Solo staking (your own validator): staking platforms rating breakdown
It wins because it is the only option on this page that does not involve paying anyone. Ethereum pays about 2.47% gross, and you keep all of it. Every other row here is that number minus somebody’s commission. The liquidity criterion is not applicable and its weight has been redistributed — there is no token to sell, and we are not going to pretend that is a defect when the entire lesson of this page is that the "liquid" alternatives cannot be sold either once their pools run dry.
It wins because it is the only option on this page that does not involve paying anyone. Ethereum pays about 2.47% gross, and you keep all of it. Every other row here is that number minus somebody’s 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 | none — you carry it slashing cover · sourced · 2026-07-15 | 35% | 6 | 3 | 1 of 4 | +1.05 |
| Do they tell you what they take? | 0% commission paid to anyone · sourced · 2026-07-15 | 25% | 10 | 3.5 | 1 of 4 | +1.63 |
| Net yield against the real ceiling | — | 25% | 10 | 6 | 1 of 4 | +1.00 |
| Can you get out? | 0 ETH, 0 minutes exit queue today · sourced · 2026-07-15 · source | 15% | n/a | 2 | — | — |
Measured 15 July 2026 · weights and method · decided by do they tell you what they take?, worth +1.63 points against the median
Custody and slashing: 6/10
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 6 of 10 against a category median of 3, which places it 1st of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 35% weight that is 1.05 points above the median contribution of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 6, the worst 2.
Do they tell you what they take?: 10/10
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 10 of 10 against a category median of 3.5, which places it 1st of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 25% weight that is 1.63 points above the median contribution of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 10, the worst 2.
Net yield against the real ceiling: 10/10
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 10 of 10 against a category median of 6, which places it 1st of 4 among staking platforms on this criterion. At a 25% weight that is 1.00 points above the median contribution of the weighted total. The best score in the category is 10, the worst 3.
Can you get out?: n/a
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.
Not applicable to this entry, so its 15% weight is redistributed proportionally across the remaining criteria rather than counted as a zero.
Other measurements
- yield
- 2.473 COMPUTED
Its nearest neighbours in this ranking
| # | Entry | Do they tell you what they take? | How it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Coinbase (staking / cbETH) | 3 | Behind by 7 on do they tell you what they take?. |
| 3 | Kraken (bonded staking) | 2 | Behind by 8 on do they tell you what they take?. |
Questions about this score
How much does solo staking actually pay?
+
The full gross protocol rate — about 2.473% at our measurement — because no commission is deducted. Every commercial product on this page is that number minus somebody's cut, ranging from 10% at the better liquid staking protocols to an implied 29% at the largest retail custodian.
What happens if my validator goes offline?
+
You accrue small penalties for inactivity, and in the serious cases — double-signing, for example — you are slashed. All of it lands on you: there is no cover fund, no insurance and nobody to appeal to. That is the honest cost of keeping the whole yield, and it is why this option suits far fewer people than it appears to.