World ID is the best web3 identity tool for proving you are a unique human, but it is available in the US except New York State. Human Passport is the lighter option: it scores a wallet from Stamps and uses 20 as its default passing threshold. For a readable on-chain name, ENS costs $5 in ETH a year, and for app login Privy and Web3Auth each have free plans.
Quick answer
World ID for the strongest proof of personhood, Human Passport for sybil checks on airdrops and grants, and ENS for a name and profile tied to your wallet.
- 01World ID: Best proof of personhood
- 02Human Passport: best for sybil checks
- 03ENS: Best on-chain name
- 04Basenames: Best name on Base
- 05Galxe: Best credential quests
The 7 best web3 identity tools
World ID verifies you at an Orb that scans the eyes and face; the data is encrypted, sent to your phone and deleted from the Orb. The protocol launched in July 2023, and World ID contracts are public under MIT.
- Chains
- World Chain (Ethereum L2)
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, SDK
- US availability
- Available in the US except New York State
- Launched
- Protocol launched late July 2023
- Company
- Tools for Humanity (San Francisco and Munich); protocol stewarded by World Foundation
Pros
- Available in the US except New York State
- Proofs reveal no name, email or birthdate
- Contracts are public on GitHub under MIT license
Cons
- Top-level Proof of Human requires an in-person Orb visit
- Requires scans of the eyes and face
- Not available to New York State residents
Skip it if you live in New York State: World says it is available in the US except there.
Human Passport, formerly Gitcoin Passport, scores a wallet from verified Stamps, with 20 as the default threshold. Its homepage lists 2M+ passports and 120+ partners, and the API for Passport data is free.
- Platforms
- Web, API
- Free plan
- Free API access to Passport user data
- Company
- Part of human.tech
Pros
- Free API for Passport user data
- No biometrics required: score comes from Stamps
- Integrated with Guild, Galxe and Snapshot
Cons
- Default pass threshold of 20 can block users with few Stamps
- API key needs a wallet login to the developer portal
- Stamps API needs a separate Scorer ID for each use case
Skip it if you need a proof that one person holds one account: a score is an estimate.
ENS maps a .eth name to your address, site and profile records. 5+ character names cost $5 in ETH a year, and the homepage lists over 37 million names.
- Chains
- Ethereum, with names resolvable across many chains and apps
- Platforms
- Web
- Custody
- Self-custody
- Pricing
- 5+ characters: $5 in ETH per year; 4 characters: $160; 3 characters: $640
- Fees
- Annual renewal; 90-day grace period after expiry, then a premium that falls over 21 days
Pros
- 5+ character .eth names cost $5 in ETH per year
- 90-day grace period after expiry before a name is released
- No maximum registration length, so you can prepay many years
Cons
- Names must be renewed; a lapsed name can be registered by anyone
- 3 and 4 character names cost $640 and $160 per year
- Registration and renewal also cost Ethereum gas
Skip it if you will not renew: a lapsed name is released after a 90-day grace period.
Basenames gives a .base.eth name built on ENS technology. Coinbase Verification holders can get one 5+ letter name free for a year; after that, 5 to 9 characters cost 0.001 ETH a year.
- Chains
- Base; names usable for sending on other EVM chains
- Platforms
- Web
- Custody
- Self-custody
- Pricing
- Annual: 3 chars 0.1 ETH; 4 chars 0.01 ETH; 5 to 9 chars 0.001 ETH; 10+ chars 0.0001 ETH
- Free plan
- One free 5+ letter name for one year for eligible users, such as Coinbase Verification holders; one discount per address
Pros
- 10+ character names cost 0.0001 ETH per year
- One free 5+ letter name for a year with Coinbase Verification and other listed criteria
- Contracts are in a public GitHub repo
Cons
- Names are rented per year and must be renewed
- 3 character names cost 0.1 ETH per year
- Profile data you publish is recorded on-chain
Skip it if you want profile data kept private: it is recorded on-chain.
Galxe runs quest campaigns that issue credentials, with partners such as Optimism, Arbitrum and Polygon. Its docs describe Galxe Quest as serving over 22 million users.
- Platforms
- Web, API
- Token
- G (Gravity), upgraded from GAL in 2024
- Pricing
- Optional Galxe+ subscription (Mini, Premium, Unlimited); fees non-refundable, auto-renews
Pros
- Quest campaigns from projects such as Optimism and Arbitrum
- Sybil-resistant credentials limit bot farming
- No-code tools for projects to launch campaigns
Cons
- Galxe+ subscription fees are non-refundable and auto-renew
- Rewards are set by each project and are not guaranteed
- GAL holders had to migrate to the G token
Skip it if you want guaranteed rewards: each project sets its own, and Galxe+ fees are non-refundable.
Privy, owned by Stripe since 2025, adds login by email, SMS, social accounts and passkeys, plus embedded wallets. Its free plan covers 500 monthly active users.
