Tonkeeper wallet review: what it costs when you have no GRAM

Tonkeeper is a non-custodial wallet for the TON network. Its native fee coin is now called GRAM, formerly Toncoin or TON. There is no charge to install it or to hold assets in it. Every transaction on GRAM costs a network fee, and Tonkeeper offers two ways to pay it without holding any Toncoin: Battery and Gasless. They work differently, and neither covers everything.

The wallet does not publish a swap fee. No separate Tonkeeper margin is shown, and any such margin would be embedded in the quoted rate, so the only way to state a cost is to measure the whole transaction. In our test, swapping $100 cost approximately $0.74, or 0.74% all in. 

Scope is narrow by design: exchange Toncoin (GRAM) and you have the wallet’s whole native range — GRAM assets, GRAM NFTs and USDT. There are no native accounts for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana or Monero. Tonkeeper documents support for USDT on TRC20 but for no other TRON asset; the custody and recovery model behind that is tested separately below. One thing to settle before anything else: on GRAM a single recovery phrase produces a different address for each wallet contract version, which is a frequent source of confusion. That comes before the setup steps below.

What the test covers, and what it does not

The planned session covers installation, wallet creation, and swap testing. The privacy policy and every published repository license have already been checked. It does not cover receiving and sending on supported networks, and a card purchase. Anything not run first-hand is attributed to Tonkeeper documentation where it appears.

Tonkeeper at a glance

*Some advanced features, including 2FA and Multi-Send on supported platforms, require a 69.9 GRAM subscription.

Wallet versions: why one recovery phrase gives several addresses

On the TON blockchain, a wallet is itself a smart contract, and the standard has gone through several versions. Each version deployed from the same recovery phrase has its own address. Nothing is lost, but a balance on one version is invisible while another is selected — one of the main sources of confusion documented for GRAM wallets.

Two versions matter in practice. V4R2 is the older standard and is still what many exchanges and older wallets create by default. W5 is the current one. Per the Tonkeeper help center, new wallets are created as W5, existing wallets can be upgraded under Settings, and W5 supports Gasless transactions. It also enables features such as Multi-Send and two-factor authentication, although these features may require Tonkeeper Pro and are not available on every platform.

Setting up Tonkeeper

Tested on version 26.6.1 on August 6, 2026

Setup runs in the app and takes a few minutes. The one step that cannot be redone later is the recovery phrase backup — the phrase is the only way back into the wallet, and Tonkeeper documents no alternative if it is lost. Our guide to storing a recovery phrase covers what to do with it before you start.

Warning to save the recovery phrase

Step 1. Install from the official source

Download from tonkeeper.com or the store listing linked there. Cloned builds and lookalike domains are an ongoing problem, so check the publisher rather than trusting a search result.

Step 2. Tap Create a new wallet

Choose Create a new wallet to start fresh, or Connect existing wallet to import a 12-word or 24-word phrase from another GRAM wallet.

Step 3. Set a PIN

The PIN approves transactions and unlocks the app on the device. It is not a backup and cannot recover the wallet. 

Step 4. Back up the recovery phrase

Write the words down in order. Anyone who reads them controls the wallet on any device without your PIN. Do not photograph them or keep them in a notes app that syncs to a cloud you do not control.

Step 5. Name the wallet and finish

Tonkeeper holds several wallets in one installation, so the name is what distinguishes them. Further wallets are added from the wallet name at the top of the screen, each from its own recovery phrase.

Wallet dashboard after setup

Receiving and sending

To receive cryptocurrency:

• Tap Add Funds.
• Select Receive Tokens.
• Choose either GRAM or USDT (TRC20).
• Copy your wallet address or display the QR code.
• Share the address with the sender.

Receive Screen

To send cryptocurrency:

• Select the asset.
• Tap Send.
• Enter or paste the recipient's address.
• Specify the transfer amount.
• Review the transaction.
• Confirm using your PIN.

Send Screen

The failure that costs money here is network confusion: the same wallet holds USDT on two networks, so sending TON-network USDT to a TRC20 address, or the reverse, is the mistake to guard against. The second failure is having no TON for the fee — the subject of the next section. 

Paying network fees without TON: Battery and Gasless

Every transaction on TON costs a fee in TON, so holding a token but no TON is a dead end in most wallets. Tonkeeper offers two ways around it, and they are not interchangeable.

