15 services · Independently tested

Best Liquid Staking Protocols 2026

The 15 best liquid staking protocols in 2026 — Lido, Rocket Pool, Frax, Mantle mETH, and more. Scored on decentralization, receipt-token liquidity, validator diversity, and integrations.

Last updated: August 14, 2026

Filter by:All Beginners Security Derivatives Defi

Jump to:#7 StakeWise (osETH)#8 Ankr (ankrETH)#9 Marinade (mSOL)#10 Jito (JitoSOL)#11 BlazeStake (bSOL)#12 Bifrost (vETH/vDOT)

StakeWise (osETH)

Best for: Permissionless LSD alternative

Overall Score

8.4/10

Score breakdown

Security

9.0

Fees

8.7

8.3

Features

8.7

Support

8.0

Reputation

8.5

Pros

osETH — value-accruing, no rebase
Permissionless vault model
Solid DeFi integrations
Rocket Pool alternative

Cons

Smaller than top-3 LSTs
Vault model has learning curve

Founded2020TVL~$150MModelosETH vault-basedNotablePermissionless vaults

Full Review →Visit Site ↗

Ankr (ankrETH)

Best for: Multi-chain LSD across chains

Overall Score

7.8/10

Score breakdown

Security

8.3

Fees

8.7

8.0

Features

8.5

Support

8.0

Reputation

8.0

Pros

LSDs on ETH, BNB, MATIC, others
Multi-chain integrations
Enterprise partnerships
Public company backing

Cons

Smaller Ethereum share than dedicated LSDs
Cross-chain complexity

Founded2017Chains5+ LSDsNotableMulti-chain LSDsBackingAnkr Group

Full Review →Visit Site ↗

Marinade (mSOL)

Best for: Leading Solana LSD

Overall Score

8.9/10

Score breakdown

Security

9.0

Fees

9.0

Features

9.3

Support

8.3

Reputation

8.7

Pros

Deepest non-Jito Solana LSD
Non-custodial smart contract
Broad Solana DeFi integrations
Marinade Native option for maximalists

Cons

Faces Jito competition
Solana-only

Founded2021ChainSolanaTVL~$1.5BFee8% of rewards

Full Review →Visit Site ↗

#10

Jito (JitoSOL)

Best for: MEV-boosted Solana LST

Overall Score

9.3/10

Score breakdown

Security

9.0

Fees

9.3

Features

9.3

Support

8.5

Reputation

9.0

Pros

Largest Solana LST
Includes MEV rewards in yield
Deep DeFi integrations
Institutional-grade validator set

Cons

Solana-only
MEV-inclusion ethics discussion ongoing

Founded2022ChainSolanaTVL~$3BNotableIncludes MEV in yield

Full Review →Visit Site ↗

#11

BlazeStake (bSOL)

Best for: Community-focused Solana LSD

Overall Score

7.9/10

Score breakdown

Security

8.5

Fees

8.7

8.5

Features

8.3

Support

7.7

Reputation

7.8

Pros

Community-owned Solana LST
DeFi integrations across Solana
Solid governance model
Support for MEV rewards

Cons

Smaller than Jito/Marinade
Less-mature governance

Founded2022ChainSolanaTVL~$100MTypeCommunity LST

Full Review →Visit Site ↗

#12

Bifrost (vETH/vDOT)

Best for: Cross-chain LSDs (Polkadot ecosystem)

Overall Score

7.6/10

Score breakdown

Security

8.3

Fees

8.3

8.0

Features

8.7

Support

7.7

Reputation

7.7

Pros

LSDs on Polkadot ecosystem + others
Cross-chain XCM integrations
vETH, vDOT, vKSM, more
Substrate-based

Cons

Small vs Ethereum-focused LSDs
Ecosystem depth limited outside Polkadot

Founded2019ChainsPolkadot + othersLSDs8+ chainsNotableXCM cross-chain

Full Review →Visit Site ↗

Side by side

Quick Comparison

#	Name	Score	Best for	Founded	TVL
7	StakeWise (osETH)	8.4	Permissionless LSD alternative	2020	~$150M	Review →
8	Ankr (ankrETH)	7.8	Multi-chain LSD across chains	2017	5+ LSDs	Review →
9	Marinade (mSOL)	8.9	Leading Solana LSD	2021	Solana	Review →
10	Jito (JitoSOL)	9.3	MEV-boosted Solana LST	2022	Solana	Review →
11	BlazeStake (bSOL)	7.9	Community-focused Solana LSD	2022	Solana	Review →
12	Bifrost (vETH/vDOT)	7.6	Cross-chain LSDs (Polkadot ecosystem)	2019	Polkadot + others	Review →

