Posture
Documented
Privy
Auth plus wallets. A Stripe company, product still described as independent.
MetaMask Embedded
Embedded MetaMask. Consensys. Formerly Web3Auth.
Privy vs MetaMask Embedded
Two ways to put a wallet behind email and social login. The free tiers are not the same shape, and the brands do different work.
The flows
Privy
01Entry in the host app
Privy lab entry. The host control opens the vendor’s default UI.
02Method picker
Privy default UI on the email method. No code has been sent.
03Credential
Privy one-time code screen. The code was not submitted.
No screenshot
04MFA, if the app requires it
Privy recommends a passkey or authenticator app when the primary login is delegated to email, SMS, or a social provider. Not every app turns this on.
Privy test accounts and their one-time codes live in the dashboard under User management → Authentication → Advanced. This run does not read a real inbox. Set PRIVY_TEST_EMAIL and PRIVY_TEST_OTP locally, without committing them, to capture the steps after the code.
No screenshot
05Embedded wallet
Docs say a wallet can be created automatically, on demand, or before first login. We have not timed which of those a default setup does.
No screenshot
06Ready state
The user should land back in the host app with an address. Key export is documented as a later action, not necessarily this screen.
MetaMask Embedded
01Host app calls connect
MetaMask Embedded lab entry. The host control opens the vendor’s default UI.
02Login modal
MetaMask Embedded opened its default UI. An email field was not found, so the code screen is still pending.
No screenshot
03Provider or code
OAuth leaves the modal. Email stays for a code. An external MetaMask login asks for a signature instead.
The default modal opens and offers Continue with Email/Phone, but that control does not advance on http://localhost:3000. The console reports hCaptcha rejecting localhost. Re-run with BASE_URL=https://www.kycflows.com after www.kycflows.com and kycflows.com are allowed origins on this client. A dashboard test account under Project Settings → Advanced is still required to pass the code, and email passwordless has to stay enabled. This run does not read a real inbox.
No screenshot
04Wallet provisioning
The embedded key is created or restored via MPC. We have not seen whether this is a visible step or a spinner.
No screenshot
05Return to the app
The SDK exposes a provider. Any “wallet home” UI beyond that is plan-gated and not yet captured.
Privy emphasizes progressive authentication: one user record, many methods, and policies for what a wallet may sign. MetaMask Embedded Wallets emphasizes putting MetaMask’s wallet inside the app, with a long social list and the option to sign in with the MetaMask people already have.
Both support bringing an existing identity provider. Both describe non-custodial embedded keys, Privy via a TEE and export, MetaMask via MPC threshold signatures and secret sharing. MetaMask’s SDK is the former Web3Auth SDK. Privy is the product Stripe agreed to buy in June 2025.
The first paid step is a concrete public difference. Privy is free through 499 monthly active users and then $299. MetaMask’s Base plan includes 1,000 monthly active wallets and then charges $0.05 each, with a $69 Growth plan if you need passkeys or a whitelabeled modal. Cheaper is not the same as fewer screens. Those screens are pending.
The table
Pending rows are the ones a capture will fill. They match on purpose.
Sign-in, as documented
DocumentedPrivy
Email, SMS, social, passkey, external wallets, existing OIDC.
MetaMask Embedded
Email, SMS, a wider published social list, external wallets including MetaMask. Passkeys on paid plans.
Control surface
DocumentedPrivy
Owners, additional signers, and policies on sensitive actions.
MetaMask Embedded
Dashboard connections, group connections that share an address, native smart accounts.
Free tier, then the next dollar
DocumentedPrivy
0–499 MAU free. Core is $299 a month.
MetaMask Embedded
1,000 MAW free, then $0.05. Growth is $69 a month.
Steps to a wallet
PendingPrivy
Pending first capture
MetaMask Embedded
Pending first capture
Fields the user fills
PendingPrivy
Pending first capture
MetaMask Embedded
Pending first capture
Time to first wallet
PendingPrivy
Pending first capture
MetaMask Embedded
Pending first capture
Last captured
DocumentedPrivy
Oct 20, 2026 · 3 of 6 frames
MetaMask Embedded
Oct 20, 2026 · 2 of 5 frames
Privy meters signatures as well as users. MetaMask’s UI whitelabel is a plan feature, not a CSS flag on the free tier. A design that must not say “MetaMask” may already be on the $69 or $399 row.
Neither column is a recommendation. Sponsors do not reorder this page. If a sentence is wrong, send a correction with the source.