros:
- ✅ Works with any website that supports NIP-07
- ✅ Fast and seamless (direct browser API)
- ✅ Most widely supported signer
- ✅ Cross-platform (Chrome, Firefox, Brave, etc.)
- ✅ No server required
Cons:
- ❌ Keys live in browser (if browser compromised, keys at risk)
- ❌ No shared identity support (single user only)
- ❌ No hardware-level isolation
- ❌ Requires each device to have its own key pair (or you copy keys around)
Best for:
- Daily Nostr users who want convenience
- People who primarily use web clients (Damus web, Snort, etc.)
- Single-user setups
How it works:
- Dedicated Android app that holds your nsec
- Uses NIP-55 (Android-specific signing protocol)
- Also supports NIP-46 (can act as a bunker for other apps)
- Apps send signing requests via Android intents or relay-based NIP-46
- Your phone acts as a hardware wallet for Nostr
Pros:
- ✅ Phone as hardware wallet — keys isolated on mobile device
- ✅ Offline signing (no relay needed for local apps)
- ✅ Fine-grained permissions per app
- ✅ Multiple accounts supported
- ✅ Can provide NIP-46 bunker to other devices
- ✅ Works with both native and web apps
Cons:
- ❌ Android only (no iOS version yet, though in development)
- ❌ Requires multiple apps to support NIP-55/NIP-46
- ❌ Not as widely supported as nos2x/NIP-07
- ❌ Still single-user (no shared identities)
Best for:
- Android power users who want hardware-wallet-level security
- People who want their phone to be the single signing device
- Those who want to use Nostr across multiple devices with one key
How it works:
- Server/daemon that holds your private keys
- Uses NIP-46 (remote signing via Nostr relays)
- Apps connect via tokens (e.g.,
npub1abc#secret) - All communication encrypted and routed through relays
- Supports multiple users and shared identities
Pros:
- ✅ Shared identities — multiple people can sign as same npub
- ✅ Team/company support — perfect for shared accounts
- ✅ Self-hostable — you control the server
- ✅ Fine-grained permissions per token
- ✅ Revoke access instantly by revoking token
- ✅ Works from any device with NIP-46 support
- ✅ Keys never touch user devices
Cons:
- ❌ Requires server (either self-hosted or trust a public instance)
- ❌ Depends on relay connectivity (must be online to sign)
- ❌ Not hardware wallet — server-based (more attack surface)
- ❌ More complex to set up
- ❌ Less widely supported than NIP-07
Best for:
- Companies/teams sharing a single identity
- People who want to control their own signing infrastructure
- Multi-device setups where you want one key everywhere
- Users who can't use mobile or browser extensions
- You use web clients most of the time
- You want the easiest, most compatible solution
- You're a single user
- You don't need hardware-wallet-level security
- You're on Android
- You want your phone as the single signing device (like a hardware wallet)
- You use multiple devices but want one key
- You care about offline signing capability
- You want to sign from other apps on your phone
- You need shared/team identities
- You want to self-host your signer
- You're setting up for a company or project
- You need fine-grained permission management
- You want to use Nostr from devices without native signer support
You don't have to pick just one:
- Amber + nsecBunker: Amber can act as a NIP-46 bunker for other apps while also being a local signer
- nos2x + nsecBunker: Use nos2x for web, nsecBunker for team identities
- Multiple nsecBunkers: Self-host one for personal, use a public instance for testing
The Nostr ecosystem is composable — mix and match based on your security needs and use case.
| Use Case | Best Choice |
|---|---|
| Personal, web-heavy user | nos2x |
| Android, hardware-wallet style | Amber |
| Team/company shared identity | nsecBunker |
| Self-hosted infrastructure | nsecBunker |
| Maximum compatibility | nos2x |
| Maximum security (device isolation) | Amber |
Choose based on: platform → security needs → multi-user requirements 🚀
- nos2x GitHub - Browser extension, NIP-07
- Amber GitHub - Android signer, NIP-55 + NIP-46
- nsecBunker Docs - Remote signer daemon
- NIP-07: Browser Extension
- NIP-46: Remote Signing
- NIP-55: Android Signer
#nostr #signer #security #nsecbunker #nos2x #amber #nip07 #nip46 #nip55 #identity #wallet