stETH, rETH, cbETH or weETH — which liquid staking token should I hold for my staked ETH?
stETH (Lido DAO) yields ~2.29% (in ETH), no minimum, can be bought on a DEX without KYC. rETH (Rocket Pool) yields ~2.17% (in ETH), minimum from ~0.01 ETH, can be bought on a DEX without KYC. cbETH (Coinbase) yields ~2.41% (in ETH, after fee), no minimum, can be bought on a DEX without KYC. weETH (ether.fi) yields ~2.37% (in ETH + restaking), no minimum, can be bought on a DEX without KYC.
A liquid staking token represents staked ETH and earns the staking reward, while staying tradable. They differ in who runs the validators (Lido’s operator set, Rocket Pool’s permissionless node operators, Coinbase, ether.fi) and in whether the reward accrues in the price or in the token balance.
Figures from our live dataset · page generated 2026-10-11 · not investment advice
| Token | Issuer | Yield / return | Minimum | KYC to buy | Chain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stETH Lido Staked ETH | Lido DAO | ~2.29% (in ETH) | None (any amount of ETH) | No KYC on a DEX | Ethereum (+L2s) |
| rETH Rocket Pool Staked ETH | Rocket Pool | ~2.17% (in ETH) | From ~0.01 ETH | No KYC on a DEX | Ethereum (+L2s) |
| cbETH Coinbase Wrapped Staked ETH | Coinbase | ~2.41% (in ETH, after fee) | None | No KYC on a DEX | Ethereum / Base |
| weETH ether.fi Staked ETH | ether.fi | ~2.37% (in ETH + restaking) | None | No KYC on a DEX | Ethereum (+L2s) |
Side by side
| stETH | rETH | cbETH | weETH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where the yield comes from | Ethereum staking rewards (consensus + fees) | Ethereum staking rewards | Ethereum staking rewards (Coinbase validators) | ETH staking + EigenLayer restaking rewards |
| Risk (our label) | Medium (crypto price) | Medium (crypto price) | Medium (crypto price) | Medium-High (crypto + restaking) |
| Custody | Self-custody | Self-custody | Self-custody token; custodial staking backend | Self-custody |
| Liquidity | Deep DEX/CEX liquidity; withdrawals via Lido queue | DEX liquidity; protocol redemption | CEX + DEX liquidity | DEX liquidity; widely used as DeFi collateral |
| KYC to mint with the issuer | No KYC | No KYC | KYC required | No KYC |
| KYC to buy on a market | No KYC | No KYC | No KYC | No KYC |
| KYC to redeem | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Assets under management | Largest liquid-staking protocol | Top-3 decentralized LST | Top-5 LST | Largest liquid restaking token |
| Jurisdiction | Decentralized protocol | Decentralized protocol | USA (Coinbase; EU via MiCA entity) | Decentralized protocol |
| How to buy | Stake at stake.lido.fi or buy stETH on a DEX/CEX | Stake at rocketpool.net or buy rETH on a DEX | Stake ETH on Coinbase and wrap, or buy cbETH on a DEX | Stake at ether.fi or buy weETH on a DEX |
How to choose
The yields sit within a fraction of a percentage point of each other because they all come from the same Ethereum staking reward. The differences are elsewhere: how decentralised the validator set is, how deep each token’s market is — which decides how close to 1 ETH you can sell — and how the reward reaches you. stETH rebases, so your balance grows; rETH and cbETH rise in price against ETH instead. weETH adds restaking, which earns more but adds the risk of penalties from the additional services.
More questions
Which one has the lowest minimum?
stETH (Lido DAO), with no minimum. The highest stated minimum here is rETH, with minimum from ~0.01 ETH.
Where does the yield come from?
stETH: Ethereum staking rewards (consensus + fees). rETH: Ethereum staking rewards. cbETH: Ethereum staking rewards (Coinbase validators). weETH: ETH staking + EigenLayer restaking rewards.
Which is the largest?
By size, cbETH at $5, followed by rETH at $3. Size is not safety, but a larger product usually means a deeper market to sell into.
How risky are they?
stETH: Medium (crypto price). rETH: Medium (crypto price). cbETH: Medium (crypto price). weETH: Medium-High (crypto + restaking). The risk label is ours, in plain language, and is explained on each token page.
Are these yields fixed?
4 of 4 are variable: the rate moves with markets and is not guaranteed. The figures on this page were last checked on 2026-08-25.