Cardano
Hold ADA? Earn around 2.1% per year by helping secure the network — no lock-in beyond the unbonding period.
56.4% of ADA is currently staked
Editor's picks · ranked by reward after fees
Where to stake your ADA
The top pick currently earns about 1.97% on your ADA, after the validator's commission. Tap any row to read more.
-
01
Carbonara Top pick
1.97% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.97%
→Fee
0.0%
-
02
ADAGO POOL
1.97% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.97%
→Fee
0.0%
-
03
🐍Viper Stake Pool #2
1.97% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.97%
→Fee
0.0%
-
04
Cardano Club
1.97% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.97%
→Fee
0.0%
-
05
DeKrom Stake Pool
1.97% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.97%
→Fee
0.0%
First time? Three steps
How to stake on Cardano
-
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 ADA 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 0 days on this chain.
Beyond staking · higher yield, higher risk
DeFi yields on Cardano
Top DeFi pool earns 27.7% vs 2.1% from native staking — but DeFi adds smart-contract and impermanent-loss risk.
liqwid - ADA
Yield
2.2%
Pool size
$8.57Million
minswap-dex - NIGHT-USDCX
Yield
72.67%
Pool size
$5.87Million
liqwid - USDCX
Yield
0.56%
Pool size
$5.42Million
98 pools
Apps on this chain · ranked by value held
What's running on Cardano
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.
12 apps tracked
| App | Category | Chains | Best reward rate | Value held on Cardano ↓ | Yield options | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MI Minswap Dex minswap-dex | DEX & liquidity | 1 | 26.7% | $33.2Million | 8 | → |
| LI Liqwid liqwid | DEX & liquidity | 1 | 12.0% | $26Million | 5 | → |
| DA Dano Finance dano-finance | Dexs | 1 | — | $19.2Million | — | → |
| SU SundaeSwap V3 sundaeswap-v3 | Dexs | 1 | — | $10.1Million | — | → |
| SO SoSoValue Indexes sosovalue-indexes | Indexes | 7 | — | $9.73Million | — | → |
| DJ Djed Stablecoin djed-stablecoin | Dual token stablecoin | 1 | — | $8.86Million | — | → |
| IN Indigo indigo | Stablecoin debt | 1 | 14.6% | $7.17Million | 2 | → |
| SP Splash Protocol splash-protocol | Dexs | 1 | — | $5.52Million | — | → |
| WI WingRiders wingriders | Dexs | 1 | — | $5.14Million | — | → |
| ST Strike Finance Perpetuals strike-finance-perpetuals | Derivatives | 1 | — | $4.82Million | — | → |
| FL FluidTokens fluidtokens | Lending | 1 | — | $3.33Million | — | → |
| SU Surf Lending surf-lending | Lending | 1 | — | $2.69Million | — | → |
Read up before you stake
Background reading on Cardano 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 Cardano staking
What does staking ADA on Cardano mean?
+
Staking on Cardano means locking your ADA 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 Cardano pay around 1.97% 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 Cardano 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
-
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.
-
Slashing
An automatic penalty where part of a validator's stake is destroyed for misbehaviour or extended downtime. Real risk for delegators too.
-
Unbonding Period
The waiting time after you unstake before tokens become liquid again. Ranges from minutes (Ethereum LSTs) to 21+ days (Cosmos chains).
-
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.
-
Real Yield
Yield paid in revenue-bearing assets (ETH, USDC, fees) rather than newly minted protocol tokens. The non-inflationary part of the rate.