{"id":3965,"date":"2026-10-13T10:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nownodes.io\/blog\/?p=3965"},"modified":"2026-10-13T10:53:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:53:43","slug":"how-to-stake-sol-native-and-liquid-staking-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nownodes.io\/blog\/how-to-stake-sol-native-and-liquid-staking-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stake SOL: Native and Liquid Staking Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are two main ways to stake SOL: native staking, where you delegate directly to a validator, and liquid staking, where you deposit SOL and get a token back that you can keep using. Both pay you a share of Solana’s network rewards. The difference is what you give up in exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide walks through how each method works, what you’ll actually earn in 2026, how long your SOL stays locked, and the risks worth knowing before you commit. We’ll start with the basics and move into validator selection, liquid staking tokens, and the trade-offs between them.<\/p>\n\n\n

What Is Solana Staking?<\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Solana staking is the process of delegating your SOL to a validator so it can help secure the network, in return for a cut of the rewards. Solana runs on proof of stake, so validators that hold more delegated SOL get more chances to produce blocks. When you stake, you keep ownership of your coins the whole time \u2014 your SOL sits in a stake account that only you control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Native staking uses two permissions on that account: a stake authority that chooses the validator, and a withdraw authority that can move the funds. You delegate to a validator’s vote account, and that’s it \u2014 you never hand over your private keys. Solana’s official staking page<\/a> covers the mechanics in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n

How Do Staking Rewards Actually Work?<\/h3>\n\n\n

Rewards come mostly from inflation: Solana mints new SOL every epoch (roughly every two days) and pays it to validators and their delegators. As of mid-2026, the inflation rate sits near 3.8%<\/a> and falls a little each year toward a long-term floor of 1.5%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That decline just got faster. On August 28, 2026, Solana stakers voted to double the annual disinflation rate from 15% to 30%<\/a>, pulling the 1.5% target forward from around 2032 to roughly 2029. The vote was close enough to make headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“After 500 calls in the past few hours we got all the votes in the last seconds and passed the disinflation proposal by a literal hair.” \u2014 Mert Mumtaz, CEO of Helius, August 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What does this mean for you? Rewards are shrinking over time. The nominal staking rate has already dropped from about 6.76% to 5.35% over the past year<\/a>, and it will keep grinding down as issuance falls. Live native yields currently run in the 5\u20137% range depending on the validator<\/a>, before commission. Rewards compound automatically each epoch, so you don’t have to claim anything.<\/p>\n\n\n

Why Stake SOL in the First Place?<\/h2>\n\n\n

The straightforward reason: idle SOL earns nothing, and staked SOL earns a yield that generally beats holding. If you plan to hold SOL anyway, staking puts it to work while you wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s a network reason too. More staked SOL spread across more validators makes Solana harder to attack and harder to censor. Your delegation is a small vote for whichever validator you back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The catch is liquidity. Native staking locks your SOL \u2014 you can’t trade or spend it without unstaking first and waiting out a cooldown. That single drawback is the entire reason liquid staking exists, and it shapes most of the decisions below.<\/p>\n\n\n

Native vs Liquid Staking: Which Should You Pick?<\/h2>\n\n\n

For most people holding SOL long-term, native staking is the simplest and lowest-risk choice. If you want your staked value to stay usable across DeFi, liquid staking is the better fit \u2014 at the cost of extra smart-contract exposure. Exchange staking is the easiest path but means giving up custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s how the three compare:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/th>Native staking<\/th>Liquid staking<\/th>Exchange staking<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
You keep custody<\/strong><\/td>Yes<\/td>Yes<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Stays liquid<\/strong><\/td>No (locked)<\/td>Yes (tradable token)<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Typical yield<\/strong><\/td>~5\u20137%<\/td>~5\u20138% (MEV edge)<\/td>Often lower (fees)<\/td><\/tr>
Usable in DeFi<\/strong><\/td>No<\/td>Yes<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Unstake time<\/strong><\/td>~2\u20133 days<\/td>Instant via pools, or redeem<\/td>Varies by platform<\/td><\/tr>
Main extra risk<\/strong><\/td>Opportunity cost<\/td>Smart contract, depeg<\/td>Counterparty<\/td><\/tr>
Best for<\/strong><\/td>Long-term holders<\/td>DeFi users<\/td>Beginners<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n

How to Stake SOL Natively<\/h2>\n\n\n

Native staking takes a few minutes inside most Solana wallets. You pick a validator, delegate your SOL, and start earning from the next epoch. There’s no minimum to stake, though it’s smart to leave a little SOL unstaked \u2014 around 0.05 \u2014 to cover transaction fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical flow in Phantom, Solflare, or Backpack looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Open your wallet<\/strong> and go to the SOL asset, then find “Stake” or “Earn.” (Backpack lets you delegate natively from a minimum of 0.01 SOL.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Browse the validator list<\/strong> and check each one’s commission and performance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Choose a validator<\/strong> and enter the amount you want to stake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Approve the transaction.<\/strong> Your wallet creates a stake account you control.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Wait one epoch<\/strong> for the stake to activate. Rewards begin after that and compound automatically.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n

    How Do You Choose a Good Validator?<\/h3>\n\n\n

    Look at three things: commission, reliability, and decentralization. Commission is the cut the validator keeps \u2014 many charge 5\u201310%, and a 0% fee isn’t always a good sign if performance is poor. Reliability means consistent uptime, since a validator that misses its slots earns you fewer rewards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Decentralization is the one people skip. More than 90% of Solana’s stake runs the Jito validator client<\/a>, and a lot of stake concentrates in a handful of large operators. Delegating to a smaller, well-run validator helps spread that out, and most wallets let you compare validators before you commit.<\/p>\n\n\n

    How Long Does It Take to Unstake SOL?<\/h3>\n\n\n

    Unstaking native SOL takes about two to three days \u2014 one Solana epoch. When you deactivate your stake account, it keeps earning until the current epoch ends, then becomes withdrawable. Deactivate early in an epoch and you wait most of it<\/a>; deactivate near the boundary and the wait is shorter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you need out faster, instant-unstake liquidity pools (such as Sanctum’s) will swap your stake account for SOL immediately for a small fee, skipping the cooldown entirely. Never sell a stake account to a random buyer, though \u2014 the safe routes are to wait the epoch, deposit into a liquid staking pool, or use a recognized instant-unstake tool.<\/p>\n\n\n

    How Liquid Staking Tokens Work<\/h2>\n\n\n

    Liquid staking solves the lock-up problem. You deposit SOL into a protocol and receive a liquid staking token (LST) in return. That token represents your staked SOL plus accruing rewards, and you can trade it, lend it, or use it as collateral while it quietly earns yield in the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The value accrues into the token’s price rather than arriving as separate payouts. One JitoSOL is worth slightly more SOL each epoch, so the token appreciates against SOL over time. When you want your SOL back, you redeem the token through the protocol or swap it on a DEX.<\/p>\n\n\n

    Which Are the Main Solana Liquid Staking Tokens?<\/h3>\n\n\n

    The market has reshaped over the past year. As of August 2026, Sanctum held the top spot by total value locked with about 18 million SOL<\/a>, underwriting a wide range of tokens including INF and JupSOL. JitoSOL, the long-time leader, settled around 9.86 million SOL<\/a> after yield compression trimmed its share. You can track live figures on DeFiLlama’s liquid staking dashboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The tokens worth knowing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n