thirdweb Wallet Infrastructure: Understanding In-app wallets, smart wallets & more

Web3 wallets come in many shapes and sizes, so many that choosing the correct wallet infrastructure for your web3 app can be overwhelming! If you’re here, you likely already know you need to implement some kind of web3 wallet in your app, but which to choose?

In this article, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about the wallet infrastructure offered by thirdweb Connect and be well on your way to building the next big app!

thirdweb Wallets for web3 app users

A crucial part of thirdweb Connect is wallet infrastructure. To explain, thirdweb Connect’s core goal is to provide seamless user onboarding, unified identities and friction-free onchain interactions. To achieve this mission, thirdweb Connect offers developers a choice of wallet infrastructure, allowing them to design the best wallet experience specifically for their app.

So now you know why thirdweb offers different styles of wallet infrastructure, let’s dive into the type of wallets our toolkit unlocks.

External Wallet Connections

If you’re building an app for crypto natives, you’ll want to implement familiar crypto login methods and accept all popular EVM wallets. In that case, thirdweb’s external wallet connection lets your app access the crypto-native ecosystem with ease.

thirdweb’s Connect Wallet Button is a developer-focused UI component that simplifies web3 onboarding by enabling seamless integration with 500+ EVM-compatible wallets (like MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, and Phantom) through a single code snippet. It supports customizable login flows—including social media and email options—while offering features like multi-chain connectivity, in-app asset swaps via the Universal bridge, gasless transactions via account abstraction, and tailored user experiences (e.g., displaying owned NFTs or tokens).

Designed for versatility, it empowers DeFi platforms, NFT marketplaces, and token-gated communities to onboard users effortlessly, prioritize security with SIWE authentication, and scale across ecosystems with minimal coding.

Get started with External Wallets→

In-app wallets

If you’re building an app or game that requires a seamless user experience and customized branding, you might want to consider an in-app wallet.

For single web3 apps, games and experiences, thirdweb In-app wallets are highly flexible and can be implemented in many ways. For example, you could enable web3 logins, social logins, or even email logins. No need to worry about seed phrases or unfamiliar blockchain login methods: activate web2 logins to make web3 onboarding easy. Our in-app wallets support a long list of compatible web2 logins including email, Passkey, Apple, X, Telegram, Farcaster, Line, Steam, Mobile Number, Facebook, Github, Twitch, Google, Discord and Coinbase.

Learn how to implement in-app wallets →

Ecosystem Wallets

If you’re running a web3 gaming or app ecosystem comprising multiple platforms, creating a single unified identity across your ecosystem can be a huge benefit.

thirdweb ecosystem wallets are embedded wallets have all of the same functionalities of in-app wallets, but also offer users a single shared identity across the app’s ecosystem of platforms. If you have an ecosystem of multiple apps and platforms, this can help create a unified brand experience.

Learn how to implement ecosystem wallets →

Smart wallets

thirdweb Connect also offer smart wallets powered by account abstraction, unlocking a whole host of next-generation features using programmable logic. Smart wallets unlock features such as gas sponsorship to implement gasless transactions for your users, batched transactions and custom token spending. These features allow smart wallets to carry out specific functions, like paying for a monthly subscription, or registering specific permissions. Further, they don’t require private key management, lowering the barrier to entry for non-crypto-natives.

Further, they don’t require private key management, lowering the barrier to entry for non-crypto-natives.

Instead of requiring signatures like EOAs, smart wallets issue session keys with set permissions. By doing so, the session key removes the need to sign a new transaction for each interaction. This gives your users the power to interact with the blockchain seamlessly, and in some cases, without even realising it.

Learn how to implement smart wallets →

thirdweb Connect: reliable & performant web3 wallet infrastructure

Choosing the right wallet infrastructure is critical to building a successful web3 app, and thirdweb Connect offers a comprehensive suite of wallet solutions tailored to meet diverse developer needs. Whether you're targeting crypto natives with external wallets, creating immersive experiences with in-app wallets, fostering seamless ecosystems with unified ecosystem wallets, or unlocking advanced functionalities with smart wallets, thirdweb Connect empowers you to deliver the ideal user experience.

With its focus on flexibility, security, and seamless blockchain interactions, thirdweb Connect goes beyond a basic wallet solution. It equips developers with tools to monetize apps, improve performance, and streamline onboarding—all while maintaining a user-friendly interface.

By integrating thirdweb's wallet infrastructure, you can reduce complexity, enhance user satisfaction, and bring your vision for the next big web3 app to life. The possibilities are endless—get started today and transform your app’s wallet experience.