Hats Protocol

What Hats Protocol does

Hats Protocol is a decentralized, open-source smart contract protocol that enables organizations to create and manage programmable onchain roles (called "hats") for permissioning and accountability. Deployed in 2021 on Ethereum and expanded to Base, Arbitrum One, and Optimism, the protocol is non-custodial and non-upgradeable, allowing DAOs, DeFi protocols, and decentralized organizations to encode their organizational graphs — roles, committees, councils, and multisig signers — as composable onchain tokens. The core product stack consists of the Hats App (self-serve UI for role tree creation), the Hats Claims App (eligibility-based self-service onboarding), multiple SDKs (TypeScript/JavaScript, Hats Signer Gate SDK, Hats Account SDK), and a growing library of 16+ plug-and-play eligibility modules covering token holdings, elections (via JokeRace, Snapshot), agreements, subscriptions (Unlock Protocol), staking, and identity (Gitcoin Passport, CoLinks).

The protocol integrates natively with major DAO infrastructure including Safe (multisig signing authority via the Zodiac-based Hats Signer Gate), Snapshot and Tally (governance voting), Sablier (streaming compensation), Charmverse, Discord, Telegram, and Google Workspace. Hats Protocol is trusted by over 50 top DAOs including Purple, Questbook, TreasureDAO, Optimism Fractal, and RareDAO, and is governed by the Hats protoDAO — a progressive decentralization structure currently in Season 3 with 38 stewards from leading onchain organizations and 60+ recognized contributors. Haberdasher Labs, a legal entity, retains control over Hats protoDAO pending full decentralization.

Hats Protocol operates as a digital public utility with no direct protocol fees or usage charges; users pay only standard blockchain gas costs. Revenue is not generated by the protocol itself, with potential future monetization paths including protoDAO-governed fees, premium implementation services, or module development. The go-to-market motion is primarily product-led growth and community-led adoption through self-serve tooling, developer SDKs, and the protoDAO ecosystem, supplemented by a demo booking channel for organizations seeking implementation support.

Name

Hats Protocol

Legal name

Hats Protocol

Website

https://hatsprotocol.xyz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hats Protocol is a decentralized, open-source smart contract protocol for creating programmable onchain roles and permissions. It serves 50+ DAOs and Web3 organizations on Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism, enabling composable governance and multisig management.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Web3 DAO Infrastructure

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Finance Services (6199), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Contract Frameworks & SDKs (developer kits, templates, standards) (FSAPABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Deployment, Automation & DevOps (build pipelines, contract deployment tools) (FSAPABAH), Grants, Funding & Budget Allocation Platforms (FSAPAHAE)

Keywords

• Onchain roles management
• DAO infrastructure
• Smart contract permissions
• Multisig access control
• Web3 governance protocol

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Protocol Infrastructure (Pre-Revenue): Hats Protocol is described as a digital public utility and credibly neutral infrastructure. The protocol itself does not generate direct revenue. Revenue may come through protoDAO governance mechanisms, module development, or future protocol fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hats Protocol provides an open-source, non-custodial smart contract protocol that lets organizations create programmable onchain roles ("hats") with composable eligibility criteria and connect them to onchain permissions and offchain authorities. Delivered via the Hats App for no-code role management, a developer SDK ecosystem, and a library of eligibility and authority modules integrating with Safe, Snapshot, Tally, and other DAO tooling, the protocol is used by 50+ DAOs to automate onboarding, multisig signing authority, and council elections across Ethereum and multiple L2s.

Product overview

Hats Protocol is a full-stack solution for programmable onchain roles (called hats), enabling organizations to streamline permission management and introduce real accountability for contributors and councils. The core product is Hats Protocol v1, an open-source, non-custodial, non-upgradeable smart contract protocol deployed across Ethereum and multiple L2s. The platform consists of the Hats App for role management, the Hats Claims App for self-service eligibility-based role claiming, and the Hats SDK (TypeScript/JavaScript) for developer integration. A growing library of Hats Modules provides plug-and-play eligibility criteria (ERC20/ERC721/ERC1155 token holdings, elections via Snapshot/JokeRace, agreements, subscriptions via Unlock Protocol, staking, Gitcoin Passport, CoLinks) and authorities (Safe multisig signing via Hats Signer Gate, workspace access via Charmverse/Discord/Telegram/Google Workspace, voting via Snapshot/Tally, payments via Sablier). The Hats protoDAO governs the protocol commons and maintains the Modules Registry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hats Protocol v1 Open-source, non-custodial, non-upgradeable smart contract protocol for creating and managing programmable onchain roles (hats) that streamline permission management and accountability for organizations on Ethereum and L2s.
• Hats App

