Lido Review
The clearest published fee in liquid staking
of 10
Lido publishes a 10% protocol fee on staking rewards and breaks down exactly how it is split per module — 5% to node operators and 5% to the DAO in the curated module, 3.5% and 6.5% in the permissionless one. Stakers keep 90% throughout.
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Protocol fee
10% of staking rewards
Curated module split
90% stakers / 5% node operators / 5% DAO
Permissionless split
90% stakers / 3.5% node operators / 6.5% DAO
Liquid token
stETH
Fee governance
Changeable by DAO vote
Scores
Each criterion carries equal weight. The overall score is the average of these 5 scores — (10.0 + 8.0 + 7.0 + 7.0 + 9.0) ÷ 5 = 8.2.
Pros
- Fee published as a figure, with the split broken out per module
- Stakers consistently keep 90% of rewards across modules
- stETH is liquid and can be used elsewhere while staked
- Fee is a DAO parameter, changeable only by vote
Cons
- Stake is concentrated across a curated operator set as well as a permissionless one
- A protocol fee of 10% is at the higher end of the range in this category
- Exposure runs through smart contracts rather than your own validator
The fee is not just published, it is itemised
Lido states a 10% protocol fee on staking rewards and publishes the split for each module: in the curated module stakers receive 90%, node operators 5% and the DAO 5%; in the permissionless module the same 90% goes to stakers with 3.5% to operators and 6.5% to the DAO.
Almost nothing else in this category discloses at that level. Several competitors here publish no commission figure at all, which is why Lido tops the transparency criterion despite charging more than some of them.
What the 10% buys and costs
In return stakers get stETH, a liquid token that keeps earning while remaining usable elsewhere, and no requirement to run infrastructure. The trade is exposure to the protocol's smart contracts and to an operator set that is partly curated rather than fully open.
How it compares
Sources
Scored from published primary sources rather than hands-on use. Every figure above comes from one of the pages below, on the date shown. Manufacturers change prices and specifications without notice — if something here no longer matches the source, tell us and we will correct it.
- 1.Lido — protocol fee, official documentation — checked
Frequently asked questions
What fee does Lido charge?
Lido states a 10% fee on staking rewards. Stakers keep 90%; the remainder is split between node operators and the DAO treasury, in proportions that differ by module.
Can the Lido fee change?
Yes. Lido's documentation states the fee is a parameter the DAO can change by vote.
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