Gauntlet vs RockawayX: Which risk curator fits? (2026)

Both projects curate DeFi yield strategies, but their businesses are shaped differently. Gauntlet focuses on risk management and curated vaults, with strategies that lend, restake or allocate across markets and protocols. It also helps fintechs and wallets offer yield inside their own apps. Its stated risk-modeling work dates to 2018, and its listed TVL is about $1.54 billion.

RockawayX is a broader crypto firm. Alongside on-chain risk curation, it invests in early-stage projects, provides liquidity and operates validators. Its listed TVL is about $304.5 million. The firm describes market-neutral strategies for stablecoins, ETH, BTC and SOL, aimed at institutional and high-net-worth clients. That breadth may appeal to organizations seeking several kinds of crypto services, but it also means curation is only one part of its business.

Gauntlet lists 14 chains, compared with 10 for RockawayX. Both list Ethereum, Solana, Base and BNB Chain. Gauntlet’s listed networks also include Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Hyperliquid and several others; RockawayX’s include Monad, Sei, Citrea and Plume. Check that a specific vault is available on the network and asset you intend to use, rather than assuming every strategy runs across every listed chain.

The product emphasis also differs. Gauntlet describes curated lending, restaking and multi-strategy vaults, custom strategies for assets including stablecoins and tokenized assets, and Aera vault infrastructure. RockawayX describes market-neutral yield strategies as well as liquidity provision and validator services. Its market-neutral approach is intended to limit price exposure, but it does not remove lending, market or curator risks.

Neither project publishes a general vault fee schedule. Gauntlet’s fee details, including any management or performance fee, are not published. Its site says users of at least one integration, KAST Earn, pay no gas fees, and that protocol rewards are automatically redeemed and compounded. That statement applies to the named integration, not necessarily to every Gauntlet vault.

RockawayX’s management, performance and curator fees are also not published. For either provider, review the specific vault page and its terms before depositing; institutional products may have separate conditions. Retail access is not equally clear across the two: Gauntlet’s product is often delivered through integrating apps, while RockawayX’s strategies are aimed at institutional and high-net-worth clients, with public minimums and access details unclear. Neither publishes an ease-of-use score for every product.

Audits are not listed for either project, so do not treat the absence of a listed audit as proof that a particular vault contract has been independently reviewed. Gauntlet describes a defense-in-depth monitoring stack that includes Hypernative, Zeroshadow and Chainalysis. Those tools can support monitoring and response, but do not replace a contract audit. Its vaults can still be exposed to curator decisions, underlying protocol failures, depegs and liquidity shortages.

RockawayX also has no audits listed, and an independent review of its curated strategies is not described. Its vaults carry smart-contract risk from underlying lending protocols, market risk involving collateral and oracles, and risk from the curator’s choices. Market-neutral positioning does not eliminate these exposures. For either provider, investigate the exact contracts, assets, withdrawal terms and risk controls before depositing, and consider whether the product is permitted in your jurisdiction.

Choose Gauntlet if you want a dedicated risk-curation proposition with broad listed chain coverage, partner-app distribution, vault documentation and published risk dashboards. Its larger listed TVL and stated risk-management history make it the more established fit on the details presented here, though neither makes returns guaranteed. Gauntlet may also be a better match if you want to access yield through an integrating fintech or wallet.

Choose RockawayX if its market-neutral approach and wider crypto-services business fit your needs, especially if you are an institutional or high-net-worth client. Its validator, liquidity and investment activities are relevant context, but they are not substitutes for information about a particular vault. For both, verify product-specific fees, access, contract security and withdrawal terms. Neither has a listed token, and neither publishes a general fee schedule.