Casa Keymaster Wallet: Master The Crypto User Review Guide

Casa is a crypto custody startup service aimed to make it easier to secure and control your bitcoin. Today, we're reviewing everything about the Casa personal key wallet management system and how Casa works.

What is Casa?

Casa is a crypto custody company that offers three core products and services, including Keymaster, Casa Node, and Casa Covenant (for inheritance).

All Casa products and services make it easier to secure and control your bitcoin. You pay for a Casa subscription, then gain access to certain products and services based on your subscription level.

Casa makes a big deal out of the fact that it’s a service “built for hodlers by hodlers”. If you have a large amount of crypto you need to secure, then Casa is a great option. In fact, when Casa first announced itself to the world in March 2018, the company described itself as “the world’s most secure cryptocurrency wallet.”.

Casa is best known for Keymaster. Casa describes Keymaster as “the world’s first user-friendly multisig system”. Thanks to Keymaster, any user can stay safe and in direct control of their keys. Keymaster is catered towards hodlers, high net worth individuals, funds, and teams. If you hold a significant amount of crypto, then it may be in your best interest to protect that crypto with Keymaster. Keymaster lets you easily setup, control, and access 2-of-3 multi-sig wallets and 3-of-5 multi-sig wallets.

Other key products and services offered by Casa include the Casa Node 2, which lets you earn bitcoin while supporting the bitcoin and Lightning networks. It’s a Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD.

Casa also offers the Sats App, which is a Venmo-like app catered to crypto users. With the Sats App, you can send or receive bitcoin using SatsTags, earn bitcoin with SatsBack Rewards, or access your Casa Node from anywhere in the world.

There’s also a Casa extension for Chrome that lets you make or receive Lightning payments on websites without leaving the site. The extension pairs with your Casa Node, letting you make transactions without navigating through the node interface.

In 2019, Casa introduced a particularly unique service called Casa Covenant, which combines multi-signature authorization with a security protocol to assign bitcoin holdings for later inheritance. Using Casa Covenant, anyone can ensure their bitcoin gets passed on to loved ones. Casa integrates your crypto holdings directly into your last will and testament. Casa will even walk your heirs through the process of recovering your funds if needed.

By subscribing to Casa, you gain access to one or more of these products and services. Subscriptions range from $34 to $420 per month, although a free trial is also available.

Here’s how Casa summarizes its mission overall:

“Casa provides you the tools. You take back control over your money and data. Casa maximizes your individual sovereignty.”

The goal is to give every crypto holder their sovereignty by giving them the tools they need to secure their digital life.

Casa Features

Key features of Casa’s products and services include:

Ideal for Anyone with Lots of Crypto: Casa’s subscriptions range from $34 to $420 per month (billed annually). The service is catered to those with a significant amount of crypto to protect, including high net worth individuals, hodlers, whales, funds, or startups.

Free and Paid Subscriptions Available: You can try out Casa’s Keymaster and the Sats App for free with a trial subscription. Gold, Platinum, and Diamond subscriptions ($34 to $420 per month) are also available based on your needs.

Keymaster: Keymaster is a crypto key management service catered to anyone holding a large amount of crypto – including hodlers, high net worth individuals, funds, and others. With Keymaster, you still hold your own bitcoin keys, although they’re much more secure.

Casa Node 2: Casa also offers Casa Node 2, a bitcoin and Lightning node that lets you earn bitcoin while supporting both the bitcoin and Lightning networks. It’s a Raspberry Pi 4.

Sats App: Casa has built the Sats app, which lets you send and receive bitcoin using SatsTags. You can also earn bitcoin with SatsBack Rewards or use your Casa Node from anywhere in the world.

Sats Extension: Casa offers a browser extension that lets you easily make and receive bitcoin and Lightning network payments on the internet using your Casa node. You can enter your password through the extension to connect to your Casa node in a single step. You can also quickly make and receive payments without leaving the site.

Multiple Signatures, Multiple Devices, and Multiple Locations: Casa’s KeyShield is the ultimate multi-sig security setup. You can secure your funds with multiple signatures on multiple devices in multiple locations.

Maximize Physical Security: You might have a multi-signature setup secured by a seed phrase, but it’s only as secure as your personal security. Someone with a significant amount of crypto is exposed to physical attacks. You might have memorized your seed phrase, for example, but someone can extract that seed phrase from you with torture. With Casa, there’s no need to expose yourself (or your crypto fortune) to physical threats because there’s no single point of failure.

Built for Hodlers, By Hodlers: Casa has repeatedly mentioned that it was “built for hodlers, by hodlers”. If you have a large amount of crypto you want to protect over a long period of time, then Casa is an ideal option.

