[ SHORT ANSWER ]
Web3Auth solves a different problem: giving a human end user a wallet from a social login, with key shares split so no single party holds the key. There is no human to authenticate in an autonomous agent, so that model does not transfer. Choose 1Claw when the signer is an agent and authority has to come from policy — allowlists, caps, simulation, approval routing — rather than from a login.
If you try to use Web3Auth for an agent you end up storing the agent's share somewhere the agent can reach, which recreates the local-key problem with more steps. 1Claw's agent principal is the unit of authority, with policy attached to it directly.
[ COMPARISON ]
1Claw vs Web3Auth
Capability by capability. A dash means partial or qualified support — read the note.
[ WHEN TO USE ]
Which one is right for you
Most of these are not either/or. Where the competitor is the better answer, we say so.
Use Web3Auth when
- Your users are humans signing in with Google, Apple, or a social account.
- Non-custodial end-user ownership is the product requirement.
- There is a person present for every signature.
Use 1Claw when
- The signer is an autonomous agent with no human present.
- Authority must come from machine-evaluable policy.
- You need caps, simulation, and approval routing around each signature.
[ MIGRATION ]
Moving over in three steps
Most teams keep Web3Auth for what it is good at and add 1Claw for the agent layer.
- 1Keep Web3Auth for human end-user wallets if you have them — the use cases do not overlap.
- 2Provision per-agent signing keys in 1Claw for the autonomous side.
- 3Attach guardrails and an approval policy before moving to mainnet.
[ FAQ ]
Common questions
Can I use Web3Auth for my agent's wallet?
You can, but the agent then needs its own share available at all times, which puts you back where you started with a local key. The threat model Web3Auth is designed for assumes a human authenticating.
Is 1Claw custodial?
1Claw holds key material server-side under HSM-backed envelope encryption, with MPC options including 2-of-2 client custody where you hold a share. It is not a non-custodial end-user wallet product.
What about embedded wallets for my users?
See the embedded wallets comparisons — that is a different category from agent signing.
[ RELATED ]
Other comparisons
[ FREE TIER ] 3 vaults · 50 secrets · 2 agents · 100 signatures/mo
Give agents access, not copies
Store the credential once, scope it per agent, and let the agent act without ever holding it.