Wallet UX has changed massively in the past ~18 months.
What used to be a choice between custodial vs self-custodial is now a five-dimension decision:
- custody model
- onboarding UX
- hosting + control
- long-term portability
- session & automation support
There is no universal “best wallet SDK”, only best-fit per product category.
This guide helps you define evaluation criteria, compare providers, and avoid accidental lock-in.
📌 Evaluation criteria (2025 spec)
Below are the criteria teams should evaluate with equal weight — not just features:
| Category | Why it matters | Questions to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Custody model | Determines control, security & compliance surface | Who holds recovery authority? Can users export keys? |
| Portability / exit plan | Avoid infra lock-in | Can we self-host later? Can users keep wallets if we switch provider? |
| Onboarding UX | Directly impacts conversion | Seedless? Passkeys? Social login? Session keys? |
| Automation & sessions | Needed for games, agents, DeFi UX | Does SDK support background actions or only pop-ups? |
| Hosting model | Compliance, auditability, sovereignty | SaaS only? Hybrid? Fully self-hostable? |
| Standards support | Future-proofing | ERC-4337? ERC-7702? Session standards? |
| Pricing clarity | Predictability and scale cost | MAU-based? TX-based? Proprietary usage-based fees? |
f the vendor cannot clearly answer “What happens if we leave?”, that’s a risk.
Comparison Matrix (High-level / factual)
Note: Based on public documentation as of Q4 2025. Teams should verify technical, legal, and pricing details directly.
| Provider | Custody Model | Self-Hostable | Sessions / Automation | 4337/AA | 7702 Ready | Portability | Target Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Openfort | Non-custodial (client-generated keys) | ✅ (OpenSigner + infra) | ✅ real-time flows | Yes | Actively supported | High | Embedded UX, games, sessions, agents |
| Privy | Non-custodial but infra-managed | ❌ (SaaS only) | Limited (JWT session, no full game-loop automation) | Indirect | TBD / emerging | Medium | Consumer apps, onboarding focus |
| Web3Auth | MPC (custodial-leaning hybrid) | Partial (enterprise tier) | ❌ (popup-first) | Optional | Not prioritised | Medium-Low | Fintech, wallets, exchanges |
| Dynamic | Custodial or delegated | ❌ | Limited | Optional | Not confirmed | Medium | Apps needing social login + wallet aggregator |
| Thirdweb Wallet | Non-custodial | ❌ | Limited | Yes | TBD | Medium | Games & projects using Thirdweb stack |
| Sequence | Smart contract wallet | ❌ | Good (session approvals) | Yes | Not announced | Medium | Gaming ecosystem |
| Turnkey | MPC infra | ✔ (bring-your-own infra) | Indirect | Optional | Not focused | High | Custom infra / enterprises |
How to choose: decision tree
1️⃣ Does your app need real-time signatures (games, trading bots, agents, batching)?
✔ Needs → Prefer SDKs with session-key support & no mandatory pop-ups
✖ Does not → UX-first SaaS SDKs work fine
2️⃣ Do you need full control over infra + compliance?
✔ Yes → Consider SDKs that are self-hostable
✖ No → SaaS-only is fine
3️⃣ Will your users still own their wallet if you change provider?
✔ Must → Ensure key export & portability
✖ Not required → Managed custody acceptable
4️⃣ Do you anticipate AA / 7702 usage?
✔ Yes → Pick SDK already aligned with emerging standards
Use-case recommendations
| Use case | Recommended SDK traits |
|---|---|
| Games & real-time actions | Session keys, no popups, cheap gas, background signing |
| AI agents & automation | Server-side signing policies, programmable permissions |
| Fintech / compliance | Self-host, auditability, multi-region deployment |
| Hackathons / prototypes | Fast SDK onboarding, SaaS, moderate lock-in acceptable |
| Enterprise or regulated verticals | Infra-portable + hybrid hosting |
FAQ
Q: Is MPC always safer than smart accounts or embedded wallets?
No single method is universally safer — it depends on threat model, recovery model, and attack surface.
Q: Will ERC-7702 replace ERC-4337?
Not immediately. They solve overlapping but distinct problems. Expect hybrid coexistence for years.
Q: Is vendor lock-in always bad?
No — it is a trade-off between speed vs sovereignty. Teams should decide explicitly, not accidentally.
Top comments (1)
This comparison is extremely useful. The “what happens if we leave?” question is probably the most important one that teams don’t ask early enough.
We’re seeing more developers look for infra that’s not only easy to integrate but also portable, especially when combining wallets with on-chain compute or AI logic. Great reference matrix.