Chains / Dossier · № 032

Polkadot

Hold DOT? Earn around 14.2% per year by helping secure the network — no lock-in beyond the unbonding period.

Typical reward · per year

14.2 %

52.0% of DOT is currently staked

Editor's picks · ranked by reward after fees

Where to stake your DOT

The top pick currently earns about 14.0% on your DOT, after the validator's commission. Tap any row to read more.

See all 2 Polkadot validators Sortable table with reward rate, commission, and operator brand for every option. →

First time? Three steps

How to stake on Polkadot

1

Pick a provider you trust

Use the picks above. Non-custodial means you keep control of your keys; custodial (e.g. an exchange) means they hold them for you.
2

Send DOT to the provider

Most providers accept any amount. A few require a minimum — those are listed on the provider's page.
3

Wait for rewards to accrue

Rewards arrive automatically. To unstake, expect an unbonding window of up to 28 days on this chain.

Beyond staking · higher yield, higher risk

DeFi yields on Polkadot

Top DeFi pool earns 28.1% vs 14.2% from native staking — but DeFi adds smart-contract and impermanent-loss risk.

farming Bifrost Liquid Staking

bifrost-liquid-staking - VDOT

Yield

4.28%

Pool size

$19.4Million

lp Hydration Dex

hydration-dex - AETH-WSTETH

Yield

0.27%

Pool size

$4.18Million

lp Hydration Dex

hydration-dex - TBTC

Yield

5.04%

Pool size

$3.47Million

⌕

Filter

31 pools

Pool	Protocol	Type	Yield	Pool size ↓
VD bifrost-liquid-staking - VDOT VDOT	BI Bifrost Liquid Staking	farming	4.28%	$19.4Million	→
AE hydration-dex - AETH-WSTETH AETH · WSTETH	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.27%	$4.18Million	→
hydration-dex - TBTC TBTC	HY Hydration Dex	lp	5.04%	$3.47Million	→
GE hydration-dex - GETH GETH	HY Hydration Dex	lp	4.67%	$2.64Million	→
HO hydration-dex - AUSDC-HOLLAR AUSDC · HOLLAR	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.72%	$2.55Million	→
HO hydration-dex - HOLLAR-AUSDT HOLLAR · AUSDT	HY Hydration Dex	lp	1.27%	$2.5Million	→
HO hydration-dex - HOLLAR HOLLAR	HY Hydration Dex	lp	18.19%	$2.27Million	→
hydration-dex - AUSDT-USDC-USDT AUSDT · USDC · USDT	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.44%	$1.04Million	→
HD hydration-dex - HDX HDX	HY Hydration Dex	lp	1.54%	$1.04Million	→
PA hydration-dex - PAXG PAXG	HY Hydration Dex	lp	6.99%	$862Thousand	→
HO PR hydration-dex - HOLLAR-PRIME HOLLAR · PRIME	HY Hydration Dex	lp	1.44%	$815Thousand	→
GS hydration-dex - GSOL GSOL	HY Hydration Dex	lp	11.01%	$748Thousand	→
HO AE hydration-dex - HOLLAR-AEURC HOLLAR · AEURC	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.15%	$711Thousand	→
HO hydration-dex - HOLLAR-USDC-USDT HOLLAR · USDC · USDT	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.14%	$602Thousand	→
hydration-dex - WBTC WBTC	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.29%	$486Thousand	→
AS hydration-dex - ASTR ASTR	HY Hydration Dex	lp	1.1%	$452Thousand	→
hydration-dex - KSM KSM	HY Hydration Dex	lp	10.1%	$347Thousand	→
hydration-dex - AAVE AAVE	HY Hydration Dex	lp	1.6%	$344Thousand	→
hydration-dex - GLMR GLMR	HY Hydration Dex	lp	28.08%	$304Thousand	→
hydration-dex - TRAC TRAC	HY Hydration Dex	lp	3.91%	$299Thousand	→
HO SU hydration-dex - HOLLAR-SUSDE HOLLAR · SUSDE	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.69%	$229Thousand	→
VD hydration-dex - VDOT VDOT	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.49%	$215Thousand	→
hydration-dex - SUI SUI	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.48%	$211Thousand	→
hydration-dex - LDO LDO	HY Hydration Dex	lp	3.27%	$198Thousand	→
SK hydration-dex - SKY SKY	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.99%	$187Thousand	→
hydration-dex - SOL SOL	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.51%	$175Thousand	→
hydration-dex - BNC BNC	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.24%	$160Thousand	→
HO SU hydration-dex - HOLLAR-SUSDS HOLLAR · SUSDS	HY Hydration Dex	lp	1.1%	$160Thousand	→
hydration-dex - LINK LINK	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.72%	$157Thousand	→
VA hydration-dex - VASTR VASTR	HY Hydration Dex	lp	0.28%	$113Thousand	→
EN hydration-dex - ENA ENA	HY Hydration Dex	lp	2.29%	$93.2Thousand	→

Read up before you stake

Background reading on Polkadot staking

Guide

What is staking?

The plain-English version: how locking your tokens earns you new tokens, and why the network pays you to do it.

Read the guide →

Guide

How blockchains differ from each other

Why Solana, Ethereum, and Cosmos chains pay different rates and why their security models differ.

Read the guide →

Guide

What does a validator actually do?

Validators run the chain. Pick a healthy one and your rewards arrive on schedule; pick a bad one and you can lose part of your stake.

Read the guide →

Frequently asked

What people ask about Polkadot staking

What does staking DOT on Polkadot mean?

Staking on Polkadot means locking your DOT with a validator that helps run the network. In return, the network pays you a share of newly created tokens — similar to how a savings account pays interest, but the rate is set by the protocol, not a bank.

How much can I earn?

Right now the top validators on Polkadot pay around 14.0% per year, after their commission. The rate moves with the chain's inflation schedule and how much of the supply is staked overall.

Is staking safe?

Your tokens stay in your wallet — you never hand them over. The two real risks are slashing (the network can shrink your balance if your validator misbehaves, which is rare) and lock-up (you can't sell instantly during the unbonding period). Pick a validator with a track record and you sidestep most of the risk.

Can I unstake whenever I want?

Yes, but unstaking is not instant. Most chains have an unbonding period of a few days to a few weeks during which you don't earn rewards and can't sell. Liquid-staking tokens (like stETH for Ethereum) sidestep this by giving you a tradeable receipt token.

What wallet do I need?

Any non-custodial wallet that supports Polkadot works — Phantom or Solflare for Solana, Keplr for Cosmos chains, MetaMask for Ethereum and EVM chains, Yoroi or Eternl for Cardano. Connect, choose a validator, click delegate. The whole flow takes a couple of minutes.

Terms used on this page

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