Pimlico
Pimlico provides ERC-4337 account abstraction infrastructure for Ethereum, bundling a TypeScript bundler (alto), smart-account SDK (permissionless.js), and gas-sponsorship paymasters across 100+ EVM chains. It serves wallets (MetaMask, Safe, Trust Wallet), consumer apps (Zora), stablecoin processors (Circle), and blockchain ecosystems via usage-based and enterprise contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Pimlico does
Pimlico (legal entity Austerlitz Labs Limited) is a London-based infrastructure provider for Ethereum smart accounts built around the ERC-4337 account abstraction standard. Its platform combines an open-source TypeScript bundler (alto), a TypeScript smart-account SDK (permissionless.js, built on viem), a verifying paymaster for gas sponsorship, and an on-chain ERC-20 paymaster that lets users pay gas in USDC, USDT, or 300+ other tokens. Pimlico operates across 100+ EVM-compatible chains and has relayed 250M+ transactions while sponsoring 100M+ transactions, with sub-2-second inclusion on L2s. The company co-authored the underlying ERC standards (ERC-4337, ERC-7677, ERC-7679) and supports every major smart-account implementation (Safe, Kernel, MetaMask Smart Accounts, Coinbase Wallet, Biconomy, Trust Wallet, Alchemy Light Account) and signer (Dynamic, Privy, Magic, Web3Auth, Fireblocks, Turnkey, DFNS, passkeys).
The business model is usage-based on the SMB / developer side and subscription / contract-based for enterprise and chain-ecosystem customers. Testnet usage is free; production is pay-as-you-go with a 10% surcharge on mainnet gas costs (no surcharge on ERC-20 paymaster flows) and a $1,000/month default billing threshold; enterprise plans include SOC 2 Type 1, custom SLAs, 24/7 support, and bespoke chain deployments. Pimlico serves wallet providers (MetaMask, Safe, Trust Wallet, Coinbase Wallet), consumer apps (Zora, Fomo, Picnic), stablecoin processors (Circle, Daimo, Coinflow), AI-agent platforms (ZyFAI), and blockchain ecosystems via Ecosystem Gas Programs. GTM combines a self-serve, developer-first product-led motion with direct enterprise and chain sales.
Backed by a16z crypto, the Ethereum Foundation, Safe, Consensys, and 1confirmation, Pimlico raised approximately $9M+ across seed and follow-on rounds in 2023 (£3.4M a16z-led seed in November 2023, plus $1.6M from 1confirmation/ConsenSys and $4.18M from a16z/Orange DAO). Its paymaster contracts are audited by OpenZeppelin and Quantstamp. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.
Pimlico firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pimlico
- Legal name
- Austerlitz Labs Limited
- Website
- https://pimlico.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Pimlico provides ERC-4337 account abstraction infrastructure for Ethereum, bundling a TypeScript bundler (alto), smart-account SDK (permissionless.js), and gas-sponsorship paymasters across 100+ EVM chains. It serves wallets (MetaMask, Safe, Trust Wallet), consumer apps (Zora), stablecoin processors (Circle), and blockchain ecosystems via usage-based and enterprise contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Pimlico is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pimlico business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Gas Sponsorship (Verifying Paymaster): Pimlico fronts gas on-chain for sponsored user operations and bills customers the actual cost plus a 10% surcharge on mainnet (no surcharge on testnets). Customers load an off-chain balance via the dashboard. Usage-based billing with no minimum commitments for standard plans.
- ERC-20 Gas Payments: Users pay gas fees in ERC-20 tokens (USDC, USDT, 300+ tokens). Pimlico's on-chain paymaster contract charges the user's token balance. Customers pay only the actual gas cost with no additional surcharge via the ERC-20 paymaster.
