Provider at a glance
- Category
- Restaking
- Entity
- Not verified
- Official website
- kerneldao.com
Independent rankingchecked How it works
Details
Scored 63 out of 100 under methodology 2026.10.18, from the evidence read in September 2026.
Kelp DAO (rsETH)
ETH liquid restaking token
Restaking
#7 Overall
Ranked #7 of 7 restaking in the published ranking
63
ChainChoice Score
The ChainChoice Score, shown against 100: published scores run from 41 to 99.- High evidence confidence
Is Kelp DAO (rsETH) right for you?
Look elsewhere if these come first
- What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide?5/10 here; the category best is 8
- How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one?3/10 here; Puffer Finance (pufETH) scores 7
- What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it?5/10 here; Swell (rswETH) scores 7
Not yet tested for your country. Markets it lists: Global.
to test where you can use it.
The rank above is the published one, the same for every reader. Find my best restaking protocol shows where it lands for you.
What will Kelp DAO (rsETH) cost you?
Not priced on this basis
- Your stake
- $32k
- Expected gross yield
- 5%
How safe is Kelp DAO (rsETH)?
- Evidence: verified4 of 4 criteria rest on quoted, sourced receipts. Read September 2026.
- LicenceMiCA (EU): no register record on file here.
Alternatives to Kelp DAO (rsETH)
Compare all 4- 4Puffer Finance (pufETH)7 points above · stronger on worst case exit (7 against 3)70
- 5Renzo (ezETH)4 points above · stronger on worst case exit (7 against 3)67
- 6Swell (rswETH)3 points above · stronger on worst case exit (7 against 3)66
For your setup
Find out if Kelp DAO (rsETH) fits you
The rank above is the published one — the same for every visitor. Answer the category's questions and this section shows where Kelp DAO (rsETH) lands for you, which criteria your answers weight up, and which stated needs the record does or does not meet. The published rank stays beside it.
- A few questions
- No account required
- Ranking-blind: no commercial input
- Personalised in under 60 seconds
Find my best restaking protocolNothing is inferred from clicks, popularity or commercial value.
Why this rank
Why Kelp DAO (rsETH) ranks #7
Each strength is read from evidence on a 0–10 ladder and weighted as the published methodology states. The 32 objective points these produce (13.9 here) sit inside the score; availability, friction, trust record and measured data add the rest.
4 published criteria · Σ weight 100
CriterionWeightStrength · 0–10ScoreContrib.MedianBestRankEvidence
345+5.445.08#3/7Loading evidence…
263+2.507.07#7/7Loading evidence…
265+4.167.09#7/7Loading evidence…
144+1.795.05#6/7Loading evidence…
Hairline = best in this ranking · tick = its median · a missing bar is "not scored", never zero
Margin−3behind Swell (rswETH), #6
RobustnessHoldsacross a one-point change to each of its 4 criterion scores, the re-run scores 61–65 and stays #7
Evidence4 of 4 scored4 quoted, 4 with a source link
What would move the rank
Each line is the ranking run again with one of Kelp DAO (rsETH)’s criterion scores changed and every other value held: the smallest whole-point change on that criterion that moves its rank, and where the re-run puts it. Up to 4 climbs and 3 falls are listed, smallest change first. Nothing here is a forecast.
What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide? 5 → 7 on its ladder · passes Swell (rswETH)+267#7 → #5
How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one? 3 → 5 on its ladder · passes Swell (rswETH)+266#7 → #6
What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it? 5 → 7 on its ladder · passes Swell (rswETH)+266#7 → #6
Does the wrapper tell me what it runs on, and is what it tells me still true today? 4 → 8 on its ladder · passes Swell (rswETH)+467#7 → #6
Smallest climb: “What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide?” 5 → 7 passes Swell (rswETH), #6.
