The best Solana liquid staking tokens in 2026 — JitoSOL, mSOL, JupSOL, bSOL and INF compared on APY, MEV, DeFi support and risk — plus how to launch your own white-label LST. Find the right LST for your strategy.
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Liquid staking has become the default way to hold SOL in 2026. Instead of locking tokens with a validator and waiting an epoch to unstake, liquid staking tokens (LSTs) let you earn staking rewards while keeping your capital fully usable across DeFi.
But with JitoSOL, mSOL, JupSOL, and dozens of smaller LSTs competing for your SOL, choosing the right one matters. Each token has a different yield structure, different DeFi support, and different trade-offs.
This guide breaks down exactly how Solana liquid staking works, compares the three dominant LSTs head-to-head, and helps you decide which fits your strategy.
When you stake SOL natively, your tokens are locked with a validator for at least one epoch (roughly two days). You earn staking rewards — currently around 7% APY — but you can't use that SOL for anything else while it's staked. (New to staking entirely? Our complete beginner's guide to staking Solana covers the native-delegation flow before you weigh up LSTs.)
Liquid staking solves this. You deposit SOL into a liquid staking protocol and receive a liquid staking token (LST) in return. This LST:
The result: you earn staking yield and retain full liquidity. There's no lock-up period, no waiting for unstaking, and no opportunity cost.
LSTs don't pay you rewards in a separate token. Instead, the LST itself becomes worth more SOL over time.
When you mint 1 JitoSOL, it might be worth 1.00 SOL. After a year of ~8% staking rewards, that same 1 JitoSOL is worth roughly 1.08 SOL. The exchange rate drifts upward continuously as the staking pool earns rewards.
This means:
Jito is Solana's largest liquid staking protocol by TVL and the clear leader in raw yield, thanks to its unique MEV reward sharing.
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Open the KOL TrackerJito's defining advantage is MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) reward sharing. Jito runs modified validator software that captures MEV from transaction ordering — arbitrage, liquidations, and other extractable value — and redistributes a portion to JitoSOL holders.
This is yield that standard staking doesn't capture. When trading activity is high and MEV opportunities are abundant, JitoSOL's yield premium over other LSTs widens significantly.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Base Staking APY | ~7% |
| MEV Bonus | ~1-3% (variable, higher in active markets) |
| Total APY | ~8-10% |
| TVL | Largest LST on Solana |
| Validator Set | Curated set running Jito-Solana client |
| Unstaking | Instant via DEX swaps, or 1-2 epoch native unstake |
| Management Fee | 4% of rewards (not of principal) |
JitoSOL has the second-widest DeFi integration on Solana:
Marinade Finance is Solana's original liquid staking protocol and still commands one of the deepest DeFi integrations.
Marinade also offers native staking (Marinade Native), where your SOL is staked directly with validators without a smart contract intermediary. You don't get a liquid token, but you avoid all smart contract risk.
Marinade's validator selection algorithm distributes stake across hundreds of validators, weighting toward smaller, high-performing validators. This makes mSOL the most decentralization-friendly LST — your stake actively helps distribute network power away from the largest validators.
Marinade also directs stake away from validators with poor performance, high commission, or concentration risk, which improves overall network health.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Base Staking APY | ~7-7.5% |
| MEV Sharing | Partial (from validators that support it) |
| Total APY | ~7-8% |
| TVL | Second largest LST |
| Validator Set | 400+ validators (broadest distribution) |
| Unstaking | Instant via DEX swaps, or delayed native unstake |
| Management Fee | ~2% of rewards |
mSOL has the widest DeFi support of any LST:
JupSOL is Jupiter's liquid staking token, created through Sanctum's LST infrastructure. Unlike JitoSOL and mSOL which spread stake across many validators, JupSOL concentrates stake with a single high-performance validator.
JupSOL's validator charges 0% commission, meaning all staking rewards go directly to JupSOL holders. Most validators charge 5-10% commission, so this gives JupSOL a slight edge on base yield.
