Crypto inheritance — five ways, side by side.
Not all inheritance tools are created equal. Sixteen features, five approaches, one honest matrix.
Last updated · March 2026
| Feature | HeirVault Smart contract platform | Sarcophagus Dead-man's-switch protocol | Safe (Gnosis) Multisig wallet | Casa Key-management service | Traditional estate Lawyer / probate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-custodial | Hybrid | ||||
| Dead man's switch | |||||
| Multisig heir claims | Manual | ||||
| Guardian oversight | |||||
| Bitcoin support | Via custodian | ||||
| Multi-chain (EVM) | 6 EVM chains | Ethereum, Arbitrum | 10+ chains | Ethereum only | |
| Solana & Tron support | |||||
| NFT inheritance | |||||
| No seed phrase sharing | |||||
| Works if service goes offline | On-chain contracts only | Partial | Partial | ||
| On-chain logic | Partial | ||||
| Configurable check-in | |||||
| Grace period | |||||
| Tax reports | Manual | ||||
| Legal document kit | Via lawyer | ||||
| Free tier available |
Check ✓ = yes · — = no · text = partial or conditional
The short list
Best crypto inheritance platforms in 2026
- 01
HeirVault
Non-custodial smart-contract vaults with dead man's switch, multisig claims, guardian oversight, and 9 live vault networks incl. Bitcoin, Solana, Tron. Free tier.
- 02
Sarcophagus
Dead-man's-switch protocol on Ethereum and Arbitrum. Requires sharing encrypted secrets with network nodes. No multisig or guardian features.
- 03
Safe (Gnosis)
Multisig wallet that can be configured for inheritance by adding heirs as signers. No automated trigger — heirs coordinate manually. EVM-only.
- 04
Casa
Key-management service with inheritance planning for Bitcoin and Ethereum. Hybrid custody model. No dead-man's-switch or on-chain logic.
- 05
Traditional estate planning
Wills and trusts handled by lawyers. Cannot execute crypto transfers directly. Requires probate (6 months to 2 years). No blockchain integration.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is the best crypto inheritance solution?
The best solution depends on your needs. HeirVault offers the most comprehensive feature set with dead man's switch, multisig heir claims, guardian oversight, and multi-chain support. For Bitcoin-only users, Casa provides key management. Safe (Gnosis) is good for teams already using multisig but lacks a built-in dead man's switch for inheritance claims.
How does HeirVault compare to Sarcophagus?
Both offer dead man's switch functionality, but HeirVault adds multisig heir claims, guardian oversight, Bitcoin support, and 9 live vault networks including Solana and Tron. Hyperliquid metadata is tracked separately until a deployment factory is configured. Sarcophagus requires sharing encrypted secrets, while HeirVault keeps funds in user-controlled vault contracts with no seed phrase sharing.
Can I use a regular multisig wallet for crypto inheritance?
A multisig wallet like Safe (Gnosis) can be used for inheritance by adding heirs as signers, but it lacks a built-in dead man's switch. Heirs must coordinate manually. HeirVault enforces the claim flow on-chain: if you miss a check-in, heirs can begin the inheritance claim process.
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