KTON vs Stakee: TON Liquid Staking Compared

KTON and Stakee are both liquid staking options on TON. You stake the network asset and receive a liquid token that earns rewards while staying usable. Here is a fair, side-by-side look at how they differ, and where to verify the details yourself.

Updated June 2026 · By KTON

The short answer

Both KTON and Stakee let you stake on TON and receive a liquid staking token (LST), a transferable token that represents your staked position and accrues rewards, so your capital is not frozen. The differences come down to how each protocol is built, audited, and operated, and how you exit your position.

• KTON is an institutional-grade liquid staking protocol built on a TON staking lineage dating to 2022. The team has run public TON staking pools since 2022 (starting with TonStake), and the KTON V2 protocol launched in 2025. It issues the KTON token, is the first publicly-audited TonCore LST V2, is audited by TonBit, ships fully open-source contracts, and monitors validators 24/7.
• Stakee is a TON staking app that issues a receipt token it calls STAKED. Per its own site, Stakee runs on the official TON Foundation liquid staking contract and states the contract was audited by CertiK. Stakee emphasizes a simple flow and fast withdrawals.

Both keep your funds in smart contracts rather than a third party, and both hand you a value-accruing LST you hold in your own wallet. The right choice depends on which audit, code, and operational guarantees you trust, and on how you plan to exit.

How each one works

KTON

You stake Gram (TON’s native asset, rebranded from Toncoin) and instantly receive KTON, a liquid staking token that auto-compounds rewards. The protocol handles validator participation and the staking cycle for you. KTON does not charge a separate deposit or withdrawal fee beyond the usual TON network gas, but the protocol takes a 16% governance fee on staking rewards (a commission on the yield, not on your principal); the APY shown is already net of it. The minimum stake is 1 Gram. You can stake from most TON wallets: any wallet that supports TON Connect can connect, including Tonkeeper, MyTonWallet, Wallet in Telegram, and OKX. Read the full walkthrough in TON liquid staking explained.

Stakee

Stakee describes a similar flow. You connect a wallet through stakee.org or its Telegram bot (@StakeeBot), stake TON, and receive STAKED tokens. Stakee describes STAKED as a receipt that is fully backed by the coins you staked, with a value equal to the TON you contributed that grows as rewards accrue (a non-rebase, value-accruing model). Stakee recommends MyTonWallet for users who do not yet have a TON wallet. When you withdraw, Stakee says the STAKED receipt is burned and your TON plus rewards return to your wallet. For its current minimum, wallet list, and any fees, check stakee.org directly.

Side-by-side comparison

This table summarizes publicly stated positioning. Details can change, so verify on each site before relying on any row.

What to compare	KTON	Stakee
Network	TON	TON
Staked asset	Gram	TON / Toncoin
Liquid token you receive	KTON	STAKED
Token model	Value-accruing LST, auto-compounding	Value-accruing receipt (non-rebase), per Stakee
Audit	TonBit (report public)	CertiK, per Stakee
Contract base	First publicly-audited TonCore LST V2	Official TON Foundation contract, per Stakee
Open source	Yes, contracts on GitHub	Links to the TON Foundation contract repo; verify on stakee.org
Wallet support	Any TON Connect wallet (Tonkeeper, MyTonWallet, Wallet in Telegram, OKX, and more)	TON wallet via web or Telegram bot; recommends MyTonWallet
Exit path	Unstake to Gram (NFT receipt minted then burned automatically, Gram released once the current round finalizes, up to about 36 hours / one validation round); full-stake model, no instant unstake. Thin STON.fi pair as emergency hatch only	Unstake to TON; Stakee advertises fast withdrawals. Verify timing on stakee.org
Fees	16% governance fee on staking rewards (APY shown is net of it); no separate deposit/withdrawal fee beyond network gas	Advertises low/minimum commission; verify on stakee.org
Track record	Team has run public TON staking pools since 2022 (started with TonStake); KTON V2 launched 2025	Verify on stakee.org

Where a cell says “verify on stakee.org,” we are deliberately not restating a number or claim we cannot independently confirm here. Always read the source.

