Difference between various Smart Account types in permissionless.js

permissionless.js supports 8 types of accounts. Below is an overview of each account type and their key features:

1. Safe
2. Kernel
3. Nexus
4. Simple Smart Account
5. LightAccount
6. TrustWallet
7. Etherspot
8. Thirdweb

1. Safe

Safe is a robust and widely used Ethereum smart account provider. With its ERC-4337 module, Safe accounts can integrate with ERC-4337 bundlers and paymasters.

• ERC-7579 Support: Yes, via Rhinestone's safe7579 module.
• Passkeys Support: Supported through Safe's passkey module; not yet supported in permissionless.js.
• Multiple Signers: Yes, as Safe is one of the first multi-signature smart accounts.
• Chain Support: Available on all chains where Safe factories are deployed.
• Usage Stats: ~34k Safe accounts created in the last 6 months (source).
• Security: Secures over $100B+ in assets, making it highly reliable.

2. Kernel

Kernel by ZeroDev is a highly gas-efficient smart account compatible with ERC-4337 and ERC-7579.

• ERC-7579 Support: Yes, authored by the ZeroDev team.
• Passkeys Support: Yes.
• Multiple Signers: Supported through flexible permission settings:
  • Define who can perform actions.
  • Specify conditions for actions.
  • Configure what actions can be performed.
• Usage Stats: ~133k Kernel v3 and 771k Kernel v2 accounts created in the last 6 months (source).
• Audits: Audited by ChainLight and Kalos.

3. Nexus

Biconomy Nexus focuses on modularity, security, and scalability. Support for the older Biconomy Smart Account is being deprecated in favor of Nexus.

• ERC-7579 Support: Yes.
• Passkeys Support: Supported via Rhinestone's Passkeys Validator (not yet in permissionless.js).
• Multiple Signers: Enabled using Rhinestone's session keys module.
• Usage Stats: ~54 Nexus accounts and 224,758 Biconomy v2 (deprecated) accounts created in the last 6 months (source).
• Audits: Audited by Cyfrin and Spearbit.

4. Simple Smart Account

Simple Smart Account is a sample smart account by the Eth-Infinitism team. This is supposed to be a reference implementation for ERC-4337 and not a production-ready smart account.

• ERC-7579 Support: No.
• Passkeys Support: No.
• Multiple Signers: No.
• Usage Stats: ~1.5M accounts created in the last 6 months (source).
• Audits: Audited by OpenZeppelin.

5. LightAccount

LightAccount is a lightweight ERC-4337 smart account based on SimpleAccount with added functionality for smart account signers.

• ERC-7579 Support: No.
• Passkeys Support: No.
• Multiple Signers: No.
• Usage Stats: ~7.3M accounts created in the last 6 months (source).
• Audits: Audited by QuantStamp.

6. TrustWallet

TrustWallet is a popular cryptocurrency wallet supporting a wide range of digital assets across multiple blockchains. It provides users with a secure, self-custody solution and has introduced ERC-4337-compatible features.

• ERC-7579 Support: No.
• Passkeys Support: Yes, through Barz, Trust Wallet's ERC-4337-compatible smart contract wallet, which supports passkey-based authentication.
• Multiple Signers: Yes, Trust Wallet offers multisig functionality to enhance transaction security.
• Usage Stats: ~36,838 accounts created in the last 6 months (source).
• Audits: Trust Wallet has undergone independent audits.

7. Etherspot

Details on Etherspot integration coming soon.

8. Thirdweb

Details on Thirdweb integration coming soon.

Summary of Key Features

Gas Efficiency of various Smart Account types

Results (as of February 24, 2024)

Disclaimer the numbers are obtained from aa-benchmark from ZeroDev.

Since these are gas numbers, lower is better.