Proof of personhood · Proof of personhood
Proof of Humanity vs Worldcoin (World ID)
Proof of Humanity (video registry with crypto-economic challenges) and Worldcoin (World ID) (iris-scan proof of personhood) both aim at sybil resistance, but they disagree on 7 of 12 measurable attributes. This page compares them field by field from published protocol behaviour — no marketing scores, no invented metrics.
Proof of Humanity
Proof of Humanity trades privacy for adversarial auditability: registrations are public videos anyone can challenge with a deposit. Sybil resistance is enforced economically.
Openness 9/10
Worldcoin (World ID)
World ID proves a person enrolled once at an Orb, producing a binary human signal backed by an iris template hash. It is strong on uniqueness and dependent on proprietary hardware distribution.
Openness 5/10
Attribute comparison
| Attribute | Proof of Humanity | Worldcoin (World ID) |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Proof of personhood | Proof of personhood |
| Network | Ethereum / Gnosis | Ethereum / Optimism / World Chain |
| How a person is proven | Public video submission, vouching, and dispute resolution via Kleros arbitration | Iris biometric enrolment on Orb hardware, zero-knowledge nullifier on chain |
| Biometric data | None collected | Required to verify |
| KYC requirement | No KYC | No KYC |
| Hardware needed | Any phone or laptop | Purpose-built hardware |
| Key custody | User holds the keys | Shared between user and operator |
| Reputation model | Binary human / not human | Binary human / not human |
| Native token | None | $WLD |
| Public read API | Yes | Yes |
| Open source core | Yes | Yes |
| Who can revoke you | Anyone can challenge a registration; arbitration decides removal | Foundation and Orb operators control enrolment and verification rollout |
7 of 12 attributes differ; 5 are identical.
Openness criteria, scored openly
The matrix scores what a protocol asks of a user and how much of the result stays verifiable in public. It is not a quality, security or market ranking, and it is not derived from TrustLayer trust scores.
| Criterion | Proof of Humanity | Worldcoin (World ID) |
|---|---|---|
| No biometric collectionmax 2 | 2/2 — None collected | 0/2 — Required to verify |
| No KYC requirementmax 2 | 2/2 — No KYC | 2/2 — No KYC |
| No specialised hardwaremax 1 | 1/1 — Any phone or laptop | 0/1 — Purpose-built hardware |
| User-held keysmax 2 | 2/2 — User holds the keys | 1/2 — Shared between user and operator |
| Continuous reputationmax 1 | 0/1 — Binary human / not human | 0/1 — Binary human / not human |
| Public read APImax 1 | 1/1 — Documented public endpoints | 1/1 — Documented public endpoints |
| Open source coremax 1 | 1/1 — Core implementation is public | 1/1 — Core implementation is public |
| Total | 9/10 | 5/10 |
Best fit for Proof of Humanity
- Governance systems that want an adversarial, publicly auditable registry
- Communities comfortable with public video identity
Best fit for Worldcoin (World ID)
- Projects that require Orb-grade physical uniqueness
- Markets with Orb operator coverage
Verdict
On the openness criteria below, Proof of Humanity scores 9/10 and Worldcoin (World ID) scores 5/10 — 7 of 12 attributes differ. Proof of Humanity asks less of the user up front; Worldcoin (World ID) offers a stronger external anchor where its trust assumptions are acceptable. Pick by what you must not collect, and by whether you need a one-off human check or a score that keeps moving.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Proof of Humanity and Worldcoin (World ID)?▼
Network: Proof of Humanity — Ethereum / Gnosis; Worldcoin (World ID) — Ethereum / Optimism / World Chain.
Does Proof of Humanity or Worldcoin (World ID) require biometrics or KYC?▼
Proof of Humanity: none collected, no kyc. Worldcoin (World ID): required to verify, no kyc.
Which one can a developer query from an API?▼
Proof of Humanity and Worldcoin (World ID)
Can Proof of Humanity and Worldcoin (World ID) be used together?▼
Yes. They produce independent signals, so apps commonly combine a personhood check with a continuous reputation score before granting access or rewards.
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