Ample vs PoolTogether V5: fees, safety and features (2026)

Both protocols turn yield into prizes instead of paying that yield directly to every depositor. Ample describes deposits as retaining their principal with no lockups, and it uses verifiable on-chain randomness for weekly draws. Its listed vaults span a wide range of assets, including USDC, WETH, HYPE and tokenized stocks and gold. PoolTogether V5 also allows withdrawals at any time, and its site describes the project as open source with permissionless vaults and developer documentation. Its listed deployments cover seven networks. The key distinction is that Ample has broader listed chain coverage and a varied set of vault assets, while PoolTogether V5 has more published security and fee information. Neither publishes prize odds or enough detail to compare expected returns.

PoolTogether V5 states that it has no fees, but that does not mean participation is cost-free: network gas applies to deposits and withdrawals. It does not publish a fee schedule, and the yield used to fund prizes is yield not paid directly to each depositor. Ample has not published deposit, withdrawal or performance fees, or the share of yield directed to prizes versus the protocol. Gas costs on the chosen network also apply. Before depositing into either product, check the transaction costs shown by your wallet and the project's current terms. PoolTogether V5 is clearer about its protocol-fee policy; Ample's fee terms are not published, so you cannot compare its total costs with confidence.

PoolTogether V5 has two audits listed and points users to a security section, but the project does not specify which protocol components the audits cover. Ample has no audits listed. That is a meaningful difference in publicly documented review, but an audit does not eliminate risk. Both protocols rely on smart contracts and yield sources, and PoolTogether V5 specifically notes that vaults depend on external yield sources. For Ample, the yield strategies and custody details are not described. Its vaults can also include tokenized assets, which add issuer and price risks. Do not treat either product's prize-savings design as a guarantee that your funds are risk-free. Read the relevant documentation and terms, and only deposit funds you can afford to have at risk.

Ample lists nine chains, compared with seven for PoolTogether V5. The networks overlap on Base, Arbitrum and Ethereum; Ample additionally lists Solana, Hyperliquid, BNB Chain, Robinhood Chain, Monad and Katana, while PoolTogether V5 lists Optimism, World Chain, Gnosis and Scroll. Supported networks can affect your choice of wallet and the gas costs you face, but actual transaction costs vary and are not published here. Ample's homepage describes a countdown to the next weekly payout and a history of recent prizes. PoolTogether V5 offers permissionless vaults, a tool for promotional token rewards and documentation for developers and users. These features serve different priorities: Ample emphasizes visible weekly draws and asset breadth; PoolTogether V5 emphasizes building and integrating vaults.

Choose PoolTogether V5 if published audit listings, open-source code, documentation and a stated no-protocol-fee policy matter most to you. It also has the higher listed TVL, about $1.81 million versus Ample's roughly $314,000, though TVL alone does not establish safety or future performance. Choose Ample if you want its broader listed chain coverage, multi-asset vaults and visible weekly draw information, and are comfortable with no audits listed and fees and yield details that are not published. In either case, prizes are random, so do not rely on them as income or assume you will win. These are chance-based products: you must be at least 18, or the legal age where you live, and check local laws before participating.