Privy (now part of Stripe) is a popular tool for building consumer applications with embedded wallets. It excels at onboarding, allowing users to sign in with familiar methods like email or social accounts. However, as projects scale, developers often look for alternatives that offer more control, lower costs, or open-source infrastructure.
What are the Best Privy Alternatives?
The best Privy alternatives in 2026 are Openfort, Dynamic, and Web3Auth. Openfort is the top choice for developers who need open-source infrastructure (OpenSigner), native smart account features like session keys, and a modular architecture that prevents vendor lock-in. Dynamic is ideal for those seeking a highly polished, plug-and-play UI widget for wallet connections. Web3Auth remains a strong contender for teams focused purely on MPC-based social logins at a lower entry cost. Each alternative target different needs—from gaming-specific features in Sequence to enterprise-grade programmable signers in Turnkey.
1. Openfort
Openfort (that's us 👋) is an open-source wallet infrastructure solution that provides powerful wallet capabilities to abstract crypto complexity for both users and developers. Its platform allows developers to plug and play any signer (including OpenSigner) and contract they prefer, simplifying the whole vertical use case—from cross-app ecosystems and AI agents to fintech and DeFi.
Key Features
- If you're currently using Privy and hitting limits around smart account customization (e.g. need specific ERC-4337 modules), want to use your own auth provider (like Auth0 or Firebase) without wrappers, or need a solution that isn't a "black box".
- Open source, Self-hosting option, Vendor neutrality: Openfort's core signing infrastructure (OpenSigner) is open-source and self-hostable, giving you complete sovereignty over your user's keys and data. Learn more about how to avoid wallet vendor dependency.
- Concrete example: You want to build a cross-platform gaming ecosystem where users carry their embedded wallets + smart accounts across mobile and web, using your own custom player ID system as the authentication source.
Comparison Table: Openfort vs. Privy
| Feature | Openfort | Privy |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | ✅ (OpenSigner) | ❌ |
| Key Management | SSS (Self-hostable) | TEE (Proprietary) |
| Smart Wallets | ✅ Native (4337, 7702) | ⚠️ Third-party integrations |
| Authentication | Any OIDC Provider | Socials / Email / Wallets |
| Pricing Model | MAU + Usage (Generous Free Tier) | MAU Tiers (Starts at $299/mo) |
| Vendor Lock-in | ❌ None (Exportable keys) | ⚠️ High (Proprietary enclave) |
| Gas Sponsorship | ✅ Native Policy Engine | ⚠️ Basic |
| Session Keys | ✅ Granular Permissions | ✅ Session signer & quorum |
| Cross-App Wallets | ✅ Ecosystem SDK | ✅ Whitelabel global wallet |
Scaling Considerations
- High User Volume, Low Transaction Volume: Privy's pricing jumps quickly: free for less than 500 MAUs, then USD299/mo up to 2,500 MAUs. Openfort offers a free tier up to 1,000 MAUs and 500 transactions, making it a cost-effective entry point for growing apps.
- Low User Volume, High Transaction Volume: Openfort offers transparent transaction-based pricing. Privy charges for MAUs primarily, which can be expensive if you have many inactive users or low-value users.
Why developers choose Openfort
Developers choose Openfort when they want the "Privy-like" smooth onboarding but demand open-source infrastructure, smart account native features (like session keys and paymasters), and no vendor lock-in.
2. Dynamic
Dynamic is a close competitor to Privy, offering a similar focus on developer experience and polished UI components. Dynamic excels at providing a beautiful, customizable widget for wallet connection and management, with strong multi-chain support.
Comparison Table: Dynamic vs. Privy
| Feature | Dynamic | Privy |
|---|---|---|
| UI Philosophy | Polished Widget | Headless / Custom UI |
| Onboarding | Strong | Best-in-class conversion |
| Pricing | $249/mo (5k MAU) | $299/mo (2.5k MAU) |
| Multi-chain | ✅ EVM, SVM, Cosmos | ✅ EVM, SVM, BTC |
| Auth Focus | Wallet Aggregation | Social / Email Onboarding |
Scaling Considerations
Dynamic starts at $249/mo for 5,000 MAUs.
- Comparison: Dynamic's entry tier covers 10x more users than Privy's first paid tier (5,000 vs 500 MAUs for roughly the same price), making it a more scalable option for early-stage startups.
Why developers choose Dynamic
Teams choose Dynamic over Privy when they want a more "plug-and-play" UI widget rather than building a custom UI on top of Privy's headless SDK.
3. Web3Auth
Web3Auth is a widely used authentication provider that powers many wallet solutions. Web3Auth focuses purely on the key management and authentication layer, using MPC to enable social logins.
Comparison Table: Web3Auth vs. Privy
| Feature | Web3Auth | Privy |
|---|---|---|
| Key Tech | MPC TSS | TEE |
| Focus | Auth Infrastructure | Full Onboarding Stack |
| Ecosystem | Massive Integration Network | Integrated Solution |
| Pricing | $69/mo (3k MAU) | $299/mo (2.5k MAU) |
| UI | SDK (Build your own) | Headless / React Hooks |
Scaling Considerations
Web3Auth has a free tier for 1,000 MAUs and a Growth plan at $69/mo.
