Pricing models determine how costs grow as your product scales.
When Turnkey is the better pricing fit
Turnkey uses per-signature pricing, meaning you pay for cryptographic operations when they happen.
It offers:
- 25 free signature per month on the free tier
- $0.10 per signature at low volume
- Volume discounts down to ~$0.01 per signature or lower at scale
- No pricing tied to monthly active users
Costs scale with transactions and automation activity, not with how many users you have.
When Fireblocks might work
Fireblocks typically uses MAU-based pricing tiers.
It provides:
- Plans based on monthly active users
- Bundled features such as authentication and wallet UX
- Included usage quotas that increase by tier
Costs scale mainly with how many users log in each month, even if they rarely transact.
Turnkey vs Privy: Quick Compare
| Dimension | Turnkey | Fireblocks |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Basis | Pricing is primarily usage-based. Costs scale with cryptographic signing activity and infrastructure usage. | Priced on outbound transaction volume by plan tier; Essentials covers $1,000,000 quarterly outbound volume. |
| Cost Predictability | Predictable pricing tied to infrastructure usage. As signing activity increases, costs scale gradually. | Essentials is $999 per month for up to six months; custom plans start at $36,000 per year. |
| Overages | Costs increase based on additional signing activity and infrastructure usage. | Overage is listed at 0.20% per transaction on the Essentials plan. |
| Licensing Model | Infrastructure-style licensing built for programmable wallets, automation, and backend systems. | Annual plan tiers, with staking, automation, raw signing, cold wallet and tokenization sold as add-ons. |
| Pricing Philosophy | Pricing reflects infrastructure usage such as signing workload and automation activity. | Pricing tracks value moved and plan tier, with capabilities unbundled into paid add-ons. |
How does Turnkey and Fireblocks work for different builder’s needs?
Turnkey and Fireblocks both offer developer tools for building with wallets, but they serve different needs. Depending on what you're building, one may offer the speed or control you're looking for. Here's how they feel from the perspective of different builders.
Fintech builders need secure, compliant infrastructure that supports modern auth methods, policy-based controls, and fast developer integration. Turnkey and Fireblocks meet different needs across payments, embedded wallets, and crypto-financial apps.
Fintech Developers
Accelerate development with programmable wallets, passkeys, and bank-grade security APIs.
Highlights: SSO/MFA • Quotas • API-first
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Fintech Founders
Launch faster with compliant, secure infrastructure tailored for modern financial apps.
Highlights: SOC 2 • Region-aware infra • Recovery flows
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Payments Developer
Integrate programmable wallets into your payments stack with role-based controls and global reach.
Highlights: Role-based access • Quotas • Multi-region
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Payments Product Managers
Control who can initiate, approve, and recover funds in payment flows — with full audit support.
Highlights: Approvals • Recovery flows • Logs
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Crypto Consumer App Founder
Deliver secure onboarding and wallet flows with passkeys, MFA, and full policy control.
Highlights: Passkeys • Policy engine • Audit logs
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
DeFi teams build at the edge of innovation, where programmable signing, smart contract hooks, and multichain support are critical. Turnkey and Fireblocks offer different approaches to execution, agent compatibility, and onboarding flexibility.
DeFi Developers
Ship faster with secure, programmable wallets that integrate seamlessly with DeFi protocols.
Highlights: Smart contract hooks • Chain support • SDKs
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
DeFi Founders
Launch with confidence using scalable infrastructure, battle-tested security, and built-in compliance.
Highlights: Audit logs • Policy engine • Multichain
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Trading Developer
Build fast, secure trading systems with programmable keys, latency insights, and flexible APIs.
Highlights: Low-latency signing • SDKs • Policy guardrails
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Trading Founder
Protect assets, scale operations, and automate high-frequency trading flows — securely.
Highlights: Attestations • Policy enforcement • Observability
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Crypto Consumer App Developer
Create secure, easy-to-use wallets that abstract crypto complexity and maximize user retention.
Highlights: Key recovery • Chain abstraction • Policy engine
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Web3 Consumer App Founder
Launch faster with embedded wallets, fiat support, and battle-tested infra built for scale.
Highlights: Onramps • Delegated signing • SLA support
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Engineers want infrastructure they can program against, not just plug-and-play widgets. Whether you're building for Web3, agents, or wallets-as-a-service, Turnkey and Fireblocks offer contrasting models for security, extensibility, and control.