Strengths
1 from the score dataWhere it leads
Tradeoffs
3 from the score dataWhere it trails
Not for readers who put first
- What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide? — 5/10 against a category best of 8/10
- How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one? — 3/10 against a category best of 7/10
- What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it? — 5/10 against a category best of 9/10
Record watch-outs
- Two warnings, both absent from the pages Kelp points depositors at. First, read the sunset-recovery guide before you touch rsETH on any chain other than Ethereum mainnet: the advertised exit — 15-21 days free, or instant for 0.5% — is mainnet-only, and after 2026-06-15 rsETH left on a retired network (Optimism, Manta, Mode, Blast, Scroll, X Layer, zkSync, Zircuit, Swellchain, Hemi, Berachain, Sonic, HyperEVM, Unichain, TAC, Avalanche, Plasma, Stable, MegaETH, Monad, Movement) exits only by burning it to a dead address, paying 100 USDC per address on mainnet, emailing claims@kelpdao.xyz, and waiting for a settlement Kelp "processes... once per quarter", with the window closing 2027-06-15; Movement holders must also clear a signed MOVE challenge inside 30 days. Second, the advertised 15-21 days has already been exceeded once and Kelp has never said so on a page it owns: mainnet withdrawals were paused from the 2026-04-18 exploit until 2026-05-14, about 26 days, established only from Kelp's statement carried by The Block and from Cointelegraph. Hold rsETH on Ethereum mainnet, and price the exit as a vendor number that no vendor page has ever reconciled against what actually happened.
Competitive position
Where Kelp DAO (rsETH) leads and where it trails
Rank on every objective dimension among the rows scored on it. A criterion in the top third of its pool is listed as a lead, the bottom third as a trail; the middle is neither. Popularity, size and commercial terms are not dimensions.
Availability#1 / 714.0 of 20 · pool best
Published criteria#7 / 710.4 of 30 · best 17.4
Friction#1 / 72.7 of 10 · constant here
Trust record#1 / 73.2 of 8 · constant here
Measured data#1 / 78.3 of 18 · constant here
Where Kelp DAO (rsETH) leads
- What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide?#3 / 7
Where it trails
- How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one?#7 / 7
- What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it?#7 / 7
- Does the wrapper tell me what it runs on, and is what it tells me still true today?#6 / 7
Closest alternatives
The 3 nearest rows by score
Nearest by published score in either direction. Each card states the criteria on which the two rows differ and the cost difference under the same scenario inputs; the compare arithmetic below shows why the higher one ranks higher.
Swell (rswETH)#6 of 7 · score 66 · 3.0 points ahead
Kelp DAO (rsETH) leads on
- Does the wrapper tell me what it runs on, and is what it tells me still true today?4 vs 2
Swell (rswETH) leads on
- How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one?7 vs 3
- What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it?7 vs 5
Largest single reason Swell (rswETH) is ahead: published criteria (+8.1 display points).Scenario cost: Swell (rswETH) has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Renzo (ezETH)#5 of 7 · score 67 · 4.0 points ahead
Kelp DAO (rsETH) leads onNo scored criterion
Renzo (ezETH) leads on
- How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one?7 vs 3
- What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it?6 vs 5
- Does the wrapper tell me what it runs on, and is what it tells me still true today?5 vs 4
Largest single reason Renzo (ezETH) is ahead: published criteria (+9.1 display points).Scenario cost: Renzo (ezETH) has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Puffer Finance (pufETH)#4 of 7 · score 70 · 7.0 points ahead
Kelp DAO (rsETH) leads on
- What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide?5 vs 4
Puffer Finance (pufETH) leads on
- How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one?7 vs 3
- What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it?6 vs 5
- Does the wrapper tell me what it runs on, and is what it tells me still true today?5 vs 4
Largest single reason Puffer Finance (pufETH) is ahead: published criteria (+7.0 display points).Scenario cost: Puffer Finance (pufETH) has no verified pricing for this scenario.
Against the leader
80 vs 63 · gap 17.0Why EigenLayer (EigenCloud) native restaking ranks above Kelp DAO (rsETH)
The compare workspace's arithmetic applied to these two rows. Each dimension's share of the gap is its weight × the difference, on the displayed scale — it reproduces the displayed gap of 17.0 to within rounding.
DimensionThisEigenLayer (EigenCloud) native restakingGap share
Availability · 23% weight14.014.0same
Published criteria · 35% weight10.416.9−16.9, worse
Friction · 12% weight · constant here2.72.7same
Trust record · 9% weight · constant here3.23.2same
Measured data · 21% weight · constant here8.38.3same
Published criterionThisEigenLayer (EigenCloud) native restakingPoints
What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide? · w3458−3.26, worse
How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one? · w2637−3.33, worse
What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it? · w2657−1.66, worse
Does the wrapper tell me what it runs on, and is what it tells me still true today? · w1445−0.45, worse
Net6380−17.0
Your scenario
Kelp DAO (rsETH) is not priced for this scenario
The operator's cut of the rewards your stake earns — not a fee on the stake itself. Gross yield is your assumption, not ours. Change an input and every figure recomputes from the published rate; the published rank does not move.
commission/yr · default scenario — set your own
Your stake · your input$32k
Expected gross yield · your input5%
Rate read from the provider’s published pricing ↗ on 28 September 2026.
commission/yrCost is stated as commission/yr in USD; it is never a yield, never annualised, and it does not enter the score.
