Last updated: July 2026
Compare · Solana LSTs
12 Solana liquid-staking protocols — APY, TVL, validator set size, instant-unstake support, DeFi composability, fee structure, and governance token. The full lineup in one table.
APY and TVL are approximate and change every epoch · figures verified against each protocol's dashboard
The lineup
Live counts derived from the LST data below.
Stake pools + restaking
Approx., this set
Top of the range
Sub-second exit
The table
Sort by TVL, APY, or feature breadth. Click any protocol to read the full review and live health score.
MEV-powered staking with the deepest liquidity on Solana
LST infrastructure layer powering 200+ liquid staking tokens
OG Solana LST with 400+ validator delegation for max decentralization
First exchange-backed LST on Solana, bridging CEX and DeFi
First native liquid restaking on Solana — staking + MEV + NCN rewards
Solana Foundation audited stake pool with MEV optimization
Most decentralized stake pool — excludes top-32 security group validators
Nasdaq-listed company's LST with zero reward fees
Liquid restaking via Jito with Futarchy governance model
Institutional-grade LST backed by Coinbase, Galaxy & Kraken
Single high-performance validator LST with zero management fees
Feature guide
A token representing your staked SOL that accrues staking rewards while remaining liquid for DeFi use.
Annual percentage yield from staking rewards plus MEV tips. Varies by epoch and protocol strategy.
Number of validators the protocol distributes stake across. More validators means better decentralization.
Ability to redeem your LST for SOL immediately without waiting for the standard 2–3 day unstaking period.
Number of protocols where you can use the LST as collateral, provide liquidity, or earn additional yield.
A separate token giving holders voting power over protocol decisions, fee structures, and validator delegation.
How it works
Every LST above follows the same four-step lifecycle. Understanding it explains where the yield comes from, why the token's value drifts up, and how you get your SOL back.
You deposit SOL into a stake pool and receive an LST (JitoSOL, mSOL, INF…) at the pool's current exchange rate. The pool delegates that SOL across its validator set — there's no personal lock-up, you simply hold a liquid token.
The underlying stake earns validator rewards (and MEV tips on Solana). Rather than your balance growing, the LST's redemption value rises — 1 LST becomes redeemable for more SOL each epoch. This is the exchange-rate model, not rebasing.
The LST is a standard SPL token, so it stays usable while it earns: post it as collateral to borrow, pair it in a liquidity pool, or hold it in a vault — stacking DeFi yield on top of staking yield without unstaking.
Two exits: instant unstake swaps the LST for SOL now via a liquidity reserve for a small fee; native unstake redeems the underlying stake fee-free but waits Solana's ~2–3 day stake-deactivation period (one to a few epochs).
Guide
Liquid staking is one of the most important primitives in Solana DeFi — your LST accrues yield while remaining fully composable. Which protocol you pick still matters.
APY
Base staking APY is similar across protocols (~5.7–7.5%), but MEV tips, restaking rewards, and trading fees can push effective yield significantly higher. Compare both base and boosted ranges.
TVL & trust
Higher TVL generally means deeper liquidity, easier instant unstaking, and broader DeFi acceptance. Jito leads at $1.4B, followed by Sanctum at $1B and Marinade at $740M.
Validator decentralization
Marinade delegates across 400+ validators (excluding the top-32 security group). BlazeStake uses 200+. Single-validator LSTs like Laine concentrate risk for slightly different performance.
Instant unstake
Most protocols offer instant redemption via dedicated pools or DEX liquidity. Check the unstake fee (typically 0.05–0.1%) and available reserve depth.
DeFi composability
JitoSOL and mSOL are accepted on 40–50+ protocols. Newer LSTs have fewer integrations, which limits lending, leverage, and LP strategies.
Governance
Protocols with governance tokens (JTO, MNDE, BLZE, CLOUD, FRAG, KYROS) let you vote on fee structures, delegation, and protocol upgrades.
Recommendations
Maximum yield
Sanctum INF has shown the highest yield potential (up to 9%) via trading-fee spikes. Kyros combines staking + MEV + restaking for 7.0–8.6%. See our yields page for broader strategies.
Safety & trust
Jito (JitoSOL) has the highest TVL ($1.4B) and 50+ DeFi integrations — the most battle-tested LST. Marinade (mSOL) is the original Solana LST with the most decentralized validator set (400+).
DeFi composability
JitoSOL (50+ integrations) and mSOL (40+) are accepted on virtually every major Solana lending protocol — Kamino, Drift, Jupiter Lend. Use these in DEX LP positions for stacked yield.
Institutional users
LsSOL is designed for institutional-grade liquid staking, backed by Coinbase, Galaxy, and Kraken. dfdvSOL is operated by a Nasdaq-listed company with zero reward fees.
APY and TVL data is approximate and changes every epoch. Last verified May 2026. Check each protocol's site for current figures.
FAQ
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