Three or four legitimate recovery services hold the bulk of the honest market in 2026. Most other "services" are scams (see scam taxonomy). This guide compares the legitimate ones objectively. Disclosure: this is a Lost-My-Wallet site, but we will be honest about competitors' strengths.
The four major legitimate services
Wallet Recovery Services (Dave Bitcoin)
Operating since 2013 — by far the oldest. Dave Bitcoin is a pseudonymous operator who has been featured in mainstream press for high-profile recoveries (including 7BTC for a customer in 2014). Pure success-fee model with percentage pricing. Handles a very wide range of wallet types including legacy Bitcoin formats. Communication is mostly email-based, slower turnaround compared to GPU-farm services.
KeychainX
Swiss-based, operating since 2017. Larger team and infrastructure than Wallet Recovery Services. Pricing: percentage-based success fee with minimum. Known for handling MEW keystore, BIP38, MetaMask, Bitcoin Core, and most major altcoins. Active YouTube presence with educational content.
Lost-My-Wallet
The site you are reading. It provides a free technical and ownership assessment, a written 10-30% success-fee quote, and a pay-on-success workflow. Automated intake is limited to formats that have passed the production capability gate; other recognized formats remain blocked pending a canary and verifier review.
ReWallet
German-based, founded 2020. Focus on European customer base with German-language support and EU GDPR compliance. Percentage-fee model. Smaller GPU infrastructure than KeychainX or Lost-My-Wallet but solid technical literacy.
Side-by-side comparison
| Attribute | Lost-My-Wallet | KeychainX | WRS (Dave) | ReWallet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating since | 2024 | 2017 | 2013 | 2020 |
| Pricing model | 10-30% quoted success fee | % success fee | % success fee | % success fee |
| Typical fee | Written case quote | Provider-specific | Provider-specific | Provider-specific |
| Upfront required | No | No | No | No |
| Free analysis | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes |
| Public pricing | Yes | Partial | No | Partial |
| GPU infra | Multi-rig farm | Large farm | Smaller | Mid-size |
| Turnaround (typical) | 1-7 days | 2-14 days | 1-4 weeks | 3-14 days |
| Crypto payments | BTC, ETH, USDT | BTC, ETH | BTC | BTC, ETH |
| Card / PayPal | Yes | Limited | No | Limited |
Wallet support coverage
| Wallet type | Lost-My-Wallet | KeychainX | WRS | ReWallet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin Core wallet.dat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MetaMask vault | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| MEW / Ethereum keystore | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multibit HD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multibit Classic .key | Yes | Limited | Yes | Limited |
| Armory | Limited | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| blockchain.info .aes.json | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electrum | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trezor passphrase | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PDF / Office 40-bit (guaranteed) | Yes | No | No | No |
| BIP38 paper wallet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BIP39 partial seed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Coinomi mobile | Yes | Yes | Limited | Limited |
| Phantom (Solana) | Yes | Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Trust Wallet | Yes | Yes | Limited | Yes |
When each service makes sense
Pick Lost-My-Wallet when
- • Want a written quote before recovery starts
- • Need a supported encrypted wallet format
- • Prefer ownership review and pay-on-success terms
- • Prefer card / PayPal over crypto
- • Need fast turnaround (1-7 days)
Pick KeychainX when
- • Low-balance wallet — percentage beats flat fee
- • Want a 6-year track record
- • Comfortable with crypto-only payment
- • MEW high-cost scrypt cases
Pick WRS (Dave) when
- • Very legacy wallet (Armory, Multibit Classic, early forks)
- • Want the longest-running operator
- • Patient with 1-4 week turnaround
- • Crypto-only payment is fine
Pick ReWallet when
- • Based in EU, want German-language support
- • GDPR data handling matters
- • Mid-size case, percentage works for you
keychainx.com. Wallet Recovery Services at walletrecoveryservices.com. Lost-My-Wallet at lost-my-wallet.com. ReWallet at re-wallet.com. Lookalike domains (.net, .org, hyphen variants, foreign TLDs) are scams. See scam taxonomy.Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Most established service?
Wallet Recovery Services (Dave Bitcoin) since 2013. KeychainX since 2017.
Typical success-fee percentage?
10-20% with $100-500 minimum. Flat-fee alternatives exist for high-balance cases.
Do they charge upfront?
Legitimate services do not. Demands for $500+ upfront are red flags.
How long does it take?
1-7 days for major services with large GPU farms. 2-4 weeks for smaller operations.
Exotic wallet formats?
Check published supported lists. For very obscure formats consider btcrecover yourself or specialist consultation.
See if Lost-My-Wallet flat fee is cheapest for you
Submit your wallet for free analysis. We tell you the recovery feasibility, expected turnaround, and a flat success fee — compare it against any percentage-based competitor before you decide.