Stacks
Stacks doesn't have native staking. Liquid staking and DeFi alternatives further down still let you earn yield.
Stacks uses Proof-of-Work — there is nothing to stake natively. See DeFi alternatives below.
Earn yield · DeFi options
How to earn yield on STX
Since Stacks doesn't have native staking, the way to earn on STX is through DeFi pools — either by lending it, providing liquidity, or wrapping it onto a chain that does support staking. DeFi adds smart-contract and (for LP) impermanent-loss risk.
zest-v2 - SBTC
Yield
0.01%
Pool size
$58.6Million
zest-v2 - USDC
Yield
0.61%
Pool size
$11.8Million
zest-v2 - USDH
Yield
0.58%
Pool size
$7.02Million
10 pools
| Pool | Protocol | Type | Yield | Pool size ↓ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
zest-v2 - SBTC
SBTC
|
ZE Zest V2 | lending | 0.01% | $58.6Million | → |
zest-v2 - USDC
USDC
|
ZE Zest V2 | lending | 0.61% | $11.8Million | → |
| US zest-v2 - USDH USDH | ZE Zest V2 | lending | 0.58% | $7.02Million | → |
| ST zest-v1 - STSTX STSTX | ZE Zest V1 | lending | 0.0% | $2.3Million | → |
zest-v2 - STX
STX
|
ZE Zest V2 | lending | 1.27% | $2.23Million | → |
| ST zest-v2 - STSTX STSTX | ZE Zest V2 | lending | 0.06% | $2.15Million | → |
| ST zest-v2 - STSTXBTC STSTXBTC | ZE Zest V2 | lending | 0.0% | $2.01Million | → |
|
zest-v1 - STX
STX
|
ZE Zest V1 | lending | 0.04% | $550Thousand | → |
| AE zest-v1 - AEUSDC AEUSDC | ZE Zest V1 | lending | 5.47% | $70.3Thousand | → |
| DI zest-v1 - DIKO DIKO | ZE Zest V1 | lending | 0.02% | $2.4Thousand | → |
Apps on this chain · ranked by value held
What's running on Stacks
Each protocol is a separate app. Lenders let you earn interest on what you deposit; DEXes let people swap tokens; liquid-staking apps give you a tradeable receipt for your staked coin. Tap any to see how to use it.
9 apps tracked
| App | Category | Chains | Best reward rate | Value held on Stacks ↓ | Yield options | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZE Zest V2 zest-v2 | Lending | 1 | 1.27% | $87Million | 4 | → |
| ST StackingDAO stackingdao | Liquid staking | 1 | — | $23Million | — | → |
| GR Granite granite | Lending | 1 | — | $15.1Million | — | → |
| BR Brotocol brotocol | Bridge aggregator | 1 | — | $11.6Million | — | → |
| HE Hermetica USDh hermetica-usdh | Basis trading | 1 | — | $9.18Million | — | → |
| BI Bitflow bitflow | Dexs | 1 | — | $4.48Million | — | → |
| HE Hermetica HBTC hermetica-hbtc | Anchor btc | 1 | — | $4.12Million | — | → |
| CI CityCoins citycoins | Yield | 1 | — | $3.8Million | — | → |
| ZE Zest V1 zest-v1 | Lending | 1 | — | $3.27Million | — | → |
Read up before you stake
Background reading on Stacks 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 Stacks staking
What does staking STX on Stacks mean?
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Staking on Stacks means locking your STX 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?
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Right now the top validators on Stacks pay varies by validator 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?
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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?
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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?
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Any non-custodial wallet that supports Stacks 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.
See also
Terms used on this page
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Validator
A computer that processes transactions and votes on the blockchain's state. In return for keeping the network honest it collects fees and staking rewards.
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Slashing
An automatic penalty where part of a validator's stake is destroyed for misbehaviour or extended downtime. Real risk for delegators too.
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Unbonding Period
The waiting time after you unstake before tokens become liquid again. Ranges from minutes (Ethereum LSTs) to 21+ days (Cosmos chains).
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Validator Commission
The fee a validator takes from staking rewards before passing the rest to delegators. Often 5–15%; lower means more of the reward reaches you.
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Real Yield
Yield paid in revenue-bearing assets (ETH, USDC, fees) rather than newly minted protocol tokens. The non-inflationary part of the rate.