Protocols for staking ETH, SOL, and other assets — receiving liquid staking tokens you can use in DeFi while earning staking rewards. Covers solo staking, liquid staking, and restaking.
All tools independently reviewed. Updated 2026. Affiliate links marked *.
The largest liquid staking protocol for ETH — stake any amount and receive yield-bearing stETH
Lido is the dominant liquid staking protocol for Ethereum, controlling roughly 28–33% of all staked ETH and making it the largest single DeFi protocol by TVL at…
Decentralized ETH staking with permissionless node operators and rETH for true protocol diversity
Rocket Pool is the most decentralized Ethereum liquid staking protocol, built specifically to distribute validator power as broadly as possible. Anyone can beco…
Restaking protocol that extends Ethereum economic security to new services for additional yield
EigenLayer invented restaking — a primitive that allows Ethereum validators and liquid staking token holders to extend their slashable economic stake to additio…
Leading Ethereum liquid restaking protocol with non-custodial key control
Ether.fi is one of the leading Ethereum liquid restaking protocols, letting users stake ETH to receive eETH — a liquid token that earns both Ethereum staking re…
Solana's leading liquid staking token with MEV rewards baked in
Jito offers Solana's leading liquid staking token, jitoSOL, which combines standard Solana staking rewards with additional MEV (maximal extractable value) rewar…
Decentralized Solana staking across 400+ validators via mSOL
Marinade Finance is a decentralized Solana staking protocol that spreads stake across 400+ validators to maximize decentralization and resilience, offering both…
Custodial, regulated ETH staking with the liquid cbETH token
Coinbase Staking offers ETH (and multi-asset) staking through the regulated, custodial Coinbase platform, issuing cbETH — a liquid staking token representing st…
Exchange-based ETH staking with the WBETH liquid token
Binance Staking offers ETH staking through the world's largest crypto exchange, issuing WBETH (Wrapped Beacon ETH) as its liquid staking token — giving Binance'…
Dual-token ETH liquid staking with amplified staking yields
Frax Ether is the ETH liquid staking system from the Frax ecosystem, built around a distinctive dual-token model: frxETH (a stablecoin-like ETH representation t…
Permissionless ETH staking with the osETH liquid token and solo-staker vaults
StakeWise (V3) is a permissionless, modular ETH staking protocol built around 'Vaults' — individual staking pools that can be run by anyone, from solo stakers t…
Multi-chain liquid staking across Ethereum, Polygon, BNB, and more
Stader Labs is a multi-chain liquid staking protocol offering staking products across many networks — Ethereum (ETHx), Polygon (MaticX/POL), BNB Chain (BNBx), a…
Multi-chain liquid staking backed by Ankr's node infrastructure
Ankr Staking offers liquid staking across multiple chains — Ethereum (ankrETH), BNB Chain, Avalanche, Polygon, Fantom, and others — leveraging Ankr's broader po…
EigenLayer liquid restaking protocol issuing the ezETH token
Renzo is a liquid restaking protocol built on EigenLayer that issues ezETH, letting users restake ETH (or liquid staking tokens) to earn Ethereum staking reward…
Liquid restaking protocol issuing rsETH across multiple restaking layers
Kelp DAO is a liquid restaking protocol that issues rsETH, letting users restake ETH and liquid staking tokens to earn layered rewards — Ethereum staking, Eigen…
Native liquid restaking with anti-slashing tech and pufETH
Puffer Finance is a native liquid restaking protocol that issues pufETH and differentiates itself with anti-slashing technology and a focus on lowering the barr…
Solana liquid staking infrastructure and the Infinity multi-LST pool
Sanctum is Solana liquid staking infrastructure designed to unify the fragmented Solana LST landscape, best known for its Infinity pool and its mission to make …
The leading liquid staking provider for the Cosmos ecosystem
Stride is the leading liquid staking provider for the Cosmos ecosystem, letting users liquid-stake assets like ATOM, TIA (Celestia), OSMO, and many other IBC-co…
ETH liquid staking and restaking with swETH and rswETH
Swell Network is an Ethereum liquid staking and restaking protocol offering swETH (liquid staking) and rswETH (liquid restaking), aiming to provide a full staki…
Bitcoin staking protocol securing PoS chains with native BTC
Babylon is a pioneering Bitcoin staking protocol that lets holders stake native BTC — without bridging or wrapping it — to provide security to proof-of-stake ch…
Staking splits into risk tiers. Plain liquid staking (Lido, Rocket Pool, Jito) earns the base network reward — lowest risk. Restaking (via EigenLayer, Ether.fi, Renzo) stacks extra yield by securing additional services, but you inherit their slashing conditions — higher risk. Exchange staking (Coinbase, Binance) is easiest but custodial and takes a large cut. The highest advertised APY is almost always the highest-risk tier, so decide your risk tolerance before chasing yield.
A liquid staking token (stETH, jitoSOL, rETH) represents your staked position while remaining usable across DeFi — you earn staking rewards and can still lend, provide liquidity, or use it as collateral. The value of an LST depends heavily on how deeply it is integrated: stETH is usable almost everywhere, while smaller LSTs have thinner liquidity. Deep integration is a real advantage, and it is why the largest LSTs tend to stay largest.
Liquid staking and restaking tokens can trade below the value of what backs them during stressed liquidity — ezETH had a notable de-peg event. This matters if you need to exit quickly or use the token as collateral, where a de-peg can trigger liquidations. The more exotic and points-driven the token, the more this risk applies. Blue-chip LSTs from battle-tested protocols hold their peg far more reliably than new restaking tokens.
The trade-offs are concrete. Lido offers the deepest liquidity but concentrates a large share of staked ETH; Rocket Pool spreads across many independent operators for more decentralisation at slightly less liquidity. Jito maximises Solana yield via MEV; Marinade spreads across 400+ validators. Exchange staking is the most convenient but custodial. Pick based on whether you prioritise network health, maximum yield, or hands-off simplicity — and compare live risk-adjusted rates before committing.