{"license":"CC-BY-4.0","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"ChainChoice (https://chainchoice.io)","category":"key_recovery","evidenceReadAt":"2026-10-28","generatedAt":"2026-11-12","criteria":[{"id":"recovery_without_the_vendor","label":"If this company is gone in twenty years, can the person I chose still move the coins?","weight":32},{"id":"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release","label":"What actually makes the handover happen — code, a contract, or somebody's goodwill? And who can start it without me?","weight":28},{"id":"who_is_on_the_hook","label":"If this fails, who is actually on the hook — and can I find their number in a register?","weight":24},{"id":"lifetime_cost_and_lapse","label":"What does this cost me every year until I die, and what happens to my heir if I stop paying?","weight":16}],"providers":{"liana":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":10,"q":"Yes. Liana is open-source and your recovery policies are encoded directly on the Bitcoin blockchain, not on our servers. If Wizardsardine ever ceased operations, your funds would remain fully accessible. Any Miniscript-compatible wallet software could be used to recover them.","u":"https://lianawallet.com/","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":9,"q":"In Liana, recovery keys with timelocks become spendable only after a set period of wallet inactivity. Your heir holds the recovery key but cannot use it until the timelock matures. As long as you use the wallet or run a refresh sweep, the timelock never expires during your lifetime.","u":"https://lianawallet.com/resources/guides/inheritance/","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":5,"q":"By default, Wizardsardine does not receive, collect, or store any data from Liana Wallet — no wallet descriptors, private keys, seed phrases, transaction history, IP addresses, or telemetry. Everything stays on your device. | Loss of keys means loss of funds.","u":"https://lianawallet.com/legal/terms/","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":10,"q":"Liana Wallet, Community Edition is free to download and is designed for everyone to be able to set up and use. Please note that technical support is not provided. | Because Liana is fully open-source and your wallet policies are enforced on the Bitcoin blockchain itself, you are never locked in.","u":"https://lianawallet.com/community/","d":"2026-10-28"}},"bitcoin_keeper":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":6,"q":"A Wallet Configuration File can recreate the wallet setup in compatible software. You still need the required signing keys to spend. | Recreate a Multi-Key Wallet in Keeper or compatible software without exposing private keys | Bitcoin Keeper was originally developed by BitHyve UK Limited.","u":"https://www.bitcoinkeeper.app/assets/index-Jr3yMC1r.js","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":7,"q":"Add a delayed access path for an heir or trusted party. | Wallet Timelock prevents spending until the selected time has passed. | Changing a rule later may require a new wallet and moving bitcoin. | A Keeper-assisted signer in a Multi-Key Wallet. Keeper cannot spend with it alone.","u":"https://www.bitcoinkeeper.app/assets/index-Jr3yMC1r.js","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":5,"q":"Bitcoin Keeper is non-custodial software. | It is not a bank, custodian, broker, or investment service. | There is no company operating Keeper as a financial-services provider. | Keeper does not store or have access to your Recovery Key or passcode.","u":"https://www.bitcoinkeeper.app/assets/index-Jr3yMC1r.js","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":8,"q":"Keeper is now fully free and community-led | All features unlocked for every user | Diamond Hands Yearly $199.99 | Diamond Hands Yearly $279.00","u":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bitcoin-keeper/id1545535925","d":"2026-10-28"}},"nunchuk":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":9,"q":"Nunchuk is built on open standards, ensuring you can always recover your wallet using the provided backups (BSMS files) and third-party software (like Sparrow and Bitcoin Core).","u":"https://nunchuk.io/faq","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":7,"q":"We can't move your bitcoin. We hold only one key in your wallet, adding security while never having access on our own. | After the timelock expires, the wallet's rules automatically change on-chain: our Platform Key is removed, and the signing requirement drops.","u":"https://nunchuk.io/inheritance","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":4,"q":"Nunchuk is not a broker, intermediary, money transmitter, agent, advisor, or financial institution. | We shall have no liability to you or any person or entity for any actions taken by the Qualified Person with respect to your account, the Platform Key, your wallet or assets stored in your wallet.","u":"https://nunchuk.io/terms","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":8,"q":"Your inheritance plan remains intact even if your subscription expires. Your beneficiary retains the ability to claim the inheritance. They can choose autonomous recovery (The Failsafe) or use our guided claim service (The Smooth Path).","u":"https://nunchuk.io/faq","d":"2026-10-28"}},"unchained":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":9,"q":"Follow these steps to recover funds from your Unchained vault in the event Unchained isn't available. | In the event that you cannot access your Unchained vault for any reason, you always have the ability to spend your bitcoin using another wallet application (known as external recovery).","u":"https://help.unchained.com/how-to-vault-external-recovery-caravan","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":4,"q":"Depending on the type of account, type of estate, and state of legal residence, our team will work with authorized representatives of the estate to determine the applicable transfer process. | When you feel ready, reach out to inheritance@unchained.com.","u":"https://help.unchained.com/how-do-i-access-my-loved-ones-account","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":7,"q":"Establishes and maintains trusts, and serve as a qualified custodian if needed for complex bitcoin inheritance setups. | Unchained Capital, Inc. is not a bank.","u":"https://www.unchained.com/inheritance","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":6,"q":"Institutional-grade security built for self-custody, with the same bitcoin security principles used by major custodians. | per vault/year | Renews at $4500/year | First year of vault subscription and extra seat","u":"https://www.unchained.com/pricing","d":"2026-10-28"}},"casa":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":6,"q":"If Casa ever ceased to exist, shut down, went offline, or was otherwise unavailable, you would still be able to access and move your funds. No action from Casa would