Liquid staking derivatives (LSDs) let you earn staking rewards without locking up your crypto. We compare the top platforms — Lido, Jito, Rocket Pool, EtherFi, and EigenLayer — across assets, yield features, and risk profiles to help you pick the right one.
When you stake crypto natively — say, 32 ETH on Ethereum — your tokens are locked. You can't move them, trade them, or use them in DeFi until you unstake. Liquid staking derivatives (LSDs) solve this: you deposit your tokens with a protocol, and in return you get a liquid token (like stETH or JitoSOL) that represents your staked position. That token can be traded, lent, or used as collateral elsewhere, all while the underlying stake keeps earning rewards.1
The result? You don't have to choose between earning yield and staying liquid. Some protocols even layer on restaking — using your staked position to secure additional networks for extra rewards.2
Here are the five platforms we think deserve your attention right now.
Token: stETH | Chain: Ethereum | TVL: ~$35B+
Lido is the 800-pound gorilla of liquid staking. You deposit ETH and receive stETH, which accrues staking rewards daily. stETH is the most deeply integrated LSD in DeFi — you'll find it on Aave, Curve, Maker, and basically every major Ethereum protocol.1
The trade-off? Lido's dominance has raised centralization concerns. At one point, Lido validators controlled over 30% of all staked ETH, which some in the community see as a risk to Ethereum's consensus layer.2 For most users, though, the liquidity and reliability are hard to beat.
Token: JitoSOL | Chain: Solana | Key Feature: MEV-boosted rewards
If you're on Solana, Jito is the clear leader. JitoSOL is a liquid staking token that captures Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) — the extra yield from transaction ordering — and passes it back to stakers.1 This means JitoSOL holders typically earn higher APY than vanilla Solana staking.
Jito is also deeply integrated into the Solana DeFi ecosystem, with JitoSOL available on margin trading platforms, lending protocols, and DEXs across the network.
Token: rETH | Chain: Ethereum | Key Feature: Permissionless node operation
Rocket Pool is the answer to Lido's centralization problem. Anyone can run a Rocket Pool node with just 8 ETH (plus RPL collateral), making it permissionless and more decentralized than Lido's curated set of node operators.3
You deposit ETH and receive rETH, which appreciates against ETH as staking rewards accumulate. rETH has strong DeFi integrations (though not as broad as stETH), and the protocol has been battle-tested since 2021. The trade-off: slightly lower liquidity and slightly higher fees than Lido.
Token: eETH / weETH | Chain: Ethereum | Key Feature: Native EigenLayer restaking
EtherFi is the new kid that's growing fast. It combines liquid staking with native restaking via EigenLayer. When you deposit ETH, EtherFi stakes it normally and opts your position into EigenLayer's restaking pools, earning you additional yield from securing Actively Validated Services (AVSs).2
The result is a product that sits at the intersection of two hot trends: LSDs and restaking. eETH (and its wrapped version weETH) is increasingly available on major DeFi protocols.
Token: No native LSD (restaking layer) | Chain: Ethereum | Key Feature: Restake any LSD
EigenLayer isn't a liquid staking protocol itself — it's a restaking layer that lets you take an existing LSD (like stETH or rETH) and "restake" it to help secure other networks.1 In return, you earn additional rewards on top of your base staking yield.
Think of it as middleware: you bring your own LSD, EigenLayer lets you put it to work twice. This is more advanced and carries additional slashing risk, but for yield-maximizers, it's a powerful tool.
| Platform | Asset | LSD Token | Key Feature | Risk Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lido | ETH | stETH | Deepest DeFi liquidity | Centralization risk |
| Jito | SOL | JitoSOL | MEV-boosted rewards | Solana network risk |
| Rocket Pool | ETH | rETH | Permissionless nodes | Lower liquidity than Lido |
| EtherFi | ETH | eETH/weETH | Native restaking | Newer protocol, slashing risk |
| EigenLayer | ETH (any LSD) | N/A (restaking) | Restaking infrastructure | Slashing risk, complex |
We chose these five because they cover the spectrum of what matters in liquid staking:
There's no single "best" platform — it depends on which chain you use, how much yield you want, and how comfortable you are with protocol risk.
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up or deposit through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend platforms we've researched and believe in. Always do your own due diligence before staking.
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Yes — the picks above are the engine's current verdicts. Ask a sharper version of this question below and you'll get a custom answer with the latest pricing.