YubiKey 5C Nano Review

YubiKey 5C Nano Review: Quick Verdict

The appeal is simple: the key is always there. I never have to find it, so using it is hardly any work. I’d buy it again.

How I Use It Every Day

My Nano lives in my Mac. I use my keys to protect my Google and email accounts, my password manager, my developer accounts, and financial accounts.

Compared with opening an app and typing in a six-digit code, a touch is just faster. The bigger benefit for me, though, is peace of mind. These are the accounts I’d least want to lose, and a security key makes them much harder to phish.

You touch the gold contact on the edge to confirm a sign-in, so the key can stay in place while you use it.

The Tradeoffs of Leaving It Plugged In

The convenience does come with a few things to think about:

• It travels with your laptop. If someone steals the laptop, they get the key too. A key on its own usually isn’t enough, since they’d still need your password or your key’s PIN, but it’s a good reason to set a PIN and keep the computer locked.
• It takes up a port. That matters more on a laptop with only two USB-C ports.
• It’s mainly for one computer. You can move it around, but it’s small enough to be easy to lose. If you switch computers a lot, the YubiKey 5C NFC is the better fit.
• A touch can type a code. By default, a touch can also enter a one-time code into whatever text field is active. If that ever gets annoying, you can turn it off with Yubico’s software.

You Need a Backup Key

I use my YubiKey 5C NFC as a backup, and I’d strongly recommend having one. You can’t copy a YubiKey, so you have to register each key with each account. If you only have one key and it fails or goes missing, your recovery options are all you have left.

Apple goes further and requires at least two security keys for its Apple Account feature, and warns that you could be locked out permanently if you lose all of your keys and trusted devices.

YubiKey 5C Nano vs. YubiKey 5C NFC

These run the same security functions. The difference is how you connect them and how you carry them.

The Nano suits a computer you use every day. The 5C NFC is $10 cheaper, fits on a keychain, and can tap on an NFC phone. If you only buy one YubiKey model for both jobs, I’d choose the 5C NFC, but I like the Nano as my daily key.

Do Security Keys Actually Work?

The evidence here is strong, although it isn’t specific to this model. In a year-long Google study with NYU and UC San Diego, no users who exclusively used security keys fell victim to targeted phishing.

A key only protects you where it’s actually in the way, though. Not every site supports security keys, which I’ve run into myself, and an account that still allows sign-ins with text codes keeps that weaker option available.

Is the YubiKey 5C Nano Worth It?

For me, yes. I’d buy it again, and I have no complaints. It’s a lot to pay for such a small object, but it’s protecting the accounts that matter most to me.

Buy it if you mostly use one USB-C computer, you want the key to always be there, and you’re willing to buy a backup.

Skip it if you switch computers often, you want to tap a key on your phone, or you have very few USB-C ports to spare.

YubiKey 5C Nano FAQ