Charges are bought with TON or supported jettons, or as an in-app purchase. Per the Tonkeeper help center, the minimums are 10 charges for an NFT transfer, 30 for a token transfer, 90 for a swap and 350 to 700 for a USDT (TRC20) transfer, with actual use depending on network conditions. Checked on August 6, 2026; the current figures are in the help center.

Charges bought with crypto can be refunded within 14 days from the Battery settings page; Tonkeeper’s refund flow does not cover App Store or Google Play purchases, which follow Apple’s and Google’s rules. The price of a charge in fiat terms is not published.  

Screenshot: Battery balance and top-up screen

How to swap tokens in Tonkeeper

Tonkeeper holds no liquidity of its own; swaps route to TON decentralized exchanges, and USDT on TRC20 goes through partner services instead. No service fee is published, and no margin is itemized anywhere in the flow.

Step 1. Open the swap screen

Select the asset you want to exchange and tap Swap.

Step 2. Choose the two assets

Pick what you are selling and buying. USDT (TRC20) routes to partner providers rather than a TON exchange.

Step 3. Enter the amount

The wallet shows the estimated amount you will receive before you confirm.

Step 4. Review the quote

Check the rate, route, network fee and expected amount. This screen holds every component of the cost that the wallet does show.

Screenshot: swap quote and route details

Important Note: Rates move with liquidity and congestion, so this is a snapshot, not an average. Check your own pair on the exchange pair pages before assuming it holds.

Step 5. Confirm with your PIN

Depending on the asset and wallet version, the fee can come from Battery or Gasless instead of a TON balance.

Step 6. Verify completion

Wait for on-chain confirmation and check the balance.

What the swap actually costs

The table records one swap on one day. It measures total execution cost — the gap between the market value of what went in and what arrived. That gap contains the exchange fee, price impact, slippage, route liquidity, the network fee and any margin the wallet takes. One measurement cannot separate them, so none of it is attributed to Tonkeeper specifically.

How to buy crypto with a card in Tonkeeper

Per the Tonkeeper help center, the wallet integrates Mercuryo, MoonPay and Transak for card purchases of TON and USDT, and links to the Telegram Wallet P2P marketplace as an alternative. Payment methods include bank cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. Provider markups, country coverage and identity checks are set by the provider rather than by Tonkeeper, and none of them are stated in the wallet. If the providers offered to you are limited, you can buy Toncoin (GRAM) elsewhere and transfer it in.

Step 1. Open the buy screen

Select Buy, or Add Funds and then the fiat option.

Step 2. Choose a provider

The wallet warns you that you are leaving for a third-party site. The purchase happens on the provider’s page, under the provider’s terms.

Screenshot: warning before opening an external provider

Step 3. Enter the amount and review the quote

Record the rate, the fees shown, the amount to be received and the payment method before paying. 

Step 4. Complete payment and confirm receipt

Finish the provider checkout and check that the amount has arrived in the wallet.

Networks, assets and what else is in the app

Tonkeeper is built for one ecosystem. Native balances are GRAM, TON jettons and NFTs, plus USDT, which Tonkeeper documents on both GRAM and TRC20 — the latter as a deliberately limited exception to the wallet’s GRAM-only scope.

What the wallet does not hold natively

There are no native accounts for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana or Monero. Value from those networks must be converted before it arrives — you can exchange Bitcoin (BTC), exchange Ethereum (ETH) or exchange Solana (SOL) for Toncoin through the service built into the wallet or any external cross-chain swap. Converted, not held: no native balance on those chains ever appears.

TRON support stops at one token

Tonkeeper displays Tether (USDT) on TRC20 and nothing else from that network. Per Tonkeeper documentation, other TRON assets such as Tron (TRX), SUN and JST will not appear in the wallet, and recovering them means importing the same recovery phrase into a wallet that supports TRON. Since TRX is also what normally pays for TRC20 transfers, this is an easy mistake to make while trying to fund a transfer.