Not priced on this basis
Under the default inputs · USDCategory medianNot priced0 of 7 rows priced
Cheapest pricedNone pricedDifference not stated · availability not applied — set your country to filter
7 of 7 rows in this ranking have no verified rate for this scenario and are absent from the median, not counted as free.
Evidence
Evidence read 28 September 2026
One row per published criterion: the page each strength was read from, its source type by domain, the reading date and whether the file and the published table agree. Open a row for the quote and the receipt.
4 of 4 cells scored
Score evidenceVerified4 of 4 criteria reconstruct from receipts
4 of 4 criteria reconstruct from a quoted, sourced receipt equal to the published strength.Public receiptsReading…4 quoted with a source URL
The receipt file has not been read yet.Evidence confidenceHighcoverage and corroboration, never freshness
4/4 criteria scored, with 4 dated sources quoted.RobustnessHoldsrank #7 across every one-point re-run
Whether the position holds when one criterion score is changed by one point and the ranking is run again. It is always a re-run of the ranking, never an estimate.The newest evidence read on the platform is 3 November 2026; this category's reading is older. The scores stand as read on 28 September 2026.
Reading the evidence ledger…
CriterionSourceTypeReadFreshnessStatusReceipt
What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide?strength 5 · weight 34Report an error—28 September 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one?strength 3 · weight 26Report an error—28 September 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it?strength 5 · weight 26Report an error—28 September 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.Does the wrapper tell me what it runs on, and is what it tells me still true today?strength 4 · weight 14Report an error—28 September 2026*
Unknown
No reading date is recorded for this cell or its category.No receipt
A strength is published but no quote or source page is on file for it.How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores
- Contract failure: the code holding the funds is exploited.Scored by What has actually gone wrong here, what did it cost, and did the vendor own it? · 26% (Kelp DAO (rsETH) 5/10)Scored by Does the wrapper tell me what it runs on, and is what it tells me still true today? · 14% (Kelp DAO (rsETH) 4/10)
- Control failure (Kelp DAO (rsETH) 5/10): a key or vote changes the rules, freezes or mints.Scored by What exactly can be taken from me, and who gets to decide? · 34%
- Exit failure (Kelp DAO (rsETH) 3/10): you cannot get out at par, on time, or with what is yours.Scored by How long until I actually have my ETH back on the worst day, not the good one? · 26%
Not assessed by this ranking: Insolvency failure, Regulatory failure, Execution failure. A high place says nothing about these; the Methodology tab says what each means.
Facts
facts, not scoresWhat the record publishes
- Pricing
- Withdrawal, from the Restaking Guide (https://
kerneldao .gitbook .io /kernel /getting-started /kelp /restaking-guide, fetched 29 September 2026): "Instant withdrawal will allow you to withdraw the assets immediately, for a fee of 0.5%" and "Standard withdrawal is free, but you will have to wait for 15-21 days to get your stake back"; exit is mainnet-only: "You can only withdraw your rsETH as ETH, ETHx, or stETH on the Ethereum chain." The Instant Withdrawals page (https:// kerneldao .gitbook .io /kernel /getting-started /kelp /restaking-guide /instant-withdrawals, fetched 29 September 2026) gives the same two routes as a table (Instant: "< 2 mins*", fee "0.5%"; Standard: "15-21 days", fee "0"), footnoted "*Subject to availability of funds". Minting carries no published deposit fee. PROTOCOL FEE ON REWARDS: no Kelp page prints the rate. The pages name only the mechanism: a "Fee Receiver" contract 0xdbC3363De051550D122D9C623CBaff441AFb477C (https:// kerneldao .gitbook .io /kernel /getting-started /kelp /smart-contracts) and "Maximum cap in terms of rsETH minted as fee per day" (https:// kerneldao .gitbook .io /kernel /getting-started /kelp /security /upgrades), both fetched 29 September 2026. The rate is readable on-chain: eth_call LRTConfig 0x947Cb49334e6571ccBFEF1f1f1178d8469D65ec7 protocolFeeInBPS() at Ethereum block 26080741 (29 September 2026) returned 500, and the vendor's published LRTOracle source (github.com/Kelp-DAO/LRT-rsETH, contracts/LRTOracle.sol) takes rewardAmount * protocolFeeInBPS / 10,000 out of each rise in backing before it sets the rsETH rate. Worked arithmetic, labelled: 500 / 10,000 = 5% of reward growth, taken only while deposits and withdrawals are unpaused; LRTOracle maxFeeMintAmountPerDay() returned 20 rsETH at the same block. Per the same published source (contracts/LRTConfig.sol, setProtocolFeeBps) the MANAGER role can reset it up to 1500 basis points with no