- Chains
- EVM and Solana
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, API
- Pricing
- Core $299/month (500 to 2,499 MAU); Scale $499/month (2,500 to 9,999 MAU)
- Free plan
- Up to 500 MAU, 50K signatures and $1M volume per month
- Company
- Stripe (acquisition announced June 11, 2025)
Pros
- Free plan covers up to 500 MAU, 50K signatures and $1M transaction volume per month
- Wallet connectors for EVM and Solana
- Login by email, SMS, social accounts and passkeys
Cons
- Paid plans start at $299 per month for up to 2,500 MAU
- Webhooks, SSO and dedicated support need an Enterprise contract
- Owned by Stripe since 2025, so the roadmap depends on a payments company
Skip it if you need more than 500 MAU on a small budget: paid plans start at $299 a month.
Web3Auth, now MetaMask Embedded Wallets from Consensys, creates wallets for users who sign in with email, SMS or social accounts. Base is free for 1,000 monthly active wallets, then $0.050 each.
- Chains
- EVM chains, Solana and Bitcoin
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, SDK
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Pricing
- Base free; Growth $69/month; Scale $399/month; Enterprise custom. Extra monthly active wallets $0.050 to $0.040 each
- Free plan
- Base plan: 1,000 monthly active wallets free, then $0.050 per additional wallet
Pros
- Free Base plan includes 1,000 monthly active wallets
- Chain-agnostic: EVM networks, Solana and Bitcoin
- Web SDK source is public on GitHub
Cons
- Whitelabeled login UI starts at the $69/month Growth plan
- MPC TSS for web and mobile is Enterprise-only
- Farcaster login is deprecated in the current SDK
Skip it if you need MPC key management: it is Enterprise only.
Not on this list
civic: civic.com now sells a sales and marketing AI agent; Civic Auth appears only as a beta dashboard, so we did not rank it.
Web3 Identity Tools compared
Select a name to jump to its review.
| Name | Best for | Pricing | Free plan | Chains |
|---|
| World ID | Unique-human checks | Not verified | Not verified | World Chain (Ethereum L2) |
|---|
| Human Passport | Airdrops, grants and quests | Not verified | Free API access to Passport user data | Not verified |
|---|
| ENS | Name and profile for a wallet | 5+ characters: $5 in ETH per year; 4 characters: $160; 3 characters: $640 | Not verified | Ethereum, with names resolvable across many chains and apps |
|---|
| Basenames | Base and Coinbase users | Annual: 3 chars 0.1 ETH; 4 chars 0.01 ETH; 5 to 9 chars 0.001 ETH; 10+ chars 0.0001 ETH | One free 5+ letter name for one year for eligible users, such as Coinbase Verification holders; one discount per address | Base; names usable for sending on other EVM chains |
|---|
| Galxe | Earning on-chain credentials | Optional Galxe+ subscription (Mini, Premium, Unlimited); fees non-refundable, auto-renews | Not verified | Not verified |
|---|
| Privy | Email and social login | Core $299/month (500 to 2,499 MAU); Scale $499/month (2,500 to 9,999 MAU) | Up to 500 MAU, 50K signatures and $1M volume per month | EVM and Solana |
|---|
| MetaMask Embedded Wallets | 1,000 free wallets | Base free; Growth $69/month; Scale $399/month; Enterprise custom. Extra monthly active wallets $0.050 to $0.040 each | Base plan: 1,000 monthly active wallets free, then $0.050 per additional wallet | EVM chains, Solana and Bitcoin |
|---|
“Not verified” means we could not confirm the value on the project’s own pages.
How we rank web3 identity tools
- 01What it proves: unique personhood, a humanity score, a name or a login.
- 02Cost: price for the user or developer, from the tool’s own pages.
- 03US availability: any US limits stated by the tool itself.
- 04Privacy: what data leaves your device and what is recorded on-chain.
- 05Adoption: counts the tool publishes, such as names or passports issued.
No project paid to be listed or ranked. Full rules: methodology.
How to choose
Match the tool to the question
Is this a unique human? World ID or Human Passport. Who owns this wallet name? ENS or Basenames. How does a user sign in without a seed phrase? Privy or Web3Auth.
Weigh biometric data
World ID relies on an Orb scan of the eyes and face. Human Passport uses Stamps from existing accounts and credentials instead.
Remember names are public
ENS and Basenames records are visible on-chain and link a name to every transaction from that address.
Check free-tier limits
Privy is free up to 500 monthly active users and Web3Auth up to 1,000 monthly active wallets.
Who should skip all of these
- Anyone who needs government-grade KYC for a regulated business: these tools are not KYC providers.
- Users who want to stay pseudonymous: a name or proof links activity to one identity.
- New York State residents looking for World ID.
Bottom line
Use World ID where one-person-one-account matters and Human Passport where a score is enough.
Give your wallet an ENS or Basenames name, and pick Privy or Web3Auth for app login based on the free-tier limit you need.
Educational content, not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile; do your own research.
FAQ
Is World ID available in the US?
±
Yes, except New York State, according to World’s own about page.
What happened to Gitcoin Passport?
±
It is now Human Passport, part of human.tech. It still scores wallets from Stamps, with 20 as the default threshold.
Is an ENS name an identity?
±
It is a readable name and profile for a wallet address, not a proof that you are a unique person.
Do these tools require KYC?
±
No. World ID uses an Orb scan and Human Passport uses Stamps; neither is a regulated KYC check.
What changed in this list
2026-09-26First version: 7 web3 identity tools, checked on each tool’s own pages.