10 Best Staking Crypto Assets (2025 Update)

Choosing what crypto can you stake? It can be difficult with the sheer abundance of options available, not to mention the platforms and providers. So, as a team that knows a thing or two about altcoins, let us offer a list of staking coins that we believe can do well in the remainder of 2025 and beyond.

Key Takeaways

• What’s staking in crypto? Crypto staking is the activity of locking up a certain amount of crypto tokens in the protocol as a pledge to ensure the network's integrity and earn staking rewards in the process.
• Should you stake your crypto? Staking can be considered a way to earn passive income but one that still requires participation. You will need to check the status of the validator node that holds your stake or claim the rewards once in a while to manually compound the deposit.
• What crypto can you stake? The ChangeHero team reviewed the PoS coins and came up with a list of the ten best staking coins. Choice criteria included APY rates, risk ratings and staking mechanisms.

Introduction to Crypto Staking

What is staking?

Staking in crypto is a part of the mechanism responsible for network integrity and security: consensus. In simpler terms, consensus means agreement, unanimous or of a majority, between those who are concerned with the blockchain operation. Because it is a decentralized system, in this case, consensus is achieved through automatic means, hence consensus mechanism.

Proof-of-Stake (PoS) is a consensus mechanism in blockchain networks, including Ethereum 2.0. Unlike Proof-of-Work (PoW), which relies on miners solving complex mathematical puzzles to validate transactions and create new blocks, PoS selects validators based on the amount of cryptocurrency they hold and are willing to "stake" as collateral. Validators are chosen to create new blocks and validate transactions based on their stake, with rewards proportional to it. PoS has better energy efficiency than its alternative proof-of-work, and improved blockchain security by reducing the computational power required, making it a ‘greener’ alternative.

What is staking in cryptocurrency? In simple terms, it is committing some of your funds to network maintenance. By choosing to do so, you take on some risk connected with your own or other validator’s performance but more on that later.

What does it mean to stake crypto? Essentially, you out aside some of your coins to accumulate network rewards if all goes well. Put like that, it could look like a method of passive income but let’s unpack why it is not exactly the case.

Are staking rewards really passive income?

Staking is often talked about as a way to earn passive income, or money that you earn without actively working for it. It is a way to generate income on an ongoing basis with minimal effort or time commitment. Instead of trading your time for money, passive income allows you to make money even when you're not actively working. Examples of passive income include rental income from properties, dividends from stocks, interest from savings accounts, or royalties from creative works like books or music.

Crypto staking is often presented as a similar method of earning money virtually without any work. You make a transaction and then reap the rewards — what could be easier, right? Of course, this would be too good to be true, and in reality, there are caveats.

Solo staking is certainly a more hands-off approach than day trading on a crypto exchange, for example. However, to start staking coins solo, you will most likely need dedicated hardware and infrastructure, which you will need to keep up and running. Stakers running a validator node will also be expected to keep up with the community and participate in the governance process by regularly voting.

But you can delegate your coins or join a staking pool, can't you? Sure, you are doing exactly that if you are staking via a crypto wallet or using the exchange staking feature. In this case, you are still expected to check your staked coins and validator: are they online? Did they update their fees or voting policies? Is their network dominance share adequate — not too large and not too small? A lot of crypto coins do not even compound the stake on their own, so you most likely will need to check it yourself once in a while.

Depending on how you view it, you can see staking cryptocurrency as a way to earn passive income. There is a common misconception that staking crypto does not require any effort at all, but there is prior research to be undertaken and risks that you should constantly keep in check.

Does staking have any risks?

Should I stake my crypto? In most cases, if you are not using it otherwise, staking crypto is better than just holding it. Mind that there are tradeoffs and risks to that, too.

Staking coins is by no means a risk-free way to get free money. It is a mechanism that rewards honest validators but in most cases, also punishes misbehaving ones. Stake slashing can be caused by the node going offline even temporarily, a miscalculation or misconfiguration that leads to double-signing, and neglecting to vote. As a result, as much as the entire stake can get taken away or burned, even if the staked funds were delegated.

