Cardano
Hold ADA? Earn around 1.7% per year by helping secure the network — no lock-in beyond the unbonding period.
55.9% of ADA is currently staked
ADA price · USD
Chart appears once we have a few days of data.
Market cap
$9.21Billion
Circulating
37Billion ADA
Editor's picks · ranked by reward after fees
Where to stake your ADA
The top pick currently earns about 1.82% on your ADA, after the validator's commission. Tap any row to read more.
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01
ZE
Zetetic Top pick
1.82% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.82%
→Fee
0.0%
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02
K8
K8S Staking Pool
1.82% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.82%
→Fee
0.0%
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03
ME
Medusa Development Support
1.82% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.82%
→Fee
0.0%
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04
PO
pool1dy7tz7e
1.82% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.82%
→Fee
0.0%
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05
AD
ADA's Digital GrandParent
1.82% after fees, low 0.0% fee, below saturation
Reward
1.82%
→Fee
0.0%
First time? Three steps
How to stake on Cardano
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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.
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2
Send ADA to the provider
Most providers accept any amount. A few require a minimum — those are listed on the provider's page.
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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 28.9% vs 1.7% from native staking — but DeFi adds smart-contract and impermanent-loss risk.
minswap-dex - NIGHT-USDCX
Yield
71.65%
Pool size
$5.74Million
liqwid - ADA
Yield
2.4%
Pool size
$4.8Million
liqwid - NIGHT
Yield
0.0%
Pool size
$2.71Million
80 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 | 28.9% | $22.5Million | 4 | → |
| LI Liqwid liqwid | DEX & liquidity | 1 | 13.1% | $13.9Million | 2 | → |
| DA Dano Finance dano-finance | Dexs | 1 | — | $12.7Million | — | → |
| SU SundaeSwap V3 sundaeswap-v3 | Dexs | 1 | — | $6.41Million | — | → |
| SO SoSoValue Indexes sosovalue-indexes | Indexes | 7 | — | $5.23Million | — | → |
| DJ Djed Stablecoin djed-stablecoin | Dual token stablecoin | 1 | — | $4.6Million | — | → |
| SU Surf Lending surf-lending | Lending | 1 | — | $3.38Million | — | → |
| SP Splash Protocol splash-protocol | Dexs | 1 | — | $3.13Million | — | → |
| IN Indigo indigo | Stablecoin debt | 1 | — | $3.06Million | — | → |
| WI WingRiders wingriders | Dexs | 1 | — | $2.59Million | — | → |
| FL FluidTokens fluidtokens | Lending | 1 | — | $2.43Million | — | → |
| ST Strike Finance Perpetuals strike-finance-perpetuals | Derivatives | 1 | — | $1.18Million | — | → |
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?
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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?
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Right now the top validators on Cardano pay around 1.82% 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 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
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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.