Marinade Finance mSOL Liquid Staking on Solana

If you're staking SOL on Solana and seeking the best liquid staking option, Marinade Finance's mSOL stands out for its pioneering status, deep DeFi integrations, and automatic reward compounding while keeping your funds liquid. This comparison evaluates mSOL against top competitors like JitoSOL, Sanctum Infinity, and others, focusing on yields, liquidity, risks, and use cases to help you pick the optimal choice for maximum rewards with minimal lockup.

Marinade Finance launched as the original liquid staking token on Solana in 2021, issuing mSOL for staked SOL that accrues value automatically from staking rewards. With over 5 million SOL in TVL, mSOL integrates into lending protocols like Solend, liquidity pools on Orca, and yield optimizers such as Kamino Finance. Holders benefit from instant trades or DeFi use without unstaking delays.

Yield Mechanism: mSOL value grows relative to SOL through passive compounding-no manual claims needed. Base staking yields hover at 7%, boosted to 11.8% in liquid setups via DeFi stacking.

• Deepest DeFi composability across Solana ecosystem.
• Validator diversification via transparent algorithm reduces single point failures.
• Protected Staking Rewards reimburses underperformance from bad validators.
• Small protocol fee from rewards ensures low costs.
• Instant liquidity via swaps, but watch for minor slippage in volatile markets.

Swap mSOL back to SOL anytime on DEXes, but for best rates use high liquidity pools like mSOL SOL on Raydium. Avoid over leveraging in lending to prevent liquidation risks during SOL price dips.

JitoSOL Liquid Staking

Jito Networks delivers JitoSOL by staking SOL across a high performance validator network that captures MEV rewards, pushing yields higher than standard staking. No lockups mean you trade or lend JitoSOL freely while rewards compound. This setup appeals to users chasing extra returns from transaction ordering tips.

Expect 7.5% APY from combined validator rewards and MEV, with DeFi options adding layers like liquidity provision. The platform spreads stakes over efficient nodes for reliability.

• MEV capture turns hidden fees into user yields.
• Full DeFi integration for lending or farming.
• No unstaking periods preserve flexibility.
• Strong performance in high throughput environments.
• Potential centralization if top validators dominate MEV.
• Higher yields come with validator selection risks.

Test small positions first to gauge APY stability, and pair JitoSOL with stablecoin liquidity pools for fee income without much impermanent loss exposure.

Sanctum Infinity (INF)

How does Sanctum Infinity achieve top yields? It pools liquidity across all major Solana LSTs like mSOL and JitoSOL, routing swaps at fair value with a 600,000 SOL reserve backstop. Delivering 9.17% APY over recent epochs from staking plus trading fees, INF suits yield hunters wanting diversified exposure.

• Multi LST routing eliminates fragmentation slippage.
• Trading fees compound on top of base rewards.
• Multiple audits including OtterSec ensure security.
• Redeem for any LST or SOL instantly.

Deposit SOL or existing LSTs directly; larger reserves mean smoother exits during stress. Institutions favor its scalability for big positions without market impact.

Jupiter JupSOL

JupSOL simplifies liquid staking through Jupiter's aggregator, staking SOL in one click for a token backed by Sanctum infrastructure and Jito validators. Yields match top tiers with MEV inclusion, and deep liquidity on Orca or Meteora keeps swaps efficient. Perfect for users avoiding complex dashboards.

Strong across liquidity depth at 90/100 scores and validator balancing over 200 nodes. Returns blend staking, MEV, and priority fees consistently.

• One click access via popular Jupiter interface.
• Minimal slippage from integrated reserves.
• Balanced risk via broad validator spread.
• MEV sharing boosts baseline APY.
• Less customizable than direct protocols.

Monitor Orca pools for JupSOL pairs to stack trading fees; start with wallet integrations like Phantom for frictionless entry.

BlazeStake Liquid Staking

BlazeStake spreads your SOL across multiple validators automatically, issuing bSOL that compounds rewards while cutting risks from any single node failure. Around 6% APY comes with transparent fees and regular reports, making it a steady pick over flashier options. Auto compounding handles reinvestments hands free.

• Risk mitigation through diversification.
• Clear performance tracking tools.
• No lockups for bSOL use in DeFi.
• Competitive for conservative strategies.
• Lower yields than MEV focused rivals.
• Limited integrations compared to mSOL.

Use bSOL in basic lending markets first; review monthly reports to confirm validator health before scaling up stakes.

Marinade Native Staking

Marinade's native option stakes SOL directly to optimized validators with instant unstake access, no LST needed, hitting over 10% APY through automated delegation. TVL reached 5.3 million SOL in 2025, surpassing mSOL amid institutional inflows. It skips smart contract risks for pure custody control.

Protected rewards cover downtime or commission hikes, with exportable reports for taxes. Flexibility to switch to mSOL anytime unlocks DeFi without full redelegation.

• Zero smart contract exposure.
• Instant liquidity on demand.
• Top APY from validator auctions.
• Institutional grade security.
• Misses DeFi composability unless converted.

Ideal for large holdings; pair with instant unstake during volatility to avoid epoch waits, then convert portions to LSTs for yield stacking.

What is Solana Liquid Staking?

Liquid staking on Solana lets you stake SOL for network rewards while receiving a token like mSOL or JitoSOL that trades freely on DEXes. This beats traditional staking's lockups, as your LST accrues value from validators and unlocks DeFi plays like lending on MarginFi or farming on Kamino.

• Core benefit: Earn 6-11% APY without illiquidity.
• mSOL pioneered this in 2021, now with 13.3% of staked SOL in LSTs totaling $10.7B TVL.
• Yields stack via MEV (Jito), trading fees (Infinity), or diversification (Blaze).
• Risks include smart contract bugs and LST depegging in crashes.

Risks and Yield Factors in Solana LSTs

Validator performance drives base 6-7% APY, but platforms differentiate with MEV capture up to 1-2% extra or liquidity fees. Solana's 75% staked supply amplifies choices, yet fragmentation hits exits-Infinity fixes this with unified pools.

• Smart contract audits matter: Multiple firms like OtterSec for top LSTs.
• Depegging rare but monitor mSOL/SOL ratio climbing with rewards.
• Institutional flows boosted native over LSTs in 2025, balancing options.
• Combine LSTs for 10%+ via lending or LP fees.

Check TVL and holder counts-mSOL leads with 159,713 holders-for liquidity depth before committing.

How to Choose and Use Solana Liquid Staking

1. Assess your needs: DeFi power users pick mSOL for integrations; yield chasers go Infinity at 9.17%.
2. Compare live APYs on sites like Helius or Marinade dashboards-JitoSOL's 7.5% edges base staking.
3. Start small: Stake 1 SOL via Phantom or Solflare wallet to test unstaking speed.
4. Diversify across 2-3 LSTs like mSOL and JupSOL to blend yields and reduce platform risk.
5. Stack yields: Deposit LST into Kamino vaults or Orca pools for 2-4% extra APY from fees.
6. Monitor validators: Use Marinade reports or Blaze tools to avoid underperformers.
7. Exit smart: Swap during low volatility; Infinity's reserves handle stress best.
8. Track taxes: Export rewards from Marinade for CoinLedger integration.
9. Secure wallet: Hardware like Ledger for stakes over $1K; enable Phantom staking directly.
10. Stay updated: Follow Solana epochs (2-3 days) for reward accruals and rebalance quarterly.