Why M5wallet
Measured against how multichain wallets normally work
The comparison below is against common industry practice, not any particular product. Each row describes a general pattern that is widespread in multichain wallets today, next to what M5wallet does instead.
| Aspect | Typical multichain wallet | M5wallet |
|---|---|---|
| Key material | One private key, derived from a 12- or 24-word seed phrase and held in full on the device | Two independent shares; the full key is never assembled, on any device or server |
| If the recovery phrase leaks | Anyone holding the phrase can sweep every account it derives | There is no phrase to leak; a single share cannot sign or derive the key |
| Recovery model | Transcribe a word list and keep it safe indefinitely | Vault backup plus a password you choose; no word list to write down |
| Onboarding | Create wallet, record the phrase, then confirm it before the wallet is usable | Sign in and a vault is created by the key-generation ceremony |
| Approving a transaction | One device holding the key signs on its own | Two shares must take part in a live ceremony for a signature to exist |
| Signature on chain | Standard ECDSA or Schnorr | Standard ECDSA or Schnorr — indistinguishable to networks and contracts |
| Curve coverage | Commonly one signature scheme, with separate handling per curve family | Both ceremonies run at vault creation, covering secp256k1 and ed25519 chains |
| Platform coverage | Frequently extension-first, with mobile as a secondary client | iOS, Android, web, browser extension and desktop |
| Swaps and trading | Often a redirect to an external site or a partner widget | Cross-chain swap, perpetuals, markets and staking built into the application |
| Custody | Self-custodial, with the phrase as the single point of failure | Self-custodial, with no single point of key compromise |
Where a typical wallet still has the edge
Threshold signing is not free. A 2-of-2 vault needs both parties available to sign, so a Fast Vault depends on M5's co-signer being reachable and a Secure Vault needs your second device to hand. A conventional single-key wallet signs offline, by itself, forever, and its recovery model — however unforgiving — is understood by every wallet on the market and portable between them. If you want a key you can move into any other wallet by typing twelve words, that is a real advantage and M5 Vault does not offer it.
We would rather you chose this knowing the trade-off than discovered it later.
Try it before you move anything you care about
The beta is open on Android and iOS, and the web wallet runs in your browser.