Last updated: 25 October 2026 · Prices, plan limits, audit reports, insurance statements and chain counts rechecked on every vendor’s own pages on 25 October 2026
The best Fireblocks alternatives for institutions in 2026 are BitGo and Anchorage Digital if you want a regulated custodian to hold the keys, and Cobo, Dfns and Utila if you want MPC wallet software like Fireblocks at a lower or flatter price. We scored nine alternatives on the same six weighted criteria we use across our digital asset custody hub, scored Fireblocks itself as the benchmark at 8.8, and priced year one for three team sizes from public list prices.
Most teams look for a Fireblocks alternative for one of three reasons: the Essentials plan ends after 6 months and Custom starts at $36,000 a year, the 0.20% overage on outbound volume grows faster than the business, or an auditor now wants a qualified custodian rather than self-custody software. Each reason points to a different shortlist, so we split the field before ranking it. Scoring rules are on our methodology page.
TL;DR
- Ranking: BitGo 9.3, Anchorage Digital 9.0, Coinbase Prime 8.4, Cobo 8.3, Dfns 8.2, Copper 7.2, Fordefi 7.1, Utila 6.7 and Safeheron 6.7. Fireblocks scores 8.8 on the same rubric.
- Only BitGo and Anchorage Digital beat Fireblocks overall, because our weights reward a chartered entity holding assets. The like-for-like MPC platforms win on price, not on regulation.
- Cheapest public entry prices: Cobo Starter at $299 a month, Dfns Starter at $800 a year, Utila Starter at $799 a month and Safeheron Starter at $5,750 a year. Fireblocks Essentials is $999 a month.
- For a team moving $1M a quarter, year one costs $5,588 on Cobo, $5,750 on Safeheron, $8,000 on Dfns, $9,588 on Utila and $23,994 on Fireblocks at list price.
- At $10M a quarter and 10,000 wallets, Dfns Pro at a flat $35,000 a year undercuts Safeheron ($39,150) and Cobo ($51,988), because Dfns charges no volume or AUM fees.
- Stated insurance amounts: Copper $500M through Aon in the Lloyd’s market and BitGo up to $250M. Dfns and Safeheron name insurers or brokers but no limit.
The Decision Kernel
Before comparing vendors, decide which of two jobs you are replacing Fireblocks for. A custodian holds your assets under a charter or licence, while an MPC platform gives your own team the keys and the policy engine, and the two are not substitutes. Our institutional crypto custody guide explains that split in full, and our ranking of MPC wallet providers covers the software side.
- You need a qualified custodian: shortlist BitGo, Anchorage Digital and Coinbase Prime. All three run a chartered or licensed trust entity, publish SOC reports and add staking and trading.
- You want Fireblocks-style MPC at a lower price: shortlist Cobo, Utila and Safeheron. Each publishes an entry plan below Fireblocks Essentials and keeps you in control of key shares.
- You run high volume or many wallets: shortlist Dfns. Its plans are flat annual fees by users, wallets and signatures, with no volume or AUM charges.
- You trade on many venues: shortlist Copper for ClearLoop off-exchange settlement, or Fordefi if most of your activity is DeFi and you want Paxos qualified custody inside the same platform.
Verdict: Pick a custodian (BitGo or Anchorage Digital) if an auditor needs one. Otherwise, Cobo is the best value MPC platform for small teams and Dfns is the best value at scale.
How We Scored the Alternatives
We scored each vendor from 1 to 5 on six weighted criteria and doubled the weighted sum to give a score out of 10, using vendor pages read on 25 October 2026. Facts missing from the vendor site scored as not disclosed. The full rules are on our methodology page and our editorial policy.
- Regulation and segregation, 25%: the charter or licence of the entity that holds assets, and qualified custodian status. Pure software vendors score 2.
- Security and key control, 20%: MPC, multisig or HSM design, policy engines, device binding and recovery.
- Audits and insurance disclosure, 15%: 5 for SOC 2 Type II plus ISO 27001 plus a stated insurance amount or another third-party certification, 4 for SOC Type II reports with ISO 27001 or stated insurance, 3 for SOC 2 Type II only.
- Features, 15%: staking, trading, off-exchange settlement, DeFi access, wallet types and APIs.