Beyond storage and transfers

• Staking. The wallet supports staking, allowing users to earn rewards without transferring assets to another application. Deposits to Gram validators from inside the wallet; yields and validator choice are set by the pools.
• NFTs. Tonkeeper supports NFTs on the TON blockchain, allowing users to store and transfer them from within the wallet. NFT transfers can also use Battery to pay network fees instead of requiring a Gram balance, provided sufficient Battery charges are available.
• Battery provides an alternative way to pay blockchain network fees by using prepaid Battery charges instead of maintaining a GRAM balance. When a transaction is initiated, Tonkeeper estimates the amount of GRAM required for the network fee, temporarily credits that amount to the wallet, submits the transaction, and deducts the equivalent number of Battery charges. This allows users to continue sending tokens, swapping assets, or transferring NFTs even when they do not hold enough GRAM to cover the network fee.
• Multiple wallets. Tonkeeper allows users to manage multiple wallets from a single application. Additional wallets can be created or imported by selecting the current wallet name and choosing Add wallet. Each wallet maintains its own recovery phrase and settings, making this feature useful for separating personal funds, business assets, or testing wallets without installing multiple applications.
• On-chain subscriptions. Recurring token payments, listed as a W5 capability. A payment feature, not a paid plan.  
• No paid subscription. Tonkeeper does not advertise a subscription tier. The documentation lists no paid tariff, indicating that all wallet functionality is available without a recurring subscription. Users only pay applicable blockchain network fees and any fees charged by integrated third-party services such as fiat on-ramp providers.

Is Tonkeeper safe? Source code, audits and remaining dependencies

Tonkeeper gives you direct control of the recovery phrase and publishes its client source. The gap in the evidence is the absence of a public wallet-specific audit by a named firm, while Battery and part of the in-app data depend on Tonkeeper’s servers.

Source code: every client codebase, two licenses

Tonkeeper is often described as partially open source. Every client codebase behind the published applications is in fact available: iOS and Android under GPL-3.0, and the web, extension and desktop builds under Apache-2.0. Both are open source licenses, differing in one way that matters to anyone building on the code: Apache-2.0 permits use inside a closed-source product, while GPL-3.0 requires anyone distributing a modified build to provide the corresponding source under the same license.

Audits

No third-party audit report was found in the Tonkeeper repositories or the help center on August 6, 2026, and none is linked from the documentation. The code is open and the contract standards it implements are reviewed at the network level, but a wallet-specific report from a named firm is what several other wallets publish, and there is none here to link.  

What still depends on Tonkeeper’s servers

The server side is not published: the Battery service that fronts the GRAM for your fees, and the API the apps read chain data from. This is where “partially” is accurate. If those services stop, Battery charges and some in-app data stop with them; the keys and the funds do not.

Privacy: what the app collects

Creating a wallet requires no account and no identity check, and Tonkeeper states it will never ask for your recovery phrase. Its privacy policy sets out what the app collects automatically: public wallet addresses, IP address, browser type, operating system, access times and comparable technical data. Contacting support adds whatever you provide there.

It names Google Analytics among the services used and lists when data is shared: affiliated companies, analytics and service providers, legal authorities where required, and corporate transactions such as a merger. On-chain activity is public regardless of which wallet you use.

Incidents and how people actually lose funds

As of the date of writing on August 6, 2026 no client exploits were found after searching the official site and help center, all public repositories and their release notes, the App Store and Google Play listings, and general security press.  

None of the following is a compromise of Tonkeeper. Each targets its users, and a review that stops at “no incidents found” omits the part that would have helped them.

Two of the four are answered by one habit: the recovery phrase is never entered anywhere except when restoring the wallet in an app you installed yourself. 

Matching Tonkeeper to how you use crypto

If your activity is on GRAM

Jettons, NFTs, staking, swaps and fiat purchases sit in one app, and the fee mechanisms are built for the network rather than adapted to it.

If you hold tokens but no GRAM

This is what Battery and Gasless are for, within the two limits set out above.

If you move USDT on TRC20

Holding TRC20 USDT alongside Gram assets removes one app from that routine. Nothing else from TRON is supported, and these transfers cost the most in Battery charges.

If you hold Bitcoin, Ethereum or Solana

Those assets need a second wallet permanently; the value must be converted before it can arrive here.

Alternatives worth comparing

Tonkeeper is optimized for the TON ecosystem, but users with different priorities may prefer another wallet.