- Enterprise / Ecosystem Plans: Custom SLAs, SOC 2 compliance, 24/7 support, and negotiated rates for large-scale deployments. Includes Ecosystem Gas Programs for chains funding sponsored gas for ecosystem builders. Quote-based pricing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Testnet — free usage for development and testing |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Pay-as-you-go — standard production usage |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise — custom SLA, SOC 2, 24/7 support |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Pimlico product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pimlico is a gas sponsorship engine for onchain apps providing ERC-4337 account abstraction infrastructure. It bundles a TypeScript bundler (alto), a smart account SDK (permissionless.js), verifying paymasters for gas sponsorship, and ERC-20 paymasters for token-based gas payment across 100+ EVM-compatible chains. Developers integrate via SDK/API and apps can sponsor gas, accept USDC/USDT for fees, or set precise sponsorship policies.
Product overview
Pimlico is a gas sponsorship engine for onchain apps offering a unified platform architecture with multiple integrated products. The core platform consists of permissionless.js (TypeScript SDK for ERC-4337 smart accounts), Alto (open-source bundler), Verifying Paymaster (off-chain gas sponsorship), and ERC-20 Paymaster (on-chain token gas payments). These are complemented by Sponsorship Policies for budget control and Transaction Infrastructure for reliable execution. Solutions are built on top for Wallets, Consumer Apps, Stablecoin Processors, AI Agents, Startups, Enterprise, and Chains & Ecosystems. The platform supports 100+ EVM chains with <2s inclusion on L2s, enabling developers to build applications where users never need to think about gas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gas Sponsorship
- ERC-20 Gas Sponsorships
- permissionless.js
- Alto Bundler
- Sponsorship Policies
- Transaction Infrastructure
- Ecosystem Gas Programs
- Pimlico Enterprise Tier
Quantifiable outcome
- 100M+ transactions sponsored on-platform
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Pimlico
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Pimlico technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration38 records
Feature8 records
Pimlico partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CirclecoreCircle, the issuer of USDC, builds its smart wallet infrastructure on Pimlico. Circle's USDC is supported as a gas payment token via Pimlico's ERC-20 paymaster, and Circle is listed as a customer/logo partner.
- MetaMaskcoreMetaMask Smart Accounts run their transaction execution on Pimlico's infrastructure. MetaMask is owned by Consensys, which is an investor in Pimlico.
- Trust WalletcoreTrust Wallet runs its smart account transactions on Pimlico, integrating Pimlico's bundler and paymaster infrastructure into its mobile and extension wallets.
- Coinbase WalletcoreCoinbase Wallet is listed as a supported smart account integration with Pimlico, enabling Coinbase Wallet users to benefit from gas sponsorship and ERC-4337 infrastructure.
- ZeroDevcoreZeroDev (Kernel) is listed as a customer/integration partner running on Pimlico. ZeroDev's account abstraction SDK is built on Kernel smart accounts which integrate with Pimlico's infrastructure.
- DynamiccoreDynamic is listed as a supported signer/key management integration with permissionless.js, enabling wallet-as-a-service platforms to use Pimlico's infrastructure.
- PrivycorePrivy is listed as a supported signer/key management integration with permissionless.js for social login and authentication in smart account applications.
- OpenZeppelincorePimlico's paymaster contracts have been audited by OpenZeppelin, a leading smart contract security firm. OpenZeppelin's audits provide security validation for Pimlico's core infrastructure.
- QuantstampcorePimlico's paymaster contracts have been audited by Quantstamp, a blockchain security firm providing formal verification and security audits for smart contract infrastructure.
- TenderlycoreTenderly simulation integration is embedded in Pimlico's debugging tools, allowing developers to simulate user operations directly from the Pimlico dashboard for debugging failed or dropped transactions.
- viemcorepermissionless.js is built on and maintains full compatibility with viem, the TypeScript interface for Ethereum. This deep viem integration enables maximum compatibility and developer familiarity.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pimlico competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Dynamic: Dynamic provides authentication and embedded wallets for web3 apps, integrated as a signer with Pimlico. It is adjacent rather than directly competing, but its expansion into wallet orchestration brings it into the same developer-facing smart account infrastructure category.