- Coverage, 15%: stated chains and assets.
- Pricing transparency, 10%: 5 for a full public price list with limits and overage, 4 for a public entry price with custom tiers above, 3 for a public price on a secondary product or a free tier, 2 for a billing method only, 1 for nothing.
| Vendor | Regulation (25%) | Security (20%) | Audits (15%) | Features (15%) | Coverage (15%) | Pricing (10%) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 9.3 |
 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 9.0 |
 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 8.4 |
 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8.3 |
 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 8.2 |
 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 7.2 |
 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 7.1 |
 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6.7 |
 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6.7 |
 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 8.8 |
The grid shows the trade-off clearly. Fireblocks scores 5 on security, audits, features and coverage, so a software alternative can only match it there and must win on price. BitGo and Anchorage Digital beat it on regulation by 2 points, which at a 25% weight is worth 1 full point of the final score. Dfns and Cobo are the only alternatives with a full public price list, and they lead the software group.
Fireblocks Alternatives at a Glance
This table puts the facts a due diligence questionnaire asks for in one place, using only what each vendor states on its own site. Four of the nine publish no price at all, so expect a sales process with BitGo custody, Coinbase Prime, Copper and Fordefi.
| Vendor | Model | Entity or status | Audits named | Chains or assets | Public entry price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualified custody plus self-custody wallets | BitGo Bank & Trust, N.A. (OCC national trust bank) | SOC, type not stated | 1,700+ assets | Free self-service tier |
| Bank custody plus Porto self-custody | Anchorage Digital Bank N.A. (OCC) | SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II | About 780 assets | Porto from $750 a month |
| Custody, trading, financing, staking | Coinbase Custody Trust Company (NY fiduciary) | SOC 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II (Deloitte) | 470+ assets | Not published |
| Custodial, MPC, smart contract and exchange wallets | Licensed in Hong Kong and the US | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 | 80+ chains, 3,000+ tokens | $299 a month |
| Wallet infrastructure, SaaS or on-premises | Deliberately unlicensed | SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, 27017, 27018 | 100+ blockchains | $800 a year |
| Custody, ClearLoop settlement, collateral | Copper Markets (US), Inc., SEC broker-dealer | SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 | Not stated | Not published |
| MPC wallet and DeFi gateway | Software, owned by Paxos | SOC 2 Type II (EY) | EVM, SVM, Cosmos, UTXO and more | Not published |
| MPC wallet platform | Software, two-party MPC | SOC 2 Type II | 100+ blockchains | $799 a month |
| MPC plus TEE wallet platform | Software | SOC 2 Type I and II, ISO 27001:2022 | All public EVM chains plus BTC | $5,750 a year |
| MPC wallet platform plus trust company | Fireblocks Trust Company (NYDFS), sold separately | SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, CCSS QSP Level 3 | 80+ chains | $999 a month |
Audits and Insurance Disclosure
Due diligence teams ask for the same five items from every vendor: the licence, the SOC reports, ISO 27001, insurance and price. Copper and BitGo are the only alternatives that state an insurance amount, at $500M and up to $250M, and neither publishes a price.
- Copper: SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001 and $500M of specie insurance placed in the Lloyd’s of London market through Aon, per its security page.
- Dfns: SOC 2 Type II audited by Deloitte, ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 certified by KPMG, and cyber, errors and omissions and crime cover through Beazley and Munich Re, with no limit stated, per its security page.
- Safeheron: ISO/IEC 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type I and Type II, and insurance arranged through Lockton with no amount stated, per its security page.
- What to request: the latest SOC 2 Type II report and bridge letter from every finalist, and the certificate, insurer, limit and exclusions from any vendor that cites cover.
