Crypto recovery pricing has converged in 2026 around a few standard models. Knowing them lets you compare quotes objectively and spot scammers (whose pricing usually looks suspiciously like a regular service — until they ask for upfront wire transfers).
The four pricing models
| Model | How it works | Customer risk |
|---|---|---|
| Pure success fee | Pay only if password is found, fixed amount | Lowest |
| Success-fee percentage | Pay 10-20% of recovered funds, only on success | Low |
| Small analysis + success fee | $10-30 upfront for feasibility analysis, success fee on top | Medium-low |
| Large upfront / hourly | $500-5000 upfront, more if not found | High — often scam |
Realistic per-wallet flat pricing (2026 market)
| Wallet | Lite (dictionary) | Deep (mask + rules) | Guaranteed (weak key) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetaMask vault | $30-50 | $60-120 | N/A |
| Bitcoin Core wallet.dat | $35-60 | $80-150 | N/A |
| Electrum | $30-50 | $60-100 | N/A |
| MEW (PBKDF2) | $35-60 | $80-150 | N/A |
| MEW (scrypt high-cost) | $50-100 | $150-300 | N/A |
| Trust Wallet / Coinomi | $40-70 | $100-200 | N/A |
| Trezor passphrase | $50-100 | $150-300 | N/A |
| PDF R=2 (40-bit) | N/A | N/A | $30 (always findable) |
| Office 97-2003 (40-bit) | N/A | N/A | $30 (always findable) |
DIY cost — when does buying a rig pay off?
A DIY approach makes sense if you (a) have multiple wallets to recover, (b) plan to keep the rig for unrelated work (mining backup, GPU rental), or (c) value the learning experience. Otherwise, services are cheaper.
# Used 6-GPU rig (2026 pricing)
6x RTX 3060 Ti / CMP 90HX (used) $1,200 - 2,400
B560 mining motherboard $90
Pentium G6400 CPU $40
2x 850W EVGA P2 PSU $260
Open-air frame + risers $120
SSD 240GB $25
RAM 16GB DDR4 $30
----------
Total $1,765 - 2,965
# Operating cost
Power draw: ~1.4 kW under hashcat load
Electricity at $0.15/kWh: $151/month
Electricity at $0.30/kWh: $302/month
# Break-even vs. paying $100/job service:
~ 18-30 jobs (and you still have to learn hashcat).Cloud GPU alternative
For one-off DIY without buying hardware, vast.ai, Lambda Labs, or RunPod rent GPUs by the hour. RTX 4090 spot pricing in 2026 hovers around $0.40-0.80/hour. A 24-hour brute force run on a 4-GPU instance costs $40-80, comparable to many service flat fees but requires hashcat expertise.
Success-fee vs flat-fee math
For a recovered wallet worth $50,000:
- Flat $100 success fee = 0.2% of recovered funds
- 15% success fee = $7,500
- Flat fee wins for high-balance wallets
For a recovered wallet worth $500:
- Flat $100 success fee = 20% of recovered funds (you'd refuse)
- 15% success fee = $75
- Percentage wins for low-balance wallets
The fairest services let you choose the model that's cheaper for you, given the wallet balance.
Comparing services — checklist
- Public pricing page (not "contact us for quote")
- Specific hashcat modes listed in their tech docs
- Success-fee or refundable-deposit model
- Crypto and major payment rails accepted
- Public terms of service and refund policy
- Reachable founders / company info, not just an email form
- Real customer reviews on Trustpilot or Reddit (with critical reviews not deleted)
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
How much does recovery cost?
$30-500+ depending on wallet type, password complexity, and billing model. Most jobs $50-200.
Upfront or success fee?
Success fee. Large upfront demands are red flags. Small analysis fees ($10-30) are acceptable.
Is DIY cheaper?
Only if you have multiple jobs or want the rig for other purposes. Break-even ~20-30 jobs.
Fair success-fee percentage?
10-20%. Above 30% is excessive.
Why are some wallets so much more expensive?
Cost tracks GPU throughput. Scrypt-based wallets burn days of farm time vs minutes for PBKDF2.
Get an instant price for your wallet
Submit your wallet for free analysis. We quote a flat success fee per wallet type. No upfront, no percentage of funds, no surprise charges.