- Particle Network: Particle Network offers modular smart wallet infrastructure including AA-compatible wallets and chain abstraction. It overlaps with Pimlico's Wallet and Consumer App solutions and competes for similar onchain developer customers.
- Privy: Privy provides embedded wallets and social login that integrate natively with Pimlico via permissionless.js. It is a signer-layer complement but increasingly expanding into wallet and AA features that overlap with Pimlico's consumer-app solution.
- Web3Auth: Web3Auth (now part of torus) offers social login and key management for Web3 wallets, integrated with Pimlico. It serves the same developer segments building consumer-friendly onchain apps with passkey/social flows.
- Magic Labs: Magic Labs (Magic) provides passwordless Web3 authentication and embedded wallets supported by permissionless.js. It competes for the same authentication-and-wallet layer of the onchain app stack that Pimlico's Wallet Solution targets.
Broad incumbents
- Alchemy: Alchemy is a broad Web3 infrastructure incumbent offering RPC, indexing, and account abstraction (Light Account) under one platform. Its scale and enterprise distribution pose a competitive threat as a one-stop alternative to Pimlico's focused bundler/paymaster stack.
Direct peers
- Stackup: Stackup provides ERC-4337 bundler and paymaster infrastructure aimed at developers building smart accounts. It directly overlaps with Pimlico's bundler/paymaster offering and competes for the same application-layer developers.
- Biconomy: Biconomy operates a competing ERC-4337 stack including bundlers, paymasters (Biconomy Nexus), and gasless transaction infrastructure. It serves many of the same wallets, dApps, and chains as Pimlico, making it the closest head-to-head competitor in account abstraction infrastructure.
- ZeroDev: ZeroDev builds Kernel smart accounts and complementary AA infrastructure that integrates with Pimlico. While it is also a partner, its SDK and infra stack compete for the same onchain developer mindshare around smart account deployment.
Others
- Safe: Safe is both a customer (running smart account transactions on Pimlico) and an investor. It is the most widely used multisig smart wallet on Ethereum; while not a direct infrastructure competitor, its account standard and roadmap shape Pimlico's addressable market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pimlico social profiles
Digital presencePimlico compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Pimlico financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pimlico leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Pimlico funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pimlico M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pimlico
What does Pimlico do?
Pimlico is a gas sponsorship engine for onchain apps providing ERC-4337 account abstraction infrastructure. It bundles a TypeScript bundler (alto), a smart account SDK (permissionless.js), verifying paymasters for gas sponsorship, and ERC-20 paymasters for token-based gas payment across 100+ EVM-compatible chains. Developers integrate via SDK/API and apps can sponsor gas, accept USDC/USDT for fees, or set precise sponsorship policies.
Is Pimlico a public or private company?
Pimlico is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Pimlico founded?
Pimlico was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pimlico based?
Pimlico is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Pimlico make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Gas Sponsorship (Verifying Paymaster) is the primary driver. The others are ERC-20 Gas Payments and enterprise / Ecosystem Plans.
Who are Pimlico's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Dynamic, Particle Network, Privy, Web3Auth and Magic Labs. Alchemy is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Stackup, Biconomy and ZeroDev. Safe is listed as an others.
Does Pimlico have an API?
Yes. Pimlico provides a comprehensive API for ERC-4337 account abstraction infrastructure. The API enables developers to sponsor gas fees, use ERC-20 paymasters, manage sponsorship policies, and interact with bundlers across 100+ EVM chains. Endpoints include eth_sendUserOperation, eth_estimateUserOperationGas, eth_getUserOperationReceipt, eth_getUserOperationByHash, eth_supportedEntryPoints, pimlico_getUserOperationGasPrice, and pimlico_getUserOperationStatus. A public endpoint is available at https://public.pimlico.io/v2/{chain_id}/rpc with rate limits of 20 requests per minute per IP address (paymaster support on testnets only). API key authentication required for production use with authenticated endpoints. Developer documentation is at docs.pimlico.io.