Computer Engineers
Low-level control and composability with secure enclaves, policy enforcement, and open SDKs.
Highlights: Secure enclaves • Signing policies • CLI tools
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Computer Engineering Leadership
Security, control, and observability that satisfy both infosec and shipping goals.
Highlights: Policy engine • Admin controls • SLA-backed infra
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Web3 Platform Developer
Provide wallets, keys, and permissions to your users with full API control and UX flexibility.
Highlights: Embedded wallets • Delegation • Recovery
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Web3 Consumer App Developer
Integrate passkey wallets, fiat onramps, and chain abstraction to onboard users with ease.
Highlights: Passkeys • Onramps • Multi-chain
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Crypto Consumer App Developer
Create secure, easy-to-use wallets that abstract crypto complexity and maximize user retention.
Highlights: Key recovery • Chain abstraction • Policy engine
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
AI Agent Developer
Build agents that sign, swap, and transact safely using programmable policies and real-time context.
Highlights: EIP-712 support • Session tokens • Risk controls
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Agentic Developer
Infrastructure designed for autonomous actors — with approvals, limits, and auditability baked in.
Highlights: Autonomous ops • Approval rules • Audit trails
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
DeFi teams build at the edge of innovation, where programmable signing, smart contract hooks, and multichain support are critical. Turnkey and Fireblocks offer different approaches to execution, agent compatibility, and onboarding flexibility.
Product Managers
Build with confidence: audit trails, approvals, and user flows you can configure without engineering.
Highlights: No-code policies • Audit logs • Roles
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Payments Product Managers
Control who can initiate, approve, and recover funds in payment flows — with full audit support.
Highlights: Approvals • Recovery flows • Logs
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Web3 Consumer App Founder
Launch faster with embedded wallets, fiat support, and battle-tested infra built for scale.
Highlights: Onramps • Delegated signing • SLA support
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
Crypto Consumer App Founder
Deliver secure onboarding and wallet flows with passkeys, MFA, and full policy control.
Highlights: Passkeys • Policy engine • Audit logs
Explore Hub: Docs • Case Study • API Ref
FAQs
How does Turnkey's usage-based pricing compare to Fireblocks' transaction volume pricing?
Turnkey prices primarily on cryptographic signing activity and infrastructure usage, so costs scale with how much signing work your system performs. Fireblocks prices on outbound transaction volume within plan tiers, with the Essentials plan covering up to $1,000,000 in quarterly outbound volume. This means Turnkey costs track operational workload, while Fireblocks costs track the dollar value of assets moved.
Explore Scalability
What happens with overages on Turnkey and Fireblocks when usage exceeds the plan allowance?
On Turnkey, costs increase based on additional signing activity and infrastructure usage as your workload grows. On Fireblocks, transactions that exceed the plan's outbound volume allowance are charged at an overage rate of 0.20% per transaction. Both platforms therefore have mechanisms for costs to rise beyond baseline, but the overage triggers differ: infrastructure consumption for Turnkey and outbound transaction volume for Fireblocks.
Explore Support & Operations
How do Turnkey and Fireblocks differ in licensing model and add-on structure?
Turnkey uses an infrastructure-style licensing model built for programmable wallets, automation, and backend systems, with capabilities included in the core offering. Fireblocks structures its licensing around annual plan tiers and sells features such as staking, automation, raw signing, cold wallet, and tokenization as separate paid add-ons.
Explore Product Philosophy
How predictable are monthly costs on Turnkey versus Fireblocks?
Turnkey offers predictable pricing tied to infrastructure usage, with costs scaling gradually as signing activity increases. Fireblocks provides cost predictability through its Essentials plan at $999 per month for up to six months, while custom plans start at $36,000 per year. Both platforms offer a degree of predictability, though the cost drivers differ: infrastructure workload for Turnkey and plan tier with defined volume caps for Fireblocks.
Explore the full comparison
Choosing the Right Stack
Whether you're building a DeFi protocol, a fintech app, or an agent-powered platform, the right wallet infrastructure depends on your goals. Turnkey offers granular control, security, and scale for teams that need infrastructure-grade reliability. Choose what fits today and what won’t limit you tomorrow.