Comparison
OpenZeppelin Defender
A comparison for teams evaluating OpenZeppelin Defender's successor. With OpenZeppelin pivoting to open-source Monitor and Relayer components, Defender users need a managed destination since the July 1, 2026 sunset.
OpenZeppelin Defender reached end-of-life July 1, 2026
OpenZeppelin Defender has shut down. New sign-ups were disabled on June 30, 2025, and critical patches continued through the sunset date. OpenZeppelin's only supported path is now the open-source Monitor and Relayer components, self-hosted. If your team needs managed automation, OpenZeppelin is not building that. KeeperHub is. We run the same class of automation (and more) as a managed service, with SLAs, human support, and a full audit trail. We also run a dedicated Defender Migration Program.
Read the Defender Migration Guide →Executive Summary
OpenZeppelin Defender was the default managed automation stack for security-first protocol teams. That product went away on July 1, 2026, replaced by open-source Monitor and Relayer components that teams must self-host. If you want managed execution with human support, you now need a different vendor. KeeperHub is the reliable execution layer most Defender workloads actually wanted: managed retries, smart gas, private routing, a full audit trail, MCP/CLI/REST surfaces, and 24/7 engineering support. Built by a team with 7+ years running Web3 automation infrastructure in production, including the keepers that operate Sky Protocol today.
Head to Head
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | KeeperHub | OpenZeppelin Defender |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Active. Scaling. | Sunset July 1, 2026 |
| Successor path | Managed platform (KeeperHub) | Open-source Monitor/Relayer, self-hosted |
| Primary user | Agents, protocol teams, treasuries, DeFi operators | Protocol security teams, CI/CD automation |
| Programmatic surfaces | MCP, REST, CLI, x402, MPP, ERC-8004 | SDK, Actions (JS/TS) |
| Setup | Under 5 minutes (UI, AI prompt, or MCP) | Code-first (JS/TS Actions) |
| Wallet model | Turnkey enclaves, non-custodial | Defender Relayers, often paired with Fireblocks or Safe |
| Audit trail | Full trigger-to-outcome, exportable | Defender run history (pre-shutdown) |
| Human support | 24/7 global engineering (Managed DeFi) | Enterprise only, wind-down complete |
| Track record | Team with 7+ years building Web3 automation infrastructure, keepers running Sky Protocol today | Since 2020, broad adoption, now deprecated |
The KeeperHub Defender Migration Program
AI-assisted port
Paste your Defender Action (JS/TS) into our assistant. We map the trigger, off-chain logic, and contract calls into a KeeperHub workflow.
Infrastructure parity
Relayer behavior maps cleanly: managed retries, smart gas with exponential backoff, nonce management, multi-RPC failover, and private routing. On by default.
Security parity
Turnkey-backed non-custodial wallets with enclave key storage. Safe multisig integration. Full audit trail per execution.
Audience
Who Is It For?
Use KeeperHub when
- You run Defender Actions or Relayers and need a managed successor now that Defender has shut down.
- Self-hosting the open-source Monitor and Relayer is not an acceptable cost to your team.
- You want an execution layer that is already agent-native: MCP, CLI, x402, MPP.
Stay on the open-source OZ stack when
- You have the engineering capacity to run Monitor and Relayer yourself and prefer that over a managed service.
Migration offer
We are offering a 3-month discount and dedicated engineering support for teams moving from Defender to KeeperHub.
Book an Expert Call