It also needs to be mentioned that staking coins is not a remedy for market volatility. Value losses can also wipe out any profit made with staking. This can be especially hurtful considering that usually, you can't withdraw staked assets right away.

Last but not least, while not exactly a risk but rather a feature of some protocols, you should check the supply dynamics of the particular crypto and where do the staking rewards come from. If they come from newly minted coins, it should set off alarms: unless the APY (annual percentage yield) realistically exceeds the inflation rate, you are actually losing on investment due to token supply dilation.

Best Coins for Staking According to the ChangeHero Team

Now that we have briefly talked about what staking is and what it isn't, let's move on to our team's list of the best coins to stake in the middle of 2025. They are not necessarily the ones that promise the best staking APR in crypto or even the ones that have turned a profit recently. Instead, we focused on the top staking coins that we think have the potential to perform well going forward.

Factors We Considered When Choosing a Staking Crypto

There are three major factors that can inform the choice of a staking coin, all depending on your investment strategy.

One of the approaches is to weigh APY against the risks posed by holding a particular cryptocurrency. High APY can seem lucrative but by basing your choice on this alone, you can overlook vital factors: supply inflation, staking dynamics, etc. Thus, we complement the review of high-return coins with risk assessment, grounded in fundamental qualities of a coin and its tokenomics.

Next factor to consider is lock-up periods, or when will your stake start earning and will it be available to you. Long lock-up periods are sometimes a necessity due to how a blockchain or its consensus mechanisms work but they inevitably eat into the staking duration, especially if you are not looking to commit long-term. The liquidity issue that can emerge in blockchains that lock up the stake can be alleviated with more flexible staking, which is included in the equation where possible.

Last but not least, validator reputation is an important metric, especially if you delegate. What good a high APY is when the validators are constantly facing slashing risks due to low reliability? Luckily, validator selection can be tracked with resources dedicated to staking analytics, which we also used to compile the rating.

Axelar (AXL)

Interoperability is a niche with potential, and Axelar seems to be doing well in it. Despite the relative novelty and smaller market cap, AXL offers returns and a risk profile on par with ETH.

Axelar is a decentralized interoperability network that enables secure cross-chain communication for Web3 applications. The platform acts as a universal overlay network that connects blockchain ecosystems, allowing developers to build applications that can interact with multiple chains simultaneously. Axelar's infrastructure provides a programmable way to access liquidity, users, and functionality across different blockchains, making it easier for dApps to scale and reach broader audiences without being limited to a single blockchain.

Axelar uses delegated proof-of-stake (dPoS) consensus mechanism where AXL token holders can stake their tokens to secure the network and earn rewards. The network offers competitive staking rewards with an APR of approximately 8%, with current network participation rates. Corrected for AXL inflation, though, the real reward rate is closer to 3.3%, which is on par with Ethereum.

Terra 2.0 (LUNA)

After a painful crash and fork, Terra seems to be on the mend, at least, in terms of staking and returns on LUNA.

The 2.0 in the coin’s name represents the rebirth of the Terra ecosystem following the collapse of the original Terra network in 2022. The new blockchain, designed to carry on the original mission with the founding team at helm while reimbursing the LUNA holders, maintains Terra's focus on algorithmic stablecoins and DeFi applications, but with improved tokenomics and risk management mechanisms. New Terra’s goal is to rebuild trust and establish itself as a sustainable platform for decentralized finance, payment solutions, and Web3 applications, learning from the mistakes. Apparently, it is working!

LUNA staking on Terra 2.0 offers token holders the opportunity to secure the network while earning rewards through the platform's proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. Current staking rewards realistically are around 9% APR. Terra’s staking mechanism includes a 21-day unbonding period, which helps stabilize the network but requires commitment from stakers.