be required. No permission. No waiting period.","u":"https://support.casa.io/knowledge/what-happens-to-my-funds-if-casa-shuts-down","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":5,"q":"Casa does not verify the death of the Vault Owner. Instead, there is a 6-month verification period during which you have the opportunity to reject any request for vault access made by your designated Recipient.","u":"https://support.casa.io/knowledge/inheritance-faqs-vault-owner","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":5,"q":"The Services are not an exchange for buying, selling, or trading digital or virtual currency or assets (an “Exchange”), and Casa is not a bank or other financial institution. | Casa shall have no liability to you or any person or entity for any actions taken by the Recovery Custodian","u":"https://casa.io/terms-of-service","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":7,"q":"If there is a lapse in your membership for any reason, there is a 30-day “grace period” in which no changes at all will be made to the app. | Once the 30 days elapse without payment, you'll be restricted in the app to “withdrawal only” mode.","u":"https://support.casa.io/knowledge/what-happens-if-my-membership-expires","d":"2026-10-28"}},"anchorwatch":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":6,"q":"Every Trident Vault includes a sovereign recovery script provided to the customer at onboarding, which can be executed through Bitcoin Core independent of AnchorWatch's systems, so recovery does not depend on AnchorWatch's cooperation or continued existence.","u":"https://www.anchorwatch.com/faqs","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":3,"q":"AnchorWatch, and if applicable, Institutional Key Holders, will require the Account Beneficiary to complete a verification form and provide standard proof of death (e.g., a certified death certificate) | If your Vault is configured under a Flagship Custody arrangement, the Recovery Period is…","u":"https://www.anchorwatch.com/terms","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":8,"q":"Coverage is optional for every Trident Vault, USD-denominated, and paid annually, with limits starting at $250,000 and going up to $100M per vault and binding authority up to $500M per customer.","u":"https://www.anchorwatch.com/faqs","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":4,"q":"The published custody tiers are $100 per month up to $250K, $250 up to $1M, $500 up to $2.5M, $750 up to $5M, and $1,000 at $5M and above. | Final pricing is confirmed during the application and remains subject to underwriting, policy terms, and any applicable device fee.","u":"https://www.anchorwatch.com/faqs","d":"2026-10-28"}},"vault12":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":5,"q":"Where a Guardian device is lost but remains recoverable and accessible to you, Vault12 publishes self-service instructions (via Vault12's public GitHub repositories) for manually reassembling your Vault from the shards held by your remaining Guardians.","u":"https://vault12.com/terms/","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":5,"q":"The timelock gives the owner time to stop an unwanted or mistaken request. | On the owner’s device, Block Request lets the owner stop the request. | Even after the countdown ends, Guardian confirmations are still required. | The vault uses a 2-of-3 Guardian threshold .","u":"https://vault12.com/help/claiming-inheritance/","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":5,"q":"Vault12 is NOT a financial institution, cryptocurrency exchange, wallet provider, or custodian. We do NOT hold, transfer, manage, or have access to any user funds, tokens, cryptocurrencies, or digital assets.","u":"https://vault12.com/product/inheritance/","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":6,"q":"Free forever (Invite only) | 29.99 per month (30 day trial) | Enables the Vault and assets to be inherited by a designated individual in the future.","u":"https://vault12.com/pricing","d":"2026-10-28"}},"bitkey":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":3,"q":"The Emergency Exit Kit is a narrowly scoped, last-resort tool that gives you a way to move your funds to another wallet if Block and the Bitkey app are no longer available or functional. | You still have both of your keys (App Key and Hardware Key)","u":"https://support.bitkey.world/api/v2/help_center/en-us/articles/24395170222868.json","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":6,"q":"Once a claim is approved and moves to the “Claim approved” state, it can no longer be canceled. | Bitkey cannot cancel a claim on behalf of a beneficiary or benefactor. | Confirm the cancellation using your unlocked Bitkey device","u":"https://support.bitkey.world/api/v2/help_center/en-us/articles/32141477326356.json","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":6,"q":"The Services are not offered under any financial services licenses, including those held by Block US or any affiliate of Block. | Block is not a custodian, trustee, bailee, or any similar form of fiduciary nor a financial services intermediary with respect to your Self-Custodied Bitcoin.","u":"https://bitkey.world/legal/terms-of-service","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":6,"q":"You understand that your beneficiary must be at least 18 years old and must own a Bitkey to be a beneficiary. | Like any transfer of bitcoin, upon execution of an Inheritance transfer, transfer fees will apply to the balance of transferred bitcoin.","u":"https://bitkey.world/legal/terms-of-service","d":"2026-10-28"}},"ledger_recover":{"recovery_without_the_vendor":{"s":3,"q":"To restore your keys, you need two out of three fragments that are securely kept by the three independent and trusted companies. If one of the companies holding a fragment shuts down, you will still be able to restore your keys until another trusted company replaces it.","u":"https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-recover","d":"2026-10-28"},"trigger_enforcement_and_wrongful_release":{"s":0,"q":"Recover access to your wallet anytime by verifying your identity on the Ledger Wallet™ app. | To restore access, your identity is verified online by two independent companies.","u":"https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-recover","d":"2026-10-28"},"who_is_on_the_hook":{"s":7,"q":"Ledger Recover comprises extensive identity verification processes—performed by Coincover within a secure environment built by Ledger.","u":"https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-recover","d":"2026-10-28"},"lifetime_cost_and_lapse":{"s":7,"q":"If you don't update your payment info and pay the subscription within 7 days, you won't be able to restore your private keys using Ledger Recover. If you don't regularize your payment within 3 months, your subscription will be suspended.","u":"https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-recover","d":"2026-10-28"}}}}