TL;DR
Collaborative custody services such as Unchained and Casa hold one key and help you recover. You pay a yearly fee and they can see what you hold (Unchained also checks your ID). Doing it yourself costs nothing ongoing and keeps everything private, but every mistake is yours to prevent.
| Do it yourself | Unchained / Casa | |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the keys | You hold all three | You hold two, they hold one |
| Can they move your coins alone? | Not applicable | No, they have one key |
| Help when you lose a key | Your own backups | They co-sign a recovery |
| Inheritance help | Your own letter | Offered as part of their plans |
| Privacy | Nobody else knows | They see your balance; Unchained also verifies your identity (KYC) |
| Ongoing cost | None | Yearly fee |
What you gain with a service
A safety net for the mistakes people actually make: losing two backups, forgetting how the setup works, or leaving heirs with no idea what to do. You can call someone for help, which is worth paying for if you won’t maintain a setup yourself.
What you give up
Privacy, mostly. The service sees your addresses and balance, and Unchained needs your identity; Casa doesn’t require it. You also depend on a company staying in business and keeping its key safe. Because they only hold one of three keys, a failing company can’t take your coins, but you’d want to replace their key with your own.
When DIY makes sense
When you’re willing to follow a guide carefully, test your backups and write an inheritance letter. That’s what this site is for. Not sure yet? Read is multisig right for you?.