#1
Osmosis
OSMOmedium riskDeFiAPY
25.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 OSMO
Osmosis offers 25.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Osmosis network.
Best DeFi Staking Protocols 2026
Live data39 assets ranked
DeFi staking protocols offer some of the highest yields in crypto by combining native staking rewards with additional protocol incentives. These protocols operate entirely on-chain, giving you full custody of your assets while earning yield.
The DeFi staking landscape in 2026 includes restaking protocols, yield aggregators, and cross-chain staking platforms. Yields tend to be higher than native staking because you are compensated for additional risk and protocol participation.
Higher returns come with higher complexity and risk. Smart contract bugs, governance attacks, and liquidity issues are all real concerns. We rank DeFi staking protocols by APY while clearly flagging risk levels so you can make informed decisions.
Our Ranking Criteria
How we selected these assets
- DeFi staking protocol with audited smart contracts and active bug bounty program
- Current APY as the primary ranking factor for yield-seeking users
- Total value locked as a signal of community trust and protocol maturity
- Clear risk profile including smart contract risk, governance risk, and liquidity risk
Rankings
Best DeFi Staking Protocols 2026 — Live Rankings
#2
Radiant Capital
RDNThigh riskDeFiAPY
25.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1 RDNT
Radiant Capital offers 25.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Arbitrum network.
#3
Ethena
ENAmedium riskDeFiAPY
25.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 ENA
Ethena offers 25.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#4
Hyperliquid
HYPEhigh riskDeFiAPY
20.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1 HYPE
Hyperliquid offers 20.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Hyperliquid network.
#5
Convex Finance
CVXmedium riskDeFiAPY
20.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 CVX
Convex Finance offers 20.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#6
Pendle
PENDLEmedium riskDeFiAPY
20.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 PENDLE
Pendle offers 20.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#7
Gains Network
GNSmedium riskDeFiAPY
18.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 GNS
Gains Network offers 18.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Polygon network.
#8
Synthetix Network Token
SNXmedium riskDeFiAPY
15.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 SNX
Synthetix Network Token offers 15.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#9
Step Finance
STEPhigh riskDeFiAPY
15.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 STEP
Step Finance offers 15.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Solana network.
#10
Gmx
GMXmedium riskDeFiAPY
14.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 GMX
Gmx offers 14.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Arbitrum network.
#11
Livepeer
LPTmedium riskDeFiAPY
12.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.1 LPT
Livepeer offers 12.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#12
Numeraire
NMRmedium riskDeFiAPY
12.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 NMR
Numeraire offers 12.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#13
Raydium
RAYmedium riskDeFiAPY
12.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 RAY
Raydium offers 12.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Solana network.
#14
Drift Protocol
DRIFTmedium riskDeFiAPY
12.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 DRIFT
Drift Protocol offers 12.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Solana network.
#15
Ssv Network
SSVmedium riskDeFiAPY
12.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 SSV
Ssv Network offers 12.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#16
Apecoin
APEhigh riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1 APE
Apecoin offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#17
Frax Share
FXSmedium riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 FXS
Frax Share offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#18
Jupiter
JUPmedium riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 JUP
Jupiter offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Solana network.
#19
Orca
ORCAmedium riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 ORCA
Orca offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Solana network.
#20
Cartesi
CTSImedium riskDeFiAPY
10.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
100 CTSI
Cartesi offers 10.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#21
Balancer
BALmedium riskDeFiAPY
9.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 BAL
Balancer offers 9.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#22
The Graph
GRTmedium riskDeFiAPY
8.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
100 GRT
The Graph offers 8.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#23
Gala
GALAhigh riskDeFiAPY
8.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1000 GALA
Gala offers 8.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#24
Curve Dao Token
CRVmedium riskDeFiAPY
8.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1 CRV
Curve Dao Token offers 8.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#25
Sushi
SUSHImedium riskDeFiAPY
8.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 SUSHI
Sushi offers 8.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#26
Maker
MKRlow riskDeFiAPY
8.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.001 MKR
Maker offers 8.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#27
Ocean Protocol
OCEANmedium riskDeFiAPY
7.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
100 OCEAN
Ocean Protocol offers 7.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#28
Sandbox
SANDhigh riskDeFiAPY
6.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 SAND
Sandbox offers 6.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#29
1inch
1INCHmedium riskDeFiAPY
6.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1 1INCH
1inch offers 6.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#30
Celer Network
CELRhigh riskDeFiAPY
6.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1000 CELR
Celer Network offers 6.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Multi-chain network.
#31
Render Token
RNDRmedium riskDeFiAPY
5.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1 RNDR
Render Token offers 5.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#32
Aave
AAVElow riskDeFiAPY
5.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$69.4M
Min Stake
0.01 AAVE
Aave offers 5.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#33
Eigen Layer
EIGENmedium riskDeFiAPY
5.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 EIGEN
Eigen Layer offers 5.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#34
Obol
OBOLmedium riskDeFiAPY
5.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 OBOL
Obol offers 5.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#35
Chainlink
LINKlow riskDeFiAPY
4.50%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
1 LINK
Chainlink offers 4.50% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#36
Uniswap
UNIlow riskDeFiAPY
4.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 UNI
Uniswap offers 4.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
#37
Optimism
OPlow riskDeFiAPY
3.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 OP
Optimism offers 3.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Optimism network.
#38
Arbitrum
ARBlow riskDeFiAPY
3.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 ARB
Arbitrum offers 3.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Arbitrum network.
#39
Compound Governance Token
COMPlow riskDeFiAPY
3.00%
Market Cap
$0
Total Staked
$0
Min Stake
0.01 COMP
Compound Governance Token offers 3.00% APY through its DeFi staking mechanism on the Ethereum network.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DeFi staking?
DeFi staking involves depositing crypto into decentralized protocols to earn yield. Unlike native staking which secures a blockchain, DeFi staking can include liquidity provision, yield farming, and restaking. Yields are typically higher but so are the risks.
Is DeFi staking safe?
DeFi staking carries more risk than native staking due to smart contract vulnerabilities, protocol-specific risks, and potential governance attacks. Using well-audited protocols with large TVL and active bug bounty programs reduces but does not eliminate these risks.
What APY can I expect from DeFi staking in 2026?
DeFi staking APYs in 2026 range from 5% to 20%+ depending on the protocol and strategy complexity. Simple single-asset staking offers lower yields, while multi-layer strategies like restaking or LP staking can offer significantly higher returns with added risk.
How is DeFi staking different from regular staking?
Regular (native) staking secures a blockchain's consensus mechanism. DeFi staking uses smart contracts to generate yield through various strategies like lending, liquidity provision, or restaking. DeFi staking offers more flexibility and often higher yields, but adds smart contract risk.
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