Description
Unchained Vaults are built on collaborative custody — a model that combines the security of self-custody with the safety net of expert backup. Every vault uses a 2-of-3 multisignature setup, meaning three keys control the vault and two are required to move funds.
How It Works
- Your two keys — You hold two keys, giving you full control and the ability to transact independently. Keep each key in a separate physical location to further mitigate risk.
- Unchained's backup key — Unchained holds the third key as a secure backup. They cannot move your bitcoin alone, but they can help you recover access if you lose a key.
Key Benefits
- Eliminate single points of failure — Offset the risk of losing a key, damaging a device, forgetting a backup, or making a mistake that could permanently lock you out of your bitcoin.
- Mitigate external threats — Reduce exposure to hackers, malware, phishing, SIM swaps, and exchange failures.
- Designed for real life — Emergencies, accidents, and inheritance are not edge cases. Unchained Vaults are purpose-built to secure your bitcoin through all of these scenarios.
Use Cases
- Personal cold storage — Keep your long-term bitcoin holdings safe with multisig security that's far more resilient than a single key or hardware wallet.
- Inheritance planning — Through Signature and Connections, you can implement a bitcoin inheritance plan that ensures your heirs can recover your vault's bitcoin smoothly.
- Business and entity vaults — Teams, charities, trusts, and other entities can distribute and manage control across multiple stakeholders with business-grade vault tools.
- Strengthen existing setups — Already self-custodying? The Strengthen Your Setup Suite helps you migrate to multisig with expert guidance.
Unchained Vaults make institutional-grade bitcoin security accessible to individuals and businesses, preserving full sovereignty while providing the safety net of a trusted partner.
Highlights
Pros
- Provides collaborative custody with expert 24/7 support for key recovery, vault setup, and security guidance while you retain full self-custody.
- Offers on-chain transparency, allowing you to independently verify your bitcoin holdings on the blockchain at any time.
- Eliminates single points of failure by protecting against lost keys, damaged hardware devices, phishing, SIM swaps, and exchange failures simultaneously.
- Uses a 2-of-3 multisignature architecture where you hold two keys and Unchained holds one, so Unchained can never move your bitcoin without your consent.
- Provides a built-in Inheritance Protocol that lets your heirs recover your bitcoin with just one seed phrase and expert guidance from Unchained's team.
Cons
- Involves a privacy trade-off where Unchained can see your bitcoin balance and transaction addresses as part of the collaborative custody model.
- Only supports bitcoin, so you cannot use Unchained Vaults to secure altcoins, stablecoins, or other digital assets.
- Has no native mobile app for signing transactions, requiring a desktop computer and hardware wallet connection to move funds.
- Requires video identity verification when requesting a co-signature from Unchained, which can delay access if you have lost one of your keys.
- Requires purchasing and managing at least one hardware wallet (Trezor, Ledger, or Coldcard) to set up and operate the vault.