Trust Wallet

Trust Wallet enables users to manage assets across many blockchain networks from one application. It supports significantly more native blockchains than Tonkeeper, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and TRON.

MetaMask

MetaMask is intended for users whose activity centers on Ethereum and EVM-compatible blockchains. It provides extensive support for decentralized applications and smart contracts but does not target the TON ecosystem.

Telegram Wallet

Users who primarily interact with Telegram's ecosystem may prefer Telegram Wallet for simple transfers and purchases. Tonkeeper itself links to Telegram Wallet's P2P marketplace for certain fiat purchases.

Strengths and limitations  

Strengths. Battery and Gasless are the wallet’s clearest practical advantages. Jettons, NFTs, staking and swaps without leaving the app. Every client codebase behind the published apps is available, under GPL-3.0 or Apache-2.0. Wallet contract versions are handled explicitly, with an upgrade path.

Limitations. One ecosystem, with no native accounts outside it. No published wallet-specific audit. Battery and part of the in-app data depend on Tonkeeper’s servers. The V4R2 and W5 split is real complexity, not a setting. TRON support covers one token. Card costs and identity requirements belong to the provider and are not stated in the wallet.

Verdict. For someone whose activity is on GRAM, Tonkeeper covers the network end to end and solves the empty-GRAM problem inside the wallet. For a mixed portfolio it is a second wallet by definition. 

Frequently asked questions

What does Tonkeeper cost?

There is no charge to install the wallet or hold assets in it, and no paid tier. You pay the GRAM network fee on every transaction — in GRAM, in Battery charges or through Gasless. Swaps carry no published fee; any margin is inside the quoted rate. Card purchases carry the provider’s fees.

Which cryptocurrencies does Tonkeeper support?

GRAM, jettons, NFTs, and USDT on both TON and TRC20. There is no native support for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana or Monero — assets from those networks are converted before they arrive rather than held natively.

Why does my Tonkeeper address differ from my other TON wallet?

Because a TON wallet is a smart contract with several versions, and each version deployed from the same phrase has its own address. Nothing is lost — select the other version to see the balance there. New Tonkeeper wallets are W5; older ones are usually V4R2.

Can I send tokens without holding GRAM?

Yes, by two routes. Gasless takes the fee from the token being sent, but needs a W5 wallet and a listed token. Battery uses prepaid charges, works on any supported version and any token, but cannot pay for a transfer of GRAM itself.

How many Battery charges does a transaction need?

Tonkeeper documents minimums of 10 for an NFT transfer, 30 for a token transfer, 90 for a swap and 350 to 700 for a USDT (TRC20) transfer. See the Battery section above for what that costs.

Can Battery charges be refunded?

Charges bought with GRAM or a supported token can be refunded within 14 days from the Battery settings page. App Store and Google Play purchases follow Apple’s and Google’s rules instead.

Is Tonkeeper open source?

Yes. Every client codebase behind the published apps is available — iOS and Android under GPL-3.0, web, extension and desktop under Apache-2.0. The server-side Battery and data services are not published.

Can I recover my wallet if I lose my phone?

Yes, if you still have the recovery phrase. Install Tonkeeper elsewhere, choose Connect existing wallet, enter the words, set a new PIN. There is no alternative method, and no one — including Tonkeeper — can restore access without it.

Sources

All links checked on August 6, 2026. Product facts come from Tonkeeper’s own documentation and repositories; the last two entries illustrate scam campaigns and are not evidence about the wallet itself.

• Tonkeeper official site
• Tonkeeper privacy policy
• Tonkeeper help center
• Help center: the W5 wallet standard
• Help center: what Battery is and what it is used for
• Tonkeeper developer documentation
• Tonkeeper repositories on GitHub
• Tonkeeper Web repository, Apache-2.0
• Tonkeeper iOS repository, GPL-3.0
• Tonkeeper Android repository, GPL-3.0
• Tonkeeper on the App Store
• Tonkeeper on Google Play
• TON wallet drainers, a technical overview (illustrative)
• Tonkeeper airdrop phishing, removal guide (illustrative)

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Mention of specific third-party software (e.g., Tonkeeper) does not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of their security by SwapSpace. Users download and use these software/hardware solutions at their own risk. Always conduct your own research (DYOR) and use official sources.