Additionally, Jupiter's validator runs the Jito-Solana client and shares MEV rewards, combining the commission advantage with MEV yield.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Base Staking APY | ~7.5% (boosted by 0% commission) |
| MEV Sharing | Yes (Jito client) |
| Total APY | ~8-9% |
| TVL | Third largest LST |
| Validator Set | Single validator (Jupiter) |
| Unstaking | Instant via Sanctum or DEX swaps |
| Management Fee | 0% commission |
JupSOL benefits from Jupiter's ecosystem:
| Feature | JitoSOL | mSOL | JupSOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total APY | ~8-10% | ~7-8% | ~8-9% |
| MEV Rewards | Yes (highest) | Partial | Yes |
| Commission | 4% of rewards | ~2% of rewards | 0% |
| Validator Count | ~200+ (Jito client) | ~400+ (broadest) | 1 (Jupiter) |
| DeFi Integration | Very wide | Widest | Wide (growing) |
| Decentralization | Good | Best | Low |
| Instant Unstake | Yes (DEX) | Yes (DEX) | Yes (Sanctum/DEX) |
| Best For | Maximum yield | DeFi composability, decentralization | Jupiter ecosystem, 0% commission |
Choose JitoSOL if:
Choose mSOL if:
Choose JupSOL if:
JitoSOL, mSOL and JupSOL dominate TVL, but they aren't the whole field. A few others are worth a look depending on your priorities:
For a hands-off holder, the practical shortlist stays JitoSOL (yield), mSOL (decentralization + DeFi depth) or INF (diversified). The smaller LSTs make sense when you specifically want their incentive program or community alignment.
A question we increasingly get from teams (not just individual stakers): can we launch our own liquid staking token? In 2026 the answer is yes, and you don't have to build stake-pool infrastructure from scratch.
Why a protocol would want its own LST: it captures validator commission and MEV for the community, deepens token utility, and turns idle treasury/user SOL into a yield-bearing asset that still works across DeFi. The trade-off is liquidity and trust — which is exactly why most teams choose the white-label route and lean on shared liquidity rather than bootstrapping a market alone.
If you don't have one, download Phantom or Solflare. Fund it with SOL from an exchange.
Based on the comparison above, pick the LST that matches your priorities.
Once you hold an LST, you can stack additional yield:
The real power of liquid staking is composability. Here are proven strategies:
Warning: Looping amplifies both gains and losses. A significant SOL price drop won't matter (since both sides are SOL-denominated), but a JitoSOL depeg event could trigger liquidation. Only attempt this with capital you understand the risks of losing.
Your LST will always be redeemable for the underlying SOL plus accrued rewards. However, the SOL price can drop — liquid staking protects against opportunity cost, not market risk. There's also smart contract risk (a protocol exploit could affect the staking pool).
Native staking locks your SOL with a validator for at least one epoch (~2 days to unstake). You earn rewards but can't use your SOL in DeFi. Liquid staking gives you a tradeable token that represents your staked position.
Yes. Each protocol takes a small cut of staking rewards:
These fees are already reflected in the APY numbers. You never pay fees separately.
Yes. Sanctum's Infinity Pool enables zero-slippage swaps between any supported LSTs. You can also swap on Jupiter or any DEX, though there may be minor slippage for larger amounts.
Liquid staking protocols are among the most audited and battle-tested in Solana DeFi. The main risks are smart contract exploits (mitigated by audits and time in production) and validator performance issues (mitigated by multi-validator setups). That said, no DeFi protocol is risk-free — only stake what you're prepared to have at risk.
There's no single winner — it depends on your priority. For the highest yield, JitoSOL leads thanks to MEV reward sharing. For DeFi composability and decentralization, mSOL has the widest integrations and the broadest validator set. For 0% commission inside the Jupiter ecosystem, JupSOL. For hands-off diversification, INF (Sanctum Infinity) spreads risk across many LSTs in one token. Most holders are well served by JitoSOL or mSOL; pick based on whether you optimize for yield or decentralization.
Yes. The fastest route is a white-label LST through Sanctum, which lets a protocol, validator, DAO or creator launch a branded LST without building pool infrastructure and taps the Infinity pool for instant liquidity. For full control, you can run your own pool directly on the open-source SPL Stake Pool program. Teams do this to capture validator commission and MEV for their community and to add yield-bearing utility to their token — most choose white-label to avoid the liquidity cold-start problem.
Use MadeOnSol's Yields page to compare current LST rates, lending APYs, and LP opportunities side by side. Rates fluctuate with market conditions, so checking before committing capital is essential.
For real-time tracking of your LST positions, Step Finance and Birdeye both support portfolio tracking with LST value calculations.
For the white-label/multi-LST infrastructure behind tokens like JupSOL and INF, see our Sanctum guide. If you're still deciding between native and liquid staking, How Much Can You Earn Staking Solana breaks down the numbers.
Disclaimer: APYs mentioned are approximate and fluctuate based on market conditions, network activity, and protocol parameters. Liquid staking involves smart contract risk and is not risk-free. This guide is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Always do your own research before staking.