One Subscription for Multiple Services: Casa has multiple subscription levels, and you get access to multiple Casa products and services with each subscription.

Easiest and Most Secure Multi-Sig Setups: It’s smart to protect large funds with multi-signature setups. However, there’s also some degree of risk involved: what happens if you lose one or two of the signing devices? What happens if one person controlling the signatures goes rogue? Casa helps you avoid issues and recover funds with its Keymaster and Key Shield services. These services make it easier and more secure to operate multi-sig setups.

Subscriptions Include Hardware Wallets: Your Casa subscription includes 1 hardware wallet (for Gold subscribers) or 3 hardware wallets (for Platinum and Diamond members). This hardware wallet will function as one signing device in your Key Shield multi-sig setup.

Dedicated 24/7 Customer Service: Casa provides dedicated customer service, including personal client advisors, 1-on-1 set up sessions, and other personalized support options.

Emergency Signing and Key Recovery Services: In a Key Shield setup with 3-of-5 signatures required, Casa will hold one of the keys. Casa offers emergency signing and key recovery.

Replacement Devices Shipped Overnight: Platinum and Diamond subscribers can have replacement devices shipped overnight. If you lose access to a hardware key in your multi-sig setup, for example, and need to replace it, then Casa will ship a new hardware wallet to you as soon as possible.

Supports Multiple Hardware Wallets: Casa subscriptions include a Trezor One by default. However, the setups also support the Trezor Model T, Ledger Nano S, and Ledger Nano X.

Supports iOS and Android: Casa works with both Apple and Android devices.

Go Seedless: Having a seed phrase is great for recovery, but it also presents an enormous hole in security setup. If anyone gains access to that seed phrase, it puts your funds at risk. Casa has a seedless setup that eliminates the need for paper backups.

Casa Faraday Bags: Casa Diamond and Platinum subscribers receive Faraday bags for added protection. You may want to place your hardware wallet and other electronics in a Faraday bag, for example, to ensure that no signals can possibly be sent out.

Member Events and Perks: Casa holds special events for Diamond and Platinum members. These members also get various perks and other member benefits.

How Does Casa Work?

Casa offers three core products and services. Here’s a basic explanation of how each one works:

How Does Casa Keymaster Work?

Keymaster lets you secure your bitcoin using a handful of different multi-signature setups. The more expensive Casa subscriptions come with more multi-sig wallet options.

The flagship Keymaster product is Casa’s Key Shield, which offers 3 of 5 multi-signature security. The goal is to give users the “ultimate peace of mind about the security of [their] cryptocurrency”, explains the official website. It’s also designed to be easy to use by anyone of any technical skill level.

With the 3 of 5 multi-sig system, your crypto is protected by 5 different keys on 5 different devices in 5 different locations. If someone gains access to 1 or 2 keys or devices, then your crypto funds are not compromised. The goal is to protect users against hackers and in-person attacks.

With Casa Key Shield, you don’t have to write down a seed phrase. If you lose one of your hardware keys, then you can easily replace it and use your remaining devices to send the funds to your newly created keyset. You don’t have the security risk associated with writing down a seed phrase because your hardware devices can function as recovery devices.

Casa’s Diamond and Platinum members get access to a dedicated 24/7 team of customer service representatives who walk users through the entire setup process. Casa provides the initial hardware devices as well as replacement devices in case of loss, so users worry about nothing.

Additionally, Casa will hold one of the 5 keys in your Key Shield for emergencies. Casa cannot access your funds in any way because they only hold one key. However, if you ever lose two of your keys at the same time, you can use Casa’s Emergency Key to help you transfer your funds to a new, whole keyset.

Overall, Casa’s Keymaster is ideal for multi-person setups – like families, teams, startups, or funds. If you want to secure a large amount of crypto between multiple parties, then Keymaster works great.

Casa also offers a basic 2 of 3 multi-sig security setup. It works similar to Casa’s Key Shield. The three keys include your phone, a hardware wallet, and the Casa Recovery Key, with each transaction requiring a signature from 2 of the 3 keys. Casa’s 2 of 3 multi-sig setup is advertised as an entry-level cold storage system.

How Does Casa Covenant Work?

Casa Covenant is a bitcoin inheritance system that keeps your bitcoin safe, even after you pass away. You can protect your loved ones and ensure they receive your bitcoin as part of your last will and testament.

When using bitcoin without Casa, inheritance is difficult. If you manage your own keys, then you need a plan to pass on your wealth at the end of your life. Many bitcoiners have died with their funds locked forever simply because they didn’t leave instructions to any loved ones.