Year-One Cost: Fireblocks vs the Cheapest Alternatives
We priced year one for three teams, each with 3 users, using only public list prices. Custodians that publish no rate are shown as quote only. The cheapest option changes with size: Cobo wins the smallest scenario, Safeheron the middle one and Dfns the largest.
| Vendor | A: $1M a quarter, 500 wallets | B: $3M a quarter, 1,000 wallets | C: $10M a quarter, 10,000 wallets |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5,588 (Starter) | $11,988 (Standard) | $51,988 (Standard) |
| $5,750 (Starter, yearly billing) | $5,750 (Starter, yearly billing) | $39,150 (Starter, yearly billing) |
| $8,000 (Basic) | $8,000 (Basic) | $35,000 (Pro) |
| $9,588 (Starter) | $9,588 (Starter) | Quote only (Custom quote) |
| $7,650 (Starter, annual upfront) | $15,300 (Advanced, annual upfront) | Quote only (Premium quote) |
| $0 (Self-service, free (may change)) | Quote only (Enterprise terms not stated) | Quote only (Enterprise terms not stated) |
| $23,994 (6 mo Essentials + 6 mo Custom floor) | $31,994 (6 mo Essentials + 6 mo Custom floor) | from $36,000 (from: Custom floor, overage not stated) |
The math, plan by plan. Fireblocks Essentials is $999 a month for up to 6 months with $1M of outbound volume a quarter and 0.20% overage, then Custom from $36,000 a year.
Cobo Starter is $299 a month with $300K of outgoing volume, 2 users and 0.20% overage, and Standard is $999 a month with $1.25M, 5 users and 0.16% overage. Cobo does not say whether included volume is monthly, so we read it as monthly, which is the cheaper reading for you.
Safeheron Starter is $5,750 a year with $12M of outbound volume a year, 0.1% overage and $0.05 per extra wallet a month. Dfns Basic is $8,000 a year for 10,000 wallets, 3 blockchains and 1,000 signatures a month, and Pro is $35,000 for all chains.
# Scenario C: $10M outbound a quarter, 10,000 wallets, 3 users, year one
outbound_year = 10_000_000 * 4 # $40M
safeheron = 5_750 + (outbound_year - 12_000_000) * 0.001 \
+ (10_000 - 1_000) * 0.05 * 12 # $39,150
cobo_month = 999 + (10_000_000 / 3 - 1_250_000) * 0.0016 # Standard
cobo = cobo_month * 12 # $51,988
dfns_pro = 35_000 # flat, no volume fee
fireblocks = 36_000 # Custom floor, overage not public
# Break-even: Safeheron overage vs Dfns Pro
extra = (35_000 - 5_750 - 5_400) / 0.001 # $23.85M over the cap
print(12_000_000 + extra) # about $35.9M a yearSwap in your own numbers. The outbound_year * 0.001 term is what makes volume-priced plans expensive at scale: above roughly $35.9M of outbound volume a year at 10,000 wallets, a flat Dfns Pro fee is cheaper than Safeheron Starter. Dfns Basic covers only 3 blockchains, so a multi-chain team at scenario A or B may need Pro at $35,000.
1. BitGo
- Licences: OCC trust bank in the US plus regional entities under Dubai VARA, MiCAR via BaFin and VQF under FINMA, per its licences page.
- Insurance: up to $250M through a Lloyd’s of London and European syndicate for assets where BitGo Bank & Trust holds all keys, per its insurance page.
- Pricing: a published billing method using AUC basis points and transaction tiers, plus free self-service self-custody that BitGo says may change.
- Weaknesses: no public custody rate, and the security page names SOC attestations without the report type.
Verdict: BitGo scores 9.3, above Fireblocks at 8.8. Choose it when an auditor needs a qualified custodian with broad asset and regional coverage.
2. Anchorage Digital
- Custody: segregated accounts with SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II audited controls, per its custody page.
- Porto: Starter $750 a month or $7,650 upfront for balances under $1M, Advanced $1,500 a month or $15,300 upfront under $10M with up to 5 users, and custom Premium, per its self-custody page.
- Licences: OCC charter for the bank plus Singapore and New York entities, per its about page.
- Weaknesses: no stated insurance amount, ISO 27001 not named, and Porto prices by balance, so large treasuries move to a quote.
Verdict: Anchorage Digital scores 9.0. Pick it when a federal bank charter matters and you want self-custody and bank custody under one contract.
3. Coinbase Prime
- Audits: SOC 1 Type II and SOC 2 Type II audits by Deloitte & Touche, per its custody page.
- Coverage: 470+ assets in custody and staking from Vault storage on 15 named networks, including Ether, Solana, Cosmos and Sui.
