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Staking

Marinade Native

Best for independently tracked protocol

Total value locked:$209m at this checkChains:1Audits recorded:0Audit report linked:Not foundRubric:v2.0 · verified 9 Aug 2026
Kayla PetersonKayla PetersonDeFi Research Analyst· Last verified August 9, 2026
Confidence ARubric v2.0Verified August 9, 2026
7.2
out of 10
Open account
Scorecard

How it rates

Counterparty & contract risk · 35%6.0
Cost transparency · 20%9.0
Market quality · 15%6.0
Transparency & track record · 20%8.0
Public documentation surface · 10%8.0
Pros
  • Accounting methodology published
  • TVL of $209m recorded independently
Cons
  • No audit report linked in the public dataset at this check
  • Single-chain deployment
How this score was built

Each indicator scores 2, 1 or 0. A pillar is the points earned over the points available; the overall score is the weighted sum. Every source below is public — check any of them yourself.

Counterparty & contract risk · 35% weight6/10 points · 6.0/10
Cost transparency · 20% weight9/10 points · 9.0/10
Market quality · 15% weight6/10 points · 6.0/10
Transparency & track record · 20% weight8/10 points · 8.0/10
Public documentation surface · 10% weight8/10 points · 8.0/10

A Solana staking product holding $209m that delegates directly to a curated validator set without issuing a liquid derivative token.

Our assessment

Marinade Native holds $209m and does something unusual: it delegates your stake across a curated validator set without issuing a derivative token and without your SOL entering a protocol contract. The stake remains in your own stake accounts.

Removing the smart contract removes a risk

Liquid staking means depositing into a contract that issues a token. If that contract fails, the deposit is at risk. Native staking keeps the stake in accounts you control while automating validator selection and rebalancing — you get the diversification without the contract exposure. For a long-horizon staker who does not need liquidity, that is the better trade.

What you give up

No derivative token means no lending, no collateral use, no instant exit. Unstaking follows the network's own timeline. If your reason for staking through a protocol was composability, this product deliberately does not provide it.

Validator distribution is the service

Spreading stake across many validators reduces the impact of any one performing badly and supports decentralisation rather than concentrating stake with the largest operators. Marinade's selection criteria are the substance of the product, and worth reading.

Who it suits

Marinade Native fits Solana holders staking for the long term who want diversification without contract risk. Users who need a liquid derivative should compare Jito or Marinade's liquid product.

Reference

Frequently asked

Does this score mean Marinade Native is safe?

No. It measures what an outsider can verify: linked audits, published methodology and independently recorded market data. Contract risk is not tested by us.

Where do the TVL and audit figures come from?

A public analytics dataset queried at the verification date, plus the audit reports it links. Both are re-runnable by anyone.

Why do some protocols score zero on audits?

Because no audit report is linked in the public record. The indicator records what a user can reach, not a claim that no audit exists.