Secret Network (SCRT)

The Secret Network price change in comparison to a year ago is not as drastic as it was when we first reviewed SCRT staking. We still consider it a cryptocurrency with decent potential.

Secret Network, also known as Secret, is a blockchain platform that focuses on privacy-preserving smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). It achieves this by utilizing secure and encrypted computation techniques. By enabling developers to build privacy-focused applications, Secret Network aims to protect sensitive data and provide users with enhanced privacy and control over their personal information.

Secret Network uses a flexible inflation and rewards system that adjusts the staking rewards rate according to how many validators are online. According to Staking Rewards, at the time of writing the APR is 22.11% but this is before adjusting for the inflation rate, which makes the real reward rate closer to 11.23%.

Cosmos (ATOM)

With the Cosmos Ecosystem on the rise, Cosmos Hub itself is primed for a decent run. ATOM's milquetoast price performance soured the satisfaction of growing token holders' bags but in the end, they are still in the black.

Cosmos (ATOM) is an interoperable blockchain platform that facilitates communication and interaction between different blockchain networks. Cosmos aims to enable the seamless transfer of assets and data across multiple chains by providing a framework for building interconnected blockchains. With its focus on scalability, security, and flexibility, Cosmos aims to overcome the limitations of individual blockchains and create a decentralized network of interconnected blockchains, fostering innovation and collaboration in the blockchain ecosystem.

ATOM is also one of the examples showing why staking crypto is worth it. Cosmos (ATOM) has inflation, and a rather high one at that, but thanks to high network activity, the rate of staking rewards coming from network fees brings the real reward rate up to 7.39%.

Ontology (ONT)

In terms of ROI for both staking and holding, Ontology holders saw a slight decrease over the year. Nonetheless, it maintains a uniquely high real reward rate with supply dilution offset to the companion asset.

Ontology (ONT) is a high-performance blockchain platform that aims to bridge the gap between traditional systems and the decentralized world. It provides a comprehensive infrastructure for building and deploying decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts. With a focus on privacy, identity, and data management, Ontology aims to enable secure and trusted interactions between individuals, businesses, and institutions.

The Ontology network rewards stakers with the gas token ONG and some ONT from the Ontology Foundation bonus, if eligible. Thanks to that, it remains a crypto asset with a high APY for staking and no inflation in the original asset. The best results will be achieved by running a node yourself and not delegating, since the node operators take a cut from all rewards from staking. When recounting the ONG rewards plus the ONT rewards from staking, the total can come up to 18.82% APR.

The Graph (GRT)

Staking GRT is a safe bet for fundamental purposes over the long term, despite the token underperforming in 2025.

The Graph is a decentralized indexing protocol that organizes blockchain data and makes it easily accessible through GraphQL APIs. Often referred to as the "Google of blockchains," The Graph enables developers to efficiently query data from various blockchain networks without having to run their own indexing infrastructure. The protocol supports major blockchains including Ethereum, IPFS, and others, providing essential infrastructure for thousands of decentralized applications that need reliable access to on-chain data for their functionality.

GRT token holders can participate in the network by delegating their tokens to Indexers who run the infrastructure that processes queries and indexes blockchain data. The delegation mechanism currently offers an APY of 12.74%, with rewards coming from query fees paid by dApps using The Graph's services. Although the price action in GRT markets over the past year is underwhelming, staking GRT offsets the losses to approximately -26.38%. The Graph's essential role in the Web3 infrastructure stack and its growing adoption across the DeFi and NFT ecosystems make GRT staking quite attractive on its own.

Bittensor (TAO)

With commercial AI space booming, Bittensor is one of the most promising projects in this list. Its real staking reward rates might be deceiving due to a quickly increasing supply for the time being but TAO’s price performance at the moment justifies staking.