- Trading: 275+ tradeable assets, financing on 90+ assets and an onchain wallet under one policy engine, per the Prime page.
- Weaknesses: no public price, no ISO 27001 or insurance amount named, and asset availability depends on jurisdiction and custody entity.
Verdict: Coinbase Prime scores 8.4. Choose it when custody and deep exchange liquidity should sit with the same counterparty.
4. Cobo
- Plans: Starter $299 a month (2 users, 6,000 addresses, $300K outgoing, 15,000 API calls) and Standard $999 a month (5 users, 12,500 addresses, $1.25M outgoing, 65,000 API calls), per its pricing page. Extra users cost $100.
- Compliance: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and licences in Hong Kong and the United States, per its home page.
- Coverage: 80+ chains and 3,000+ tokens, with self-service token listing and AML and KYT through Chainalysis and Elliptic.
- Weaknesses: the pricing page does not say whether included volume is monthly or annual, and no insurance amount is stated.
Verdict: Cobo scores 8.3. It is the best value MPC platform for small and mid-size teams that want Fireblocks features at a third of the entry price.
5. Dfns
- Plans: Starter $800 a year (1 user, 10 wallets), Basic $8,000 (3 users, 10,000 wallets, 3 blockchains), Pro $35,000 (5 users, 50,000 wallets, all chains) and custom Enterprise, with a 30-day free trial, per its pricing page.
- Audits: SOC 2 Type II by Deloitte, ISO 27001, 27017 and 27018 by KPMG, with CCSS Level 3 and SOC 1 in progress.
- Deployment: SaaS, hybrid or on-premises, with keys protected in trusted execution environments, 100+ blockchains and 99.997% uptime since 2022.
- Weaknesses: Dfns says it is deliberately unlicensed, so it never holds assets for you, and its insurance has no stated limit.
Verdict: Dfns scores 8.2. Choose it for high-volume payments, wallet-as-a-service or banks that need to run the stack on their own infrastructure.
6. Copper
- Scale: 60 million monthly trades backed by collateral at Copper, $105bn of monthly notional volume supported by ClearLoop collateral and $3bn of monthly off-exchange settlements, per its home page.
- Audits: SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001, with alignment to the NIST framework and regular independent penetration testing.
- Regulation: US services are offered by Copper Markets (US), Inc., an SEC registered broker-dealer and FINRA member.
- Weaknesses: no public price and no supported asset count on the pages we read.
Verdict: Copper scores 7.2. Pick it when off-exchange settlement across many venues is the main reason you used Fireblocks.
7. Fordefi
- Key model: MPC key shares split between Fordefi on AWS and the customer, with SOC 2 Type II audited by EY and penetration testing by Skylight Cyber, per its product security docs.
- Chains: EVM, SVM, Cosmos, UTXO, Sui, Aptos, TON, Starknet, Stacks, TRON and Stellar networks, per its supported blockchains list.
- Custody: qualified custody integration with Paxos Trust Company for assets that must sit with a custodian.
- Weaknesses: no public price, no ISO 27001 or insurance named, and long-term product plans depend on the Paxos integration.
Verdict: Fordefi scores 7.1. Choose it when DeFi access and dApp policy controls matter more than a published price.
8. Utila
- Plan: Starter $799 a month for 12 months, billed quarterly, with 1,000 active wallets, 1 vault, 3 users, limited DeFi and one exchange connection, per its pricing page. Growth, Pro, Scale and Enterprise are custom.
- Key model: two-party MPC between Utila and the customer, with device-bound key shares approved by multiple admins, per its security page.
- Coverage: 100+ blockchains and 30+ integration partners, per its home page.
- Weaknesses: SOC 2 Type II and Halborn audits are named, but no ISO 27001 or insurance, and no overage terms above the Starter cap.
Verdict: Utila scores 6.7. Pick it for stablecoin payments and treasury teams under $3M a quarter that want a simple flat monthly price. Our crypto treasury management platforms guide compares it with other tools built for finance teams.
9. Safeheron
- Plan: Starter $5,750 a year billed yearly or $7,188 billed monthly, with $12M outbound a year, 0.1% overage, 1,000 wallets plus $0.05 per extra wallet a month, 3 users and a 14-day trial, per its pricing page.