timelock, and an on-chain hasRole read at block 26080797 shows the 3-of-6 Manager Safe 0xCbcdd778AA25476F203814214dD3E9b9c46829A1 holds that role. The Upgrades entry "Changed setFeeBps access from TIMELOCK_ROLE to DEFAULT_ADMIN_ROLE for faster fee adjustments without timelock delay" concerns the Base L2 deposit pool's fee, not this reward fee. Same block: LRTWithdrawalManager 0x62De59c08eB5dAE4b7E6F7a8cAd3006d6965ec16 instantWithdrawalFee() returned 50 (basis points), matching the published 0.5%. rsETH left on a retired network: "A flat recovery fee of 100 USDC per address", "Kelp processes recoveries once per quarter", recovery open "12 months, through June 15, 2027" (https:// blogs .kerneldao .com /blog /recovering-rseth-from-sunset-networks, fetched 29 September 2026).Kelp DAO (rsETH) — official pricing page ↗ · 28 September 2026 - Prices published in
- USDKelp DAO (rsETH) — official pricing page ↗ · 28 September 2026
- Licences held
- Not published
- Compliance level
- partial
- Regulatory note
- Not published
- Supported chains
- Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Linea, Ink, Mantle
- Markets served
- global
- Primary markets
- Not published
- Restricted markets
- Not published
- Operating limits
- Not published
- Availability note
- Not published
No confirmed legal entity is on file for this record. Nothing is inferred from the brand name.
If something goes wrong with Kelp DAO (rsETH): where to complain, and where to report a scam
Loading the routes for your country.
How this page is reviewed
Reviewed means this product in this category was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.
Accountable for this review: Mathias Siemonsmeier, Founder.
How we review · Review calendar · Corrections log · How we make money
History
What the record carries
Changes to published ranks are recorded in a ledger; every step and its cause is listed on the rank-history page. The entries below begin with the current verified snapshot, then the methodology versions whose changes applied to this category, newest first.
10 methodology entries
- 28 September 2026Current verified snapshot · methodology 2026.10.18Score 63, #7 of 7. 4 of 4 criteria scored. History starts here; earlier values are not interpolated.
- 15 October 2026
2026.10.10The live-data rule names the researched market measurements a criterion reads- changed The live-data rule names a second kind of figure a score reads: a researched, dated market measurement a criterion's ladder is built on, read again on the 45-day review. /methodology/live-data lists the 14 criteria that read one; no score, rank or order changes.
- changed A saved decision is checked again on the answers the reader saved. The drift check had merged a priority suggested by the market (price swings, gas) into those answers, so a market reading could move a saved decision's #1; the published ranking never read it.
- added On every build a test reads every criterion's published ladder: one that names a market quantity or a market-data source must be declared, and every scored row of a declared criterion must carry the source and the date its figure was read.
- 10 October 2026
2026.10.8When nothing serves your country, the list shown for reference is the published ranking · platform-wide- fixed The reference list shown when nothing serves your country is the published order with the published scores, and a build check now fails any such list out of that order or with a score the ranking does not publish.
- fixed The explorer prints an overall rank only for a row the published ranking holds; a country entrant such as Coinbase Commerce for US merchants shows no overall rank.
- changed Published orders do not move. Country results change only where nothing serves the country: in India bill pay keeps Bitcoin Well first and now shows Strike second, as published; 35 such runs across all categories and countries now match the published list exactly.
- 10 October 2026
2026.10.6A criterion you require re-scores the rows that meet it · platform-wide- changed The explorer sends each criterion you require, at any band, as fit_required with your other answers; region, licence, chain and fact filters stay filters. On /best, a required criterion joins For you as a marked preference does, which needs your country; Overall stays the published ranking, filtered.
- added Every published criterion has a golden case as the explorer sends it (require:<criterion>), so the order a requirement gives is replayed and gated as the published order is, and a change to it needs an entry here.
Methodology 2026.10.18, the same published run every visitor sees · receipt restaking:kelp-dao:2026.10.18:40c0e4edee69
Are you Kelp DAO (rsETH)? Reply to this verdict, or send evidence, ask for a correction or claim the listing. Every message gets a public ticket number; none of it changes a rank unless a public page or a signed statement supports it.