Is this as safe as a hardware wallet?

For the very large case, no. For 2FA recovery codes and small hot wallets, it is a genuinely reasonable tier.

What about typing the phrase into a password manager?

Fine, if you trust the manager to hold your seed. Many people prefer a dedicated encrypted folder as a second layer.

Answers/The life queries

How to store recovery codes and seed phrases offline without a hardware wallet

For serious cryptocurrency holdings, a hardware wallet is the right tool. For a small hot wallet, a set of 2FA recovery codes, or a backup of a wallet you already have on hardware, the pattern that works is dead simple: write the phrase on paper in a safe, and keep an encrypted digital copy on your laptop.

Paper is not optional

Paper survives dead laptops, dead hard drives, and forgotten passphrases. Two copies in two locations is standard for anything you cannot afford to lose.

The digital copy

Type the phrase into a .txt file in a folder called 'wallets'. Seal the folder. The sealed bundle is safe to back up anywhere — USB stick, encrypted cloud, second computer.

Elba does the sealing offline: one HTML file, AES-256-GCM, no network. The passphrase you use to seal it is different from the seed phrase itself; treat them as two locks.

Questions people actually ask

Is this as safe as a hardware wallet?: For the very large case, no. For 2FA recovery codes and small hot wallets, it is a genuinely reasonable tier.
What about typing the phrase into a password manager?: Fine, if you trust the manager to hold your seed. Many people prefer a dedicated encrypted folder as a second layer.

Take the island

Elba is one HTML file. It runs locally in a Chromium browser, seals a folder with AES-256-GCM, never phones home, and becomes open source on 1 January 2030.

€49MMXXVI· now ·
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€19MMXXIX2029
FreeMMXXX2030

the price falls each year · free to all 1 jan 2030

Take the island — €49

pay once · no account · nothing leaves