Kelp vs Stakee: Ethereum restaking or TON staking? (2026)

Kelp and Stakee both turn staked assets into tokens that can be used while staking rewards accrue, but they operate on different chains and offer different products. Kelp is an Ethereum liquid restaking protocol: users deposit ETH or major liquid staking tokens and receive rsETH. Restaking adds another layer of protocol and integration risk to ordinary staking. Stakee is a TON liquid staking service. It accepts TON and uses a receipt token called STAKED; users can manage staking through a Telegram bot or a connected-wallet web option.

That distinction should guide the choice more than their shared “liquid” label. Kelp’s stated TVL is about $910 million, compared with about $25.4 million for Stakee. Those figures show different scales, not a guarantee of safety or future performance. Kelp’s bridge exploit also means its larger ecosystem reach should not be treated as an uncomplicated advantage.

Neither project publishes a clear fee schedule. Kelp does not state its fee structure or describe a protocol fee on rewards. Stakee does not publish its fee or the share of rewards taken by the pool operator. Both may also involve normal chain transaction costs; Kelp specifically notes Ethereum gas and possible DEX slippage if you swap rsETH to exit.

Yield is also not straightforward to compare. Kelp provides an APR and APY display and an earnings calculator, but live values were not captured. Stakee’s advertised APY is inconsistent: its headline says up to 25%, its own calculator uses 21%, and a Telegram mini-app directory lists up to 5%. Those are not reliable grounds for assuming a return. Before depositing with either service, check the rate and any fees shown in its current app or documentation. A quoted yield is not the same as a guaranteed net return.

Kelp lists two audits and advertises a bug bounty of up to $250,000, but those measures did not prevent its rsETH cross-chain bridge exploit in April 2026. Roughly $290 million was drained, and responsibility for the failure is disputed. Aave froze rsETH markets after the incident, and Kelp announced that it would stop rsETH bridging on 20 networks. This raises concrete concerns about bridge configuration, token utility and recovery; public recovery or compensation plans are not described.

Stakee has no listed project audit. It says its staking contract comes from TON Core and was audited by CertiK, but that is a project claim and the audit report is not public. No hacks or incidents appear for Stakee, but that does not establish that it is safe. Both services carry smart-contract risk, and their receipt tokens may not redeem or trade exactly as expected. Stakee users should also access the Telegram bot only through the official site to avoid lookalikes.

Choose Kelp only if you want Ethereum liquid restaking, understand how rsETH fits into your DeFi activity, and are prepared to assess the consequences of the bridge exploit and reduced bridging. Its larger TVL and integrations may be useful, but they do not cancel the exploit risk or guarantee that rsETH markets remain available. KERNEL is listed, though its utility details are not public.

Choose Stakee if you hold TON and prefer a Telegram-first staking workflow, a web alternative, and a stated 1 TON minimum with no stated maximum. Its site says withdrawals return TON within minutes and have no lock-up, but check the actual terms in the app. The uncertain APY and unpublished fees make it hard to estimate net rewards in advance. For either option, stake only after reviewing current terms and deciding whether you can tolerate loss or delayed access to your assets.