Best liquid staking coins
A list of the leading liquid staking tokens by market capitalisation
Liquid staking lets you earn on cryptocurrencies through staking without locking them up — instead of blocked coins you receive a liquid token (such as stETH) that you can keep using in DeFi. The best-known protocols are Lido, Rocket Pool and Jito. Below you'll find a list of the leading liquid staking cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation, with the current price and 24-hour and 7-day change.
Ranking of the best liquid staking cryptocurrencies
The table ranks liquid staking cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation — big names such as Lido, Rocket Pool and Jito at the top, smaller projects lower down. For each one you'll find the price and how it has performed over a day, a week and a year. Expand the rest of the list below the table.
Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Understand the risks.
What is liquid staking?
Traditional staking means locking up a cryptocurrency (Ethereum, say), helping to secure the network and earning rewards for it. The drawback is that you can't do anything with the locked coins. Liquid staking solves this: you deposit coins into a protocol such as Lido or Rocket Pool, and it issues you a liquid token (stETH, rETH, JitoSOL…) that represents your deposit and the growing rewards. You can keep trading that token freely or use it in DeFi — so your funds stay “liquid”.
The table mainly lists the protocols' own tokens (LDO, RPL, JTO), which give you a way to take a position on the sector. Liquid staking is one of the largest areas of DeFi, but the vast majority of volume goes to Lido, which raises concerns about excessive centralisation. The table ranks projects by market capitalisation, so the largest and most liquid names sit at the top.
Before you invest in liquid staking cryptocurrencies
Alongside the usual volatility, liquid staking carries specific risks — smart contract bugs, a possible “depeg” of the liquid token from the underlying asset, and so-called slashing (penalties for validators). The heavy concentration around a single protocol plays a part too. This page is an informational overview of market data, not investment advice. Invest only as much as you can afford to lose.
The best-known liquid staking cryptocurrencies
With liquid staking it helps to distinguish two things: the liquid token (stETH, rETH, JitoSOL), which represents your deposit and earns the yield, and the protocol token (LDO, RPL, JTO), which governs the project and lets you take a position on the sector. The table mainly lists the latter. The following protocols currently lead the liquid staking ranking by market capitalisation.
Lido (LDO)
By far the largest liquid staking protocol. In return for deposited Ether it issues the stETH token and manages a substantial share of all staked ETH. The LDO token is used to govern the protocol. It is precisely Lido's dominance, however, that tends to draw criticism over centralisation.
Rocket Pool (RPL)
A more decentralised alternative for staking Ethereum. It lets you run a validator with a smaller amount of ETH and issues the liquid token rETH. The RPL token serves as collateral and for governing the network.
Jito (JTO)
The leading liquid staking protocol on the Solana blockchain. In return for staked SOL it issues the JitoSOL token and adds returns from so-called MEV. The JTO token is used to govern the protocol.
Ankr (ANKR) and others
Ankr offers liquid staking across multiple blockchains, along with infrastructure for developers. Other projects in the sector include Frax, Bifrost and StakeWise — each with its own approach to staking with liquidity.
Liquid staking is a practical way to put cryptocurrencies to work, but it isn't without risk — beyond volatility, consider the protocol's security and a possible depeg of the liquid token. As with any investment, do your own research.
Frequently asked questions
Which are the best liquid staking cryptocurrencies?+
The largest liquid staking projects by market capitalisation include Lido (LDO), Rocket Pool (RPL), Jito (JTO), Ankr (ANKR) and Frax. You'll find the full ranking in the table above.
What is the difference between staking and liquid staking?+
With traditional staking your coins are locked and you can't trade them. Liquid staking issues you a liquid token (e.g. stETH) in return for your deposit, which represents your stake and rewards; you can keep using it freely or sell it — so liquidity is preserved.
Is liquid staking safe?+
It offers passive yield, but it carries risks: smart contract bugs, a possible depeg of the liquid token from the underlying asset, and slashing. Market concentration around Lido also plays a part. This list is for tracking the market, not a recommendation to buy.