Liquid Restaking · Review
ActiveStronghold Staked SOL Review 2026: Solana Validator and LST
Stronghold is a Solana validator that offers native staking and a liquid staking token, strongSOL, with integrations across Jupiter, Sanctum, Kamino and other Solana DeFi apps. It is a small operation with unpublished fees and no listed audits.
By the DappsAtlas editorial team · Updated
DappsAtlas score
6.4/10
Mixed
Our verdict on Stronghold Staked SOL
6.4/10Stronghold Staked SOL suits Solana holders who want to stake with an independent validator and optionally hold a liquid token usable in Jupiter, Kamino and Loopscale. Its main strength is the mix of native and liquid options with Jito MEV support and a Solana Foundation delegation. The caveats are a small and shrinking TVL, no listed audits, and unpublished fees. Check commission and pool terms and size your position to the risk.
Score breakdown
How Stronghold Staked SOL scores
- Security
- 5.5/10
- Ease of use
- 7.5/10
- Fees
- n/a
- Features
- 6.5/10
Scores run from 0 to 10 and are based only on facts we could verify. Where information was missing we mark the score n/a rather than guess.
What is Stronghold Staked SOL?
Stronghold Staked SOL is the liquid staking product of Stronghold, a Solana validator. It offers native staking and strongSOL, a liquid staking token that represents SOL staked through its pool. The tracked DeFi data lists it on Solana, with about $2.6 million in total value locked and a listing date of July 2025.
The homepage positions Stronghold as a high-performance validator and a recipient of the Solana Foundation Delegation Program. It also names partners including Jupiter, Sanctum, Switchboard, Jito, Kamino, Project0, Loopscale and Vault Finance, and carries testimonials from DoubleZero and Sanctum.
The product is small compared with the largest Solana liquid staking tokens. TVL dropped about 38% over the past week in the tracked data. The project has no governance token, and the data lists no audits.
How Stronghold Staked SOL works
Stronghold runs a Solana validator, a server that helps process transactions and secure the network. SOL holders delegate their tokens to a validator and earn a share of the staking rewards. Rewards depend on the validator's uptime, commission and network conditions.
With liquid staking, you deposit SOL into Stronghold's stake pool and receive strongSOL. The pool delegates the SOL to validators, and strongSOL's value against SOL rises as rewards accrue. You can hold it, swap it, or use it in other apps while the underlying SOL keeps earning.
Stronghold also lists Jito MEV integration, which can add extra rewards from priority transaction fees. The staking accounts option lets users who delegated through other stake programs redirect that delegation to Stronghold.
7 features
Key features
01
Native SOL staking
Delegate SOL straight to the Stronghold validator. You keep control of your stake account and earn network staking rewards.
02
strongSOL liquid staking
Deposit SOL and receive strongSOL, a liquid staking token whose value rises against SOL as rewards accrue.
03
Staking account transfers
Users can redirect existing delegations from programs such as Marinade, Blaze and Vault to Stronghold.
04
Jito MEV rewards
The homepage says Stronghold integrates Jito MEV, which can add extra yield on top of standard staking rewards.
05
Jupiter and Sanctum support
strongSOL is listed on Jupiter for swaps, DCA and limit orders, and is integrated with Sanctum for added liquidity.
06
DeFi collateral uses
The token works with Kamino Multiply, Loopscale looping and Project0 lending, letting holders borrow or add leverage against it.
07
Validator statistics
A validator stats page on the site lets stakers check performance before delegating.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Offers both native staking and a liquid staking token, so users can choose between control and flexibility.
- strongSOL is integrated with Jupiter, Sanctum, Kamino, Project0 and Loopscale, giving it several uses beyond holding.
- Homepage states Stronghold receives the Solana Foundation Delegation Program, which indicates validator performance standards.
- Jito MEV integration can raise yield above base staking rewards.
- No governance token, so there is no separate token price to track beyond strongSOL itself.
- Partners such as Sanctum and DoubleZero publicly describe it as a reliable, long-standing validator.
Watch out for
- TVL is small at about $2.6 million and fell 38% over seven days, which points to limited and possibly volatile deposits.
- No audits are listed for the liquid staking contracts, and the homepage does not link to any audit reports.
- The homepage does not publish fee details, such as a validator commission or any stake pool fee.