- Audits: ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type I and Type II, with insurance arranged through Lockton.
- Coverage: all public EVM chains plus BTC, ETH and hundreds of assets, per its home page.
- Weaknesses: no licence, no insurance limit stated and a less specific chain list than Cobo, Dfns or Utila.
Verdict: Safeheron scores 6.7. Choose it when you want open-source MPC you can audit and a low annual price for moderate volume.
Fireblocks Itself, as the Benchmark
Fireblocks scores 8.8 on the same rubric, and only BitGo and Anchorage Digital beat it. It loses points on regulation because its core product is software and its trust company is sold separately. If Fireblocks works for you today, the main reason to switch is cost after the 6-month Essentials window, not capability.
- Essentials: $999 a month for up to 6 months, $1M of outbound volume a quarter, 0.20% overage, 5,000 embedded wallets, 5 users and 2 workspaces, per its pricing page.
- Custom: from $36,000 a year, with 80+ chains, 2,000+ counterparties, 30+ exchange integrations and 99.97% monthly uptime.
- Before you switch: ask Fireblocks for a Custom quote at your real volume, then compare it with the year-one table above. Our MPC wallets and key management hub and institutional custodians hub cover the wider market.
Which Alternatives We Left Out
We left out Taurus and Ripple Custody, which sell custody technology mainly to banks, because their pages gave too little audit or price detail to score on the same basis. Zodia Custody runs on Dfns, so we did not score that infrastructure twice.
Consumer multisig wallets are out of scope because they lack the policy engines, audit reports and support terms that institutions need when replacing Fireblocks.
Final Ranking
BitGo and Anchorage Digital lead because they replace Fireblocks with a chartered custodian. Coinbase Prime adds the deepest trading stack. Among software platforms, Cobo and Dfns publish full price lists and the strongest audit sets, while Copper, Fordefi, Utila and Safeheron each win a narrower use case.
Verdict: Shortlist BitGo or Anchorage Digital if you need a custodian, Cobo or Utila if you want cheaper Fireblocks-style MPC, and Dfns if volume is what makes Fireblocks expensive.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Fireblocks alternative for institutions?
BitGo scores highest at 9.3 against 8.8 for Fireblocks, because it runs an OCC national trust bank, states up to $250M of insurance and supports 1,700+ assets. If you want MPC software like Fireblocks rather than a custodian, Cobo scores 8.3 and publishes a full price list starting at $299 a month.
What is the cheapest alternative to Fireblocks?
On public list prices, Dfns Starter is $800 a year for 10 wallets and Cobo Starter is $299 a month. For a team moving $1M a quarter with 3 users, year one costs $5,588 on Cobo against $23,994 on Fireblocks. BitGo also offers a free self-service self-custody tier.
Who are Fireblocks’ main competitors?
Fireblocks competes with qualified custodians such as BitGo, Anchorage Digital, Coinbase Prime and Copper, and with MPC wallet platforms such as Cobo, Dfns, Fordefi, Utila and Safeheron. The custodians hold assets under a charter or licence, while the MPC platforms leave key shares with your own team.
Is Dfns cheaper than Fireblocks at high volume?
Yes. Dfns Pro is a flat $35,000 a year with no AUM or transaction fees, covering 5 users, 50,000 wallets and all chains. Fireblocks Custom starts at $36,000 a year before volume pricing. Volume-priced plans like Safeheron Starter cost more than Dfns Pro above roughly $35.9M of yearly outbound volume at 10,000 wallets.
Which Fireblocks alternatives are qualified custodians?
BitGo Bank and Trust is an OCC national trust bank, Anchorage Digital Bank is an OCC chartered bank and Coinbase Custody Trust Company is a New York fiduciary and qualified custodian. Fordefi integrates Paxos Trust Company custody. Cobo, Dfns, Utila and Safeheron are software platforms, not custodians, on their own pages.
Which Fireblocks alternatives state insurance amounts?
Only two of the nine state a figure. Copper has $500M of specie insurance placed in the Lloyd’s of London market through Aon, and BitGo has up to $250M for assets held fully by BitGo Bank and Trust. Dfns and Safeheron name insurers or brokers but give no limit, as checked on 25 October 2026.