Bittensor is a decentralized machine learning protocol that creates a peer-to-peer network where AI models can be trained, validated, and monetized in a distributed manner. It operates as a blockchain-based marketplace for artificial intelligence, allowing machine learning practitioners to contribute computational resources, algorithms, and data while earning rewards based on the value they provide to the network. With commercial AI on the rise, no wonder this platform is doing well in 2025.

What about TAO staking? Its validation mechanism has token holders nominate validators who assess the quality and value of AI contributions across different subnets within the Bittensor network. Validators earn rewards by accurately evaluating machine learning models and miners, with staking rewards typically ranging from 15-20% APY depending on network participation and subnet performance. And although TAO inflation basically reduces all profits from staking, thanks to the coin’s performance, the total ROI on a yearly scale comes up to 54.71%.

IOTA

Another case of an established altcoin that offers a mechanism similar to staking but not quite the thing, IOTA has staking reward rates that help sustain its value.

This one is a distributed ledger technology designed specifically for the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem for secure data and value transfer between connected devices without traditional blockchain limitations. Unlike conventional blockchains that use blocks and chains, IOTA utilizes a directed acyclic graph (DAG) called the Tangle, which allows for completely feeless transactions and better scalability as the network grows.

IOTA's consensus mechanism also differs from traditional proof-of-stake systems, as it requires neither miners nor validators. Staking rewards in IOTA are designed to incentivize honest participation in consensus and can offer returns of approximately 13% APY. As an older coin, its performance over the year is also bearish but staking IOTA offsets it to just -3.5%.

Polkadot (DOT)

DOT staking offers better rates than its main competitors, and although it is not quite enough to offset the value lost over the year, it is a safe option for diversification.

Polkadot (DOT) is a rather popular multi-chain protocol that enables different blockchains to interoperate and share information in a secure and scalable manner. Created by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood, Polkadot consists of a main Relay Chain that provides security and consensus, along with multiple Parachains that can be customized for specific use cases while benefiting from the shared security of the entire network.

DOT staking operates through a nominated proof-of-stake (NPoS) system where token holders can either run validator nodes or nominate trusted validators to represent their stake. The staking mechanism offers rewards of approximately 10-12% APR, with a typical unbonding period of 28 days. Polkadot's unique approach allows up to 16 nominations per nominator, reducing the risk of choosing poorly performing validators. However, it was included in the list mainly because its real reward rate is slightly ahead of Ethereum’s, at 3.95%, with yearly ROI of staked DOT offset to -8.31%.

Ethereum (ETH)

At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with Ethereum! On the surface, it is not the most accessible crypto to stake and certainly not the one promising the best profits. Regardless, as the leader of the Proof-of-Stake coins, it demonstrates great results and is not planning to unwind anytime soon.

Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that enables the creation and execution of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). It was proposed by Vitalik Buterin in 2013 and launched in 2015. Ethereum's native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), is used for incentivizing participants and powering the network. With its robust infrastructure and programmable capabilities in smart contracts, Ethereum has become the foundation for a wide range of innovative projects, including decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and decentralized exchanges (DEXs).

To stake in the Ethereum 2.0 iteration, you would either need to set up a validator yourself and stake 32 ETH or more or join a staking pool. Pooling is often combined with liquid staking, in which you receive tokens that represent your share of the stake and can be used in DeFi for further earning opportunities if you wish.

ETH is also the largest Proof-of-Stake coin by market capitalization at the moment. In our previous guide, we talked at length about the best ways to stake ETH and boost the Ethereum staking rewards. Long story short, one can earn about 3% annually staking with virtually no lower limit. On top of that, Ethereum (ETH) by itself has the combination of a strong value proposition and practical acknowledgment of it, which makes it not just one of the good staking coins but one of the must-have crypto assets.

Conclusion

With institutional staking not yet dominating but definitely influencing staking trends, DeFi is primed to transform, if not in 2025, then in years to come.

The entirety of our best crypto staking coins list is here to tell you: in most cases, you are better off staking coins than not. It can multiply your profits in the best-case scenario, and in the worst case, you will lose much less than simply holding.

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