How we rate every service

Every service on this ranking is evaluated on six criteria, each scored 0–10, with the following weights: Security & Trust (25%), Fees & Costs (20%), User Experience (15%), Features & Coverage (15%), Support & Documentation (10%), and Reputation & Longevity (15%). The weighted average is the overall score.

What each criterion measures

Security & Trust — custody model, audit history, insurance or proof-of-reserves, incident record. This is the highest weight for a reason: security failures compound in ways that no yield or feature advantage can offset.
Fees & Costs — headline trading/withdrawal/deposit fees, hidden costs (spread, slippage, gas), and value at both entry-level and power-user volumes.
User Experience — interface clarity, mobile support, onboarding friction, and how well the product supports both first-time and daily users.
Features & Coverage — asset/chain/integration breadth, advanced tooling, and ecosystem depth vs the segment leader.
Support & Documentation — response times, doc quality, community channels, and how well problems get resolved when they happen.
Reputation & Longevity — years operational, team transparency, community sentiment, and how the service performed through crypto’s hardest moments (bear markets, exchange failures, exploits).

How we test

Our reviewers personally open accounts, transfer funds, execute test transactions, and contact support before publishing a score. We do not accept payment for higher ranking; commercial partnerships (where they exist) are disclosed and never influence position or score. Non-partner services regularly rank above partner services when they perform better.

Rankings are refreshed quarterly. Major changes (fee updates, security incidents, product launches) trigger immediate re-review. Every card shows a "last checked" timestamp so you can see how current the assessment is.

How we rate every service

What each criterion measures

Security & Trust — custody model, audit history, insurance or proof-of-reserves, incident record. This is the highest weight for a reason: security failures compound in ways that no yield or feature advantage can offset.
Fees & Costs — headline trading/withdrawal/deposit fees, hidden costs (spread, slippage, gas), and value at both entry-level and power-user volumes.
User Experience — interface clarity, mobile support, onboarding friction, and how well the product supports both first-time and daily users.
Features & Coverage — asset/chain/integration breadth, advanced tooling, and ecosystem depth vs the segment leader.
Support & Documentation — response times, doc quality, community channels, and how well problems get resolved when they happen.
Reputation & Longevity — years operational, team transparency, community sentiment, and how the service performed through crypto’s hardest moments (bear markets, exchange failures, exploits).

How we test

Frequently asked

Frequently Asked Questions

How did you pick the top services in Best Liquid Staking Protocols 2026?

Every service on this list is scored on six weighted criteria — security (25%), fees (20%), UX (15%), features (15%), support (10%), and reputation (15%). The weighted average produces the overall score. Rankings reflect real hands-on testing, not marketing promises. Full methodology is documented on this page.

How often are these rankings updated?

Full re-reviews happen quarterly. In addition, any major change to a service (fee update, security incident, new product launch, regulatory action) triggers an immediate spot check within days. Each card displays a "last checked" date so you can see how current the score is.

Are your scores affected by commercial partnerships?

No. Our editorial and commercial teams are separated. Where a service has an affiliate or partner relationship it is disclosed openly, but partnerships never influence score, rank, or inclusion. Non-partner services routinely rank above partners when they perform better on our criteria.

Why is one service ranked higher than another with a similar score?

When two services score identically on the overall number, we break the tie using Security first, then Reputation & Longevity, then user-reported reliability from the last 90 days. This ensures the higher-ranked service is the one you can safely stake meaningful value on today.

Can I suggest a service to be reviewed?

Yes. Contact our editorial team with the service name, website, and a short note explaining why it deserves inclusion. Qualifying services (public team, live product, 30+ days in production) enter our review backlog and are scored using the same methodology as everything else on this page.

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