- Cost: Web3Auth is significantly cheaper than Privy for basic social login functionality.
Why developers choose Web3Auth
Developers choose Web3Auth if they already have a wallet UI or smart account infrastructure and just need the "login with Google" piece at a lower cost.
4. Turnkey
Turnkey offers secure, programmable key management infrastructure. Turnkey provides the low-level APIs to generate and sign with keys securely. It's less of a "wallet" and more of a "signer".
Comparison Table: Turnkey vs. Privy
| Feature | Turnkey | Privy |
|---|---|---|
| Level | Infrastructure API | Product SDK |
| Flexibility | ✅ Unlimited | ⚠️ Constrained by SDK |
| Security | TEE (Enclaves) | TEE (Enclaves) |
| Pricing | Usage-based | MAU-based |
| Signer | ✅ Programmable | ❌ |
Scaling Considerations
Turnkey is usage-based (per signature) after a free tier.
- Economics: For high-volume automated signing (e.g. bots or backend wallets), Turnkey is often more economical than Privy's MAU model.
Why developers choose Turnkey
Teams choose Turnkey to build their own version of Privy, maintaining full control over the UX and security model.
5. Thirdweb
Thirdweb offers a full stack of tools, including an embedded wallet solution. Their "Connect" wallet is part of a broader ecosystem that includes contracts, payments, and infrastructure.
Comparison Table: Thirdweb vs. Privy
| Feature | Thirdweb | Privy |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Full Stack | Onboarding Focus |
| Smart Accounts | ✅ Integrated | ⚠️ Partner Integrations |
| Pricing | Bundle Model | Specialized SaaS |
| Analytics | ✅ Built-in | ❌ |
| Deploy Tools | ✅ Extensive | ❌ |
Scaling Considerations
Thirdweb offers a generous free tier.
- Value: If you use Thirdweb for smart contracts and RPC, the wallet comes as part of the package, potentially offering better value than paying for Privy separately.
Why developers choose Thirdweb
Developers choose Thirdweb when they want a "one-stop-shop" for all their requirements.
6. Sequence
Sequence is a gaming-focused wallet and infrastructure provider. Sequence provides a smart wallet designed specifically for games, with features like inventory management and Unity SDKs.
Comparison Table: Sequence vs. Privy
| Feature | Sequence | Privy |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Games | Consumer Apps |
| Platform | Mobile / Unity / Unreal | Web / Mobile |
| Features | Marketplaces / Indexers | Auth / Embedded Wallets |
| Pricing | Game-focused | SaaS |
| Smart Wallet | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Third-party |
Scaling Considerations
Sequence's pricing is tailored to game economies.
- Gaming: For a game with thousands of players, Sequence's model might be more aligned with player LTV than Privy's generic SaaS model.
Why developers choose Sequence
Game studios choose Sequence because it solves gaming-specific problems (like item trading) that Privy doesn't address.
7. Coinbase Wallet SDK (Base Smart Wallet)
The Coinbase Wallet SDK allows apps to onboard users via Coinbase's ecosystem. While not a direct "embedded wallet" competitor in the same sense, it's a major alternative for onboarding.
Comparison Table: Coinbase vs. Privy
| Feature | Coinbase | Privy |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding | App / Extension | Embedded / Social |
| Brand | Trusted Brand | White-label |
| Cost | Free (User pays gas) | Paid SaaS |
| Control | Low | High |
| Auth | Coinbase Account | Social / Email |
Scaling Considerations
Coinbase Wallet SDK is free.
- Trade-off: You save money but lose control over the user experience and branding compared to Privy.
Why developers choose Coinbase Wallet SDK
Apps that want to tap into the existing Coinbase user base without managing any wallet infrastructure themselves.
Building In-House Wallet Product
Building your own onboarding stack is the ultimate alternative to Privy.
Pros
- Total Customization: Build the exact flow you want.
- Cost Savings: No monthly SaaS fees per user.
Cons
- Complexity: You have to handle MPC/TEE security, recovery flows, and cross-device sync.
- Maintenance: Keeping up with browser standards and security patches is a full-time job.
For a deeper dive into the trade-offs, check out our guide on building vs buying wallet infrastructure.
FAQ
1. Is Privy only for Ethereum? Privy supports EVM chains, Solana, and Bitcoin.
2. Can I use Openfort with Privy? Yes! You can use Privy for authentication and Openfort for the smart account infrastructure (bundlers, paymasters, policy engine). This is a popular hybrid setup.
3. Does Openfort support social login? Yes, Openfort supports any OIDC provider, so you can use Auth0, Firebase, or even Google directly to power social logins for your wallets.
Conclusion
Privy is a fantastic tool for getting started quickly with consumer crypto apps.
However, if you need enterprise-grade scale, open-source sovereignty, or native smart account capabilities, Openfort provides the robust infrastructure you need to grow without limits.
Check out Openfort's documentation to learn more.