Kraken (bonded staking): staking platforms rating breakdown
As somewhere to keep a balance it is the strongest venue we rate, first of 28 on exchange custody. This criterion asks something else, and the answer is worse: you hold a claim on Kraken, not the stake, and its own support page says the APY shown in-app excludes its commission.
As somewhere to keep a balance it is the strongest venue we rate, first of 28 on exchange custody. This criterion asks something else, and the answer is worse: you hold a claim on Kraken, not the stake, and its own support page says the APY shown in-app excludes its commission.
How the score is built
Each criterion is scored 0–10 and weighted. The median column is the middle score across every entry in this ranking, so a row reads as a position rather than a number.
| Criterion | What we measured | Weight | Score | Category median | Rank | Weighted gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custody and slashing | — | 35% | 3 | 3 | 2 of 4 | 0.00 |
| Do they tell you what they take? | up to 2.4% APY advertised · published · 2026-07-15 · sourceNO — their own words does the advertised figure include their commission · sourced · 2026-07-15 · source | 25% | 2 | 3.5 | 4 of 4 | -0.38 |
| Net yield against the real ceiling | ~1.9% what you actually get · computed · 2026-07-15 | 25% | 4 | 6 | 3 of 4 | -0.50 |
| Can you get out? | — | 15% | 2 | 2 | 2 of 3 | 0.00 |
Measured 15 July 2026 · weights and method · decided by net yield against the real ceiling, worth -0.50 points against the median
Custody and slashing: 3/10
Do you hold an asset or an IOU against a company balance sheet? Who signs, who can freeze, and what happens to your stake if the operator fails. When a validator is slashed, what actually covers it — a contractual claim you own, a fund of undisclosed size, or nothing at all. A solo validator scores here on the fact that no third party can freeze it, and is docked because 100% of the slashing risk lands on you.
Scored 3 of 10 against a category median of 3, which places it 2nd of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 35% weight that is exactly level with the median of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 6, the worst 2.
Do they tell you what they take?: 2/10
Not the fee percentage — whether the yield they SHOW you is the yield you GET. Kraken’s own support page states the in-app APYs "do not include Kraken’s commission". Coinbase states a retail rate and never states the take rate behind it, which we then have to derive by dividing against the network rate.
Scored 2 of 10 against a category median of 3.5, which places it 4th of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 25% weight that is 0.38 points below the median contribution of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 10, the worst 2.
Net yield against the real ceiling: 4/10
Measured against the gross rate the network actually pays, which we derive rather than accept: the protocol APR before anyone’s cut. Every platform is scored on how much of that it gives back to you, not on how its headline compares to a competitor’s headline.
Scored 4 of 10 against a category median of 6, which places it 3rd of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 25% weight that is 0.50 points below the median contribution of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 10, the worst 3.
Can you get out?: 2/10
Unbonding and withdrawal mechanics as the platform documents them: the exit queue, any platform-imposed lock, and — where the platform issues a token instead of an unlock — the depth genuinely available to sell into. Marked not-applicable, with its weight redistributed, where there is no product between you and the protocol exit queue.
Scored 2 of 10 against a category median of 2, which places it 2nd of 3 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 15% weight that is exactly level with the median of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 7, the worst 1.
Its nearest neighbours in this ranking
| # | Entry | Net yield against the real ceiling | How it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Solo staking (your own validator) | 10 | Ahead by 6 on net yield against the real ceiling. |
| 2 | Coinbase (staking / cbETH) | 3 | Behind by 1 on net yield against the real ceiling. |
Questions about this score
Is the staking APY Kraken shows me what I will receive?
+
No, and Kraken says so in its own support documentation: the in-app APYs "do not include Kraken's commission". You are shown a gross figure against an advertised rate of up to 2.4%, and the commission that separates it from what lands in your account is disclosed elsewhere rather than beside the number.