- Team members are not named on the homepage, despite the claim of an experienced team.
- The strongSOL token has thin trading volume on aggregator listings, so exiting large positions through swaps may be harder than unstaking.
- Using strongSOL in lending and looping products adds smart-contract and liquidation risk from third-party protocols.
Stronghold Staked SOL fees
Stronghold does not publish fee details on its homepage. That includes validator commission and any stake pool management or withdrawal fee on strongSOL. Users should check the validator stats page and the stake pool details before depositing.
Standard Solana network transaction fees apply when staking, unstaking or swapping. Swapping strongSOL on Jupiter or using it in lending protocols also brings the fees of those venues.
Is Stronghold Staked SOL safe?
Stronghold does not list any smart-contract audits for strongSOL in the data reviewed, and the homepage does not link to audit reports. Liquid staking adds smart-contract risk on top of validator risk, and using strongSOL in lending or looping adds further protocol and liquidation risk. No security incidents are mentioned in the information reviewed.
Native staking keeps SOL in your own stake account, while liquid staking places it in a stake pool program. Validator downtime can reduce rewards, and the token's market price can drift from its underlying SOL value when liquidity is thin. Stronghold does not publish team names or regulatory details on its homepage.
6 steps
How to get started with Stronghold Staked SOL
- 1
Install a Solana wallet and fund it with SOL, keeping a small amount aside for transaction fees.
- 2
Open the official Stronghold site and review the validator stats page for performance and commission.
- 3
Choose native staking to delegate to the validator, or liquid staking to receive strongSOL.
- 4
Confirm the transaction in your wallet and wait for the stake to activate, which happens over Solana epochs.
- 5
If you hold strongSOL, decide whether to hold it, swap it on Jupiter, or use it in a lending protocol, after reading that protocol's risks.
- 6
Monitor your rewards each epoch and unstake or sell when you want to exit.
Who Stronghold Staked SOL is for
This suits Solana holders who want to support a smaller validator rather than the largest pools and are comfortable with DeFi risks. It also fits users who want a liquid token for lending or looping on Kamino or Loopscale. Those who need audited contracts or clear fee tables should confirm details first.
Stronghold Staked SOL FAQs
What is strongSOL?
strongSOL is the liquid staking token issued by Stronghold's Solana stake pool. You deposit SOL, receive strongSOL, and its value against SOL rises as staking rewards accrue. One third-party stake pool tracker lists a pool token value of about 1.208 SOL.
What APY does Stronghold Staked SOL pay?
One stake pool tracker shows a 10-epoch realised APY of about 4.69%. Yields change every epoch with network conditions, so check the current figure on the validator stats page before staking. The homepage itself only says the APY is competitive.
Where can I use strongSOL?
Stronghold lists integrations with Jupiter for swaps, DCA and limit orders, Sanctum for liquidity, and Switchboard as an oracle. For lending and leverage, it names Kamino, Project0 and Loopscale. Availability and terms are set by each of those protocols.
What is the difference between native and liquid staking here?
Native staking delegates SOL to the Stronghold validator from your own wallet, and you keep control of the stake account. Liquid staking deposits SOL into a pool and gives you a token you can trade or use in DeFi. Native staking is simpler, while the liquid version adds smart-contract risk in exchange for flexibility.
Is Stronghold Staked SOL safe?
The homepage says Stronghold has a Solana Foundation Delegation Program recipient status, and a partner testimonial calls it a reliable validator. No audit reports are listed in the data reviewed, and the homepage does not publish them. Staking always carries validator, smart-contract and market risk.
Can I move my existing stake to Stronghold?
The homepage says users can move existing delegations from stake programs like Marinade, Blaze and Vault to Stronghold through a staking accounts option. Vault users can also direct vSOL stake to Stronghold through a Direct Stake option. Follow the steps on the official site and check any fees first.
Compare
Stronghold Staked SOL alternatives
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Jito Restaking is a Solana multi-asset restaking protocol that issues vault receipt tokens, built within the Jito Foundation ecosystem.
Solayer is a Solana restaking protocol that issues sSOL and has expanded into an SVM chain, perp DEX, Visa card and yield stablecoin.
Kyros is a Solana liquid restaking protocol on Jito that issues kySOL, a yield-bearing token for SOL holders seeking staking, MEV and restaking rewards.
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How we checked
Sources
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