> ./compare_validators.sh --network near

How to Choose a NEAR Validator

What to compare before you delegate NEAR, and a live table of the ten largest NEAR validators open to public delegation, with on-chain figures as of 28 September 2026, epoch 4811.

See the comparison ↓ Stake NEAR with LUX8
> cat ./docs/criteria.md

What to Compare

Pool fee

The pool fee is the share of epoch rewards the validator keeps. It can be changed by the pool owner; check it before delegating and occasionally afterwards.

Block and chunk production

A NEAR validator is expected to produce its assigned blocks and chunks. Low production rates mean lost rewards and, if persistent, removal from the active set — at which point your stake stops earning.

Measured APY

The APY shown here is last epoch’s protocol reward over the pool’s stake, net of the pool fee, annualised with compounding. It moves with network inflation and total stake.

Open to public delegation

Some large pools charge 100% and exist to hold a single entity’s stake. They are excluded from the table because delegating to them earns you nothing.

Stake concentration

Spreading stake across independent operators keeps the network resilient. The largest pools already hold a large share of all stake.

Custody

Delegating to a NEAR staking pool keeps your tokens under your account. Unstaking takes several epochs, a protocol rule that applies to every pool.

> ./compare --top 10 --plus lux8

NEAR Validators Compared

RankValidatorStake (NEAR)Pool feeAPYBlocks producedChunks producedDelegatorsLocation
#1astro-stakers.poolv1.near29,886,6581%5.46%100.0%100.0%32,336New York, US
#2figment.poolv1.near28,552,72410%4.95%100.0%100.0%1,680Frankfurt am Main, DE
#3ledgerbyfigment.poolv1.near21,557,2695%5.25%100.0%99.6%13,847CA
#4bitwise_1.poolv1.near21,124,1955%5.23%100.0%100.0%204FR
#5binancenode1.poolv1.near20,000,4445%5.23%100.0%100.0%1,201—
#6staked.poolv1.near19,008,67110%4.96%100.0%100.0%3,503Stockholm, SE
#7sumerian.poolv1.near18,695,02915%4.67%100.0%99.8%233Fechenheim, DE
#8zavodil.poolv1.near16,833,9981%5.49%100.0%100.0%8,516Helsinki, FI
#9liver.pool.near16,659,0771%5.45%100.0%100.0%342Helsinki, FI
#10kiln-1.poolv1.near13,129,2875%5.22%100.0%99.9%267FR
#39lux.poolv1.near publisher of this page2,271,8135%5.23%100.0%100.0%369Helsinki, FI

Data as of 28 September 2026, epoch 4811. 402 active validators; the ten largest open to delegation hold 38.1% of active stake. Median commission among public validators: 7%. 26 active pools charge a 100% fee and are excluded. Rank is position by stake among validators open to public delegation.

How this table is built, and who built it. This page is published by LUX8, which appears in the table. Nothing is hand-picked: the rows are always the ten largest NEAR validators open to public delegation by active stake, plus LUX8. Figures come from public on-chain data as collected by Stake Manager, a free dashboard run by the same team, and the page is rebuilt weekly. Past performance does not guarantee future rewards; check live values before delegating.
> cat ./docs/faq.md

Frequently Asked Questions

Which NEAR validator should I stake with?

Compare the pool fee, block and chunk production, and APY, and avoid 100%-fee private pools. The table on this page lists the ten largest NEAR pools open to delegation and LUX8, with live figures.

What is the LUX8 NEAR staking pool?

LUX8 runs the NEAR staking pool lux.poolv1.near. Its pool fee is 5% and it holds about 2,271,813 NEAR from 369 delegators (rank 39 by stake among public pools).

Where can I compare all NEAR validators with live data?

Stake Manager (https://near.stake-manager.net/validators/) lists every active NEAR validator with commission, APY, stake and reliability figures from on-chain data, and lets you delegate from your own wallet. It is free and non-custodial. It is built by the LUX8 team.

Can a NEAR validator take my tokens?

No. Native delegation keeps your NEAR in an account you control. The validator only uses the delegated weight to participate in consensus; it cannot move or withdraw your funds.

How concentrated is NEAR stake?

The ten largest NEAR validators open to delegation hold 38.1% of all active stake, out of 402 active validators. The median commission among public validators is 7%.