Casa Covenant works with an existing estate lawyer, which means you can avoid the extra work and risk of having your bitcoin passed on separately from other assets.

The key feature of Casa Covenant is the multi-sig feature, which ensures your funds are only passed on when it’s not – and not before. You have full control over the process. Casa will also guide your family or lawyer through the entire process and will even extend support to heirs after you pass.

The ordinary Casa key management system lets you set up a 2 of 3 or 3 of 5 multi-sig wallet. Casa Covenant, however, uses an optional 3 of 6 setup. You need a signature from 3 of the 6 keyholders for a transaction to be valid. The extra key (the 6th key) will be activated during the process of setting up the Covenant service and is held by the user’s estate lawyer. If the client passes away, then the estate lawyer’s key, the Casa recovery key, and the safety deposit box key and used to recover the funds.

Casa Covenant is available to all Casa Diamond members. Casa Diamond is priced at $420 per month (billed annually), so this service is catered mostly to high net worth individuals instead of ordinary bitcoin users.

When Casa launched Covenant in 2019, the company described the service as a “first of its kind” system. There are other bitcoin inheritance services available, although Casa has integrated it into the existing inheritance, will, and testament system better than its competitors – although obviously, pricing is also much higher.

How Does Casa Node 2 Work?

Casa Node 2 lets you earn bitcoin while supporting the bitcoin and Lightning networks. You get one Casa Node 2 as part of every paid Casa subscription.

The Casa Node 2 is a Raspberry Pi 4 with 4GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. You control the node using Casa’s own NodeOS (which now has dark mode).

By combining Casa Node 2 with the Sats App, you can earn bitcoin and use Lightning from anywhere. Additionally, you can run Node Heartbeats on Node 2 to earn bitcoin every week just for running a healthy node and supporting the bitcoin network.

With the Casa Node 2, you can also run BTCPay Server to easily accept e-commerce payments in bitcoin. Casa plans to announce other Node features in the near future.

Casa Pricing

You get access to one or more of Casa’s products and services with each subscription level. Subscriptions range from Silver (free) to Diamond ($420 per month). All prices below assume annual billing.

Silver (Free)

• Try out Keymaster and the Sats App for free
• Store bitcoin in your phone using Keymaster and the Sats App

Gold ($34 Per Month Billed Annually)

• A starter kit for using and securing bitcoin
• 2 of 3 multi-signature key security)
• 1 x hardware wallet (Trezor One)
• Casa Node 2
• Casa Faraday Bag
• Direct email support from Casa
• Use the Sats App to earn rewards with your Casa Node

Platinum ($150 Per Month Billed Annually)

• Full-service crypto custody solution for individual security needs
• The Key Shield (3 of 5 multi-signature keyset)
• 3 x hardware wallets
• Dedicated 24/7 customer service
• Personal Client Advisor and 1-on-1 setup session
• Casa Key Recovery Service and emergency signing
• Replacement devices shipped overnight
• Full Casa equipment package, including Casa Node 2 and Faraday bags
• Excluisve events, perks, and member benefits

Diamond ($420 Per Month Billed Annually)

• Full-service offering for the ultimate crypto security
• The Key Shield (3 of 5 multi-signature keyset)
• 3 x hardware wallets
• Multi-user support for families and teams
• Casa Inheritance Planning for generational asset transfer
• Dedicated 24/7 customer service
• Casa Key Recovery Service and emergency signing
• Personal Client Advisor and 1-on-1 setup session
• Replacement devices shipped overnight
• Full Casa equipment packages, including two Casa Nodes and Faraday Bags
• Exclusive events, perks, and member benefits

About Casa

Casa is led by founder and CEO Jeremy Welch. Other key members of the team include Kelly Lyons (President) and Jameson Lopp (CTO).

Casa is headquartered in New York City. The company announced itself in March 2018 via a Medium post, describing its service as “the world’s most secure cryptocurrency wallet.”

Casa has raised over $3.5 million to date.

Final Word

Casa’s core service is Keymaster, which is the ultimate multi-sig setup. Keymaster makes it easy, secure, and safe to operate a 2-of-3 or 3-of-5 multi-sig setup. Casa will walk you through the setup process, control a single key as a backup, and eliminate the need for a seed phrase. Along the way, Casa also offers emergency backup options, overnight hardware wallet shipping, and other perks you wouldn’t receive if running your own multi-sig setup.

More recently, Casa has also introduced its Casa Node 2, a bitcoin and Lightning node, as well as the Casa Covenant inheritance service, which makes it easy to transfer your crypto fortune to your heirs.

For all of these reasons, Casa (priced from $34 to $420 per month) is helping users secure their crypto holdings in multiple ways with a suite of unique tools.