Web3 Identity And Governance — hobby stack.
For each requirement below, pick the option that fits your build — recommended first, then free and cheaper alternatives — or skip what your project doesn't need. Tap the info icon next to any requirement to see why it matters.
DID Platform
A piece of your stack you may or may not need, depending on scope. Pick the option that fits — or skip it if your project doesn’t require this capability yet.Pricing & free-tier limitsSpruce DIDKit Free OSS self-hosted (gas only, infra ~$20/mo); Veramo Free OSS; ION Free OSS Bitcoin-anchored (~$0.10/anchor); Ceramic Free 100k writes/mo, Pro $50/mo for 1M writes, overage $0.05 per 1k writes
Verifiable Credentials Issuance
A piece of your stack you may or may not need, depending on scope. Pick the option that fits — or skip it if your project doesn’t require this capability yet.Pricing & free-tier limitsSpruce Credible Free OSS self-hosted; Dock Free 100 credentials/mo, Pro $49/mo 1k credentials, overage $0.05/credential; MATTR Free 1k credentials/mo, Pro $99/mo 10k credentials, overage $0.10/credential
DAO Governance Platform
A piece of your stack you may or may not need, depending on scope. Pick the option that fits — or skip it if your project doesn’t require this capability yet.Pricing & free-tier limitsSnapshot Free OSS + $0 gas (off-chain voting); Aragon Free 1 DAO, Pro $50/mo 10 DAOs, overage $5/DAO; Tally Free 1 DAO, Pro $199/mo 10 DAOs, overage $20/DAO; OpenZeppelin Governor Free OSS
Token Voting Infrastructure
A piece of your stack you may or may not need, depending on scope. Pick the option that fits — or skip it if your project doesn’t require this capability yet.Pricing & free-tier limitsSnapshot Free OSS unlimited proposals/votes; Boardroom Free 1 DAO, Pro $99/mo 10 DAOs, overage $10/DAO; Tally Free 1 DAO, Pro $199/mo 10 DAOs, overage $20/DAO
Naming System (ENS/UD/Lens)
A piece of your stack you may or may not need, depending on scope. Pick the option that fits — or skip it if your project doesn’t require this capability yet.Pricing & free-tier limitsENS Free registration + $5/yr per name + gas, ENS API Free 100k req/mo, overage $0.01/req; Lens Protocol Free OSS; Unstoppable Domains Free registration $20/yr per name, API Free 10k req/mo, Pro $49/mo 100k req
Web3 Authentication (SIWE / Wallet Auth)
How users sign up, log in, and are authorized. Getting roles and access control right early prevents painful rewrites.Pricing & free-tier limitsSIWE Free OSS self-hosted (~$10/mo infra); Privy Free 1k MAU, overage $0.10/MAU, Pro $199/mo includes 2.5k MAU; Dynamic Free 1k MAU, overage $0.10/MAU, Pro $250/mo includes 2.5k MAU
Off-Chain Identity Database
Persistent storage for your app’s data — users, products, orders. The single most important architectural decision for most projects.Pricing & free-tier limitsCeramic Free 100k writes/mo, Pro $50/mo 1M writes, overage $0.05/1k writes; Supabase Free 500MB DB + 50k MAU auth, Pro $25/mo 8GB DB, overage $0.125/GB + $0.00325/MAU over 50k
Decentralized Storage for Identity Docs
Where you keep files users upload or you serve — images, videos, documents — and how fast they reach visitors around the world.Pricing & free-tier limitsKubo Free OSS self-host (~$15/mo infra); Web3.Storage Free 5GB, Pro $20/mo 100GB, overage $0.15/GB; Pinata Free 1GB, Pro $20/mo 100GB, overage $0.15/GB; Arweave $5/GB one-time permanent storage
Key Management & Wallet Infrastructure
A piece of your stack you may or may not need, depending on scope. Pick the option that fits — or skip it if your project doesn’t require this capability yet.Pricing & free-tier limitsWeb3Auth Free 1k MAU, overage $0.10/MAU, Pro $199/mo 2.5k MAU; Lit Protocol Free 100k decryptions/mo, Pro $99/mo 1M decryptions, overage $0.0001/decryption; Privy Wallets Free 1k wallets, overage $0.05/wallet
Verifiable Data Registry / DID Resolver
A piece of your stack you may or may not need, depending on scope. Pick the option that fits — or skip it if your project doesn’t require this capability yet.Pricing & free-tier limitsDIF Universal Resolver Free OSS self-host (~$20/mo infra); Veramo Resolver Free OSS; Infura DID Free 100k req/mo, Pro $50/mo 1M req, overage $0.05 per 1k req, Enterprise $1000/mo 20M req
Sybil Resistance / Proof of Personhood
A piece of your stack you may or may not need, depending on scope. Pick the option that fits — or skip it if your project doesn’t require this capability yet.Pricing & free-tier limitsGitcoin Passport Free 5k verifications/mo, overage $0.02/verification; BrightID Free OSS; World ID Free OSS verification (gas only); Civic Free 1k checks/mo, Pro $99/mo 10k checks, overage $0.05/check
How this hobby web3 identity and governance checklist works.
Each requirement below is something a hobby web3 identity and governance build typically needs. Pick one of the four researched options — recommended, free, cheaper or paid — add your own with "Other", or skip the requirement if your project doesn't need it. Nothing is mandatory; the plan on the right tracks what you've decided so nothing gets forgotten.
Your picks are saved in this browser automatically, so you can come back anytime. Options are researched per build level and refreshed as vendors change their plans — always verify details on the provider's page before committing.