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 community members onboarded automatically via Hats Community Member hat
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SafecoreTechnology or IntegrationHats integrates with Safe (Gnosis Safe) for multisig signing authority management. Hats Signer Gate enables hat-gated Safe multisig signing with Zodiac module and guard functionality for automatic signer management.
• SnapshotcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Snapshot for offchain voting and proposal creation. Used for Hats protoDAO governance, Premia Parliament elections, and other governance mechanisms.
• TallycoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Tally for onchain governance voting and proposal creation. Tally is listed as a founding steward in Hats protoDAO and core integration partner.
• JokeRacecoreTechnology or IntegrationJokeRace eligibility module enables onchain elections where winners automatically receive hats and associated permissions. Used by Purple for Security Council and Chair role elections.
• DecentcoreTechnology or IntegrationDecent integrates with Hats for role creation, assignment, and governance. Used for DecentDAO's Foundation Director and Legal Counsel appointments.
• Unlock ProtocolcoreTechnology or IntegrationSubscription and membership fee eligibility module enables recurring or one-time payments for role access. Access automatically revoked when subscription expires or is cancelled.
• SabliercoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Sablier for streaming compensation to role holders. DecentDAO uses Hats and Sablier for built-in compensation to elected officials.
• Gnosis GuildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGnosis Guild partnered with Hats for the TreasureDAO ARC Council implementation using Hats Signer Gate. Founding steward in Hats protoDAO.
• CharmversecoreTechnology or IntegrationCharmverse workspace integration for hat-gated access to documents and collaboration tools. Used by Hats protoDAO and Optimism Fractal. Founding steward in Hats protoDAO.
• CoordinapeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinape is listed as a founding steward in Hats protoDAO, representing ecosystem collaboration.
• ZodiaccoreTechnology or IntegrationHats Signer Gate is built as a Zodiac module and guard, enabling integration with the broader Zodiac ecosystem of DAO tooling.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coordinape: Coordinape enables peer-to-peer compensation allocation within DAOs and contributor teams. It is a Hats protoDAO founding steward and competes in the contributor compensation/onboarding workflow adjacent to Hats' role management.
• Charmverse: Charmverse is a DAO-native workspace and contributor management platform. It is both an integration partner (hat-gated access to Charmverse workspaces) and a protoDAO founding steward, making it a directly comparable ecosystem peer.
• Snapshot: Snapshot is the dominant offchain voting platform for DAOs and is a core integration for Hats Protocol. While Snapshot focuses on voting and proposals, it competes for DAO tooling wallet-share and could expand into role-based permissions.
• Colony: Colony is a DAO framework for decentralized organizations with built-in reputation, permissions, and task management. It overlaps with Hats Protocol in the onchain roles and permissions domain for decentralized teams.
• Tally: Tally is a leading onchain governance platform for DAO voting and proposals. It is both an integration partner and a protoDAO founding steward of Hats, but operates in adjacent territory (voting vs. role assignment) and represents a potential competitor if it expands into broader governance tooling.
• Aragon: Aragon is a leading DAO framework and infrastructure provider that lets organizations create and manage onchain governance. Directly comparable to Hats Protocol as both compete in the onchain organizational tooling stack targeting DAOs and decentralized organizations.
• JokeRace: JokeRace is a platform for onchain contests and elections with transparent results onchain. It is both an integration partner (JokeRace Eligibility Module) and a comparable ecosystem peer in the onchain elections and accountability use case.
• DAOstack: DAOstack provides a DAO framework for decentralized governance and coordination (Holographic Consensus, Alchemy). Comparable to Hats Protocol as both serve the onchain governance and organizational coordination use case for DAOs.
• Zodiac: Zodiac is a Gnosis Guild project offering composable smart contract modules for DAO tooling (Reality, SafeSnap, Bridge, Exit). Hats Signer Gate is built as a Zodiac module, making Zodiac a tightly coupled infrastructure peer in the same design space.

Broad incumbents

• Safe (formerly Gnosis Safe): Safe is the dominant multisig wallet standard for DAOs and a core Hats integration partner via Hats Signer Gate. While Safe focuses on asset custody and signing authority rather than role assignment, it is the foundational layer that Hats builds on top of, and could expand into role-based features.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hatsprotocol
• GitHubgithub.com/Hats-Protocol/hats-protocol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hats-protocol

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hats Protocol