Audits and verifiability

Liquid staking adds smart-contract risk on top of normal staking risk, so audits and open code matter. This is the clearest area to do your own homework.

• KTON: contracts are audited by TonBit, a primary security assurance provider in the TON ecosystem, and KTON is the first TonCore LST V2 audited for institutional-grade safety. The contracts are open-source and verifiable, and you can read the full audit report, browse the code on GitHub, or review how the protocol approaches security and audits in the docs.
• Stakee: Stakee states it uses the official TON Foundation (TON Core) liquid staking contract and that the contract was audited by CertiK. To confirm the audit scope, recency, and exactly which deployed contracts it covers, find the audit and source links on stakee.org and read them directly.

For a framework on evaluating either one, see is liquid staking safe?

Liquidity and DeFi usability

An LST is only as useful as your ability to move it. It is worth being precise here rather than overstating what either token can do.

• KTON is a genuinely liquid staking token: you receive KTON the moment you stake, it stays transferable, and it keeps earning the whole time you hold it. The recommended way to exit is to unstake through the protocol and receive your Gram back after the validation cycle (see Fees and unstaking below). A KTON/Gram pair also exists on STON.fi, a TON DEX, as an emergency option if you genuinely cannot wait for the unstake cycle. Its on-chain liquidity is limited, so it suits only small amounts and is not the recommended way to exit. That STON.fi pair is also KTON’s only DeFi venue: we do not claim KTON is used for lending, yield farming, or collateral.
• Stakee states that STAKED “can be used like regular TON coins,” such as sending it to others or exchanging it on a DEX. Stakee’s materials do not promote lending, farming, or collateral use either. For both tokens, real on-chain liquidity depends on the depth of their respective DEX pools at the time you trade, so check current pool liquidity before assuming you can exit a large position at par.

Fees and unstaking

With KTON, there is no separate deposit or withdrawal fee beyond the usual TON network gas, but the protocol takes a 16% governance fee on staking rewards (a commission on the yield, not on your principal); the APY shown is already net of it. The minimum stake is 1 Gram. When you stake, your wallet attaches about 1.15 Gram of gas to cover transaction costs and refunds any unused portion, so you want about 2.15 Gram in your wallet to stake. The recommended way to get your Gram back is to unstake through the protocol: you return KTON, the protocol mints an NFT payout receipt that is then burned automatically to release your Gram once the current validation round finalizes. A round lasts about 36 hours (one cycle), so the wait can be up to roughly one full round; it can be faster if you unstake near the end of a round.

KTON keeps essentially all staked Gram working with validators rather than reserving an idle buffer for instant withdrawals. That is deliberate: full deployment means more of your Gram is earning instead of sitting idle as withdrawal float, which is how KTON pursues the highest possible staking yield and the best capital efficiency. The trade-off is that unstaking is not instant; there is no instant-unstake, and you wait out the cycle (up to about 36 hours, one validation round). If you genuinely cannot wait, a KTON/Gram pair exists on STON.fi, a TON DEX, as an emergency option, but its on-chain liquidity is limited, so it suits only small amounts and is not the recommended way to exit.

Stakee advertises a low or minimum commission but does not publish a specific percentage on its homepage, so confirm the exact fee on stakee.org. Stakee also markets fast withdrawals, describing unstaking as returning your TON within minutes. Because unstaking timing on TON is ultimately tied to validation cycles and to a protocol’s available liquidity buffer, treat any “instant” claim as something to verify for the size you intend to withdraw.

How to choose

There is no single “best” LST. The right pick depends on what you weight most:

• Want maximum transparency? Favor the option with public, current audits and open-source code you can read. KTON publishes its TonBit audit and its own contracts openly.
• Care about fee drag? Compare the all-in cost. KTON takes a 16% governance fee on staking rewards (the APY you see is already net of it) and charges no separate deposit or withdrawal fee beyond network gas. Check Stakee’s site for its current commission, and compare the net yield each one actually pays you rather than headline rates.
• Need instant exits, or maximum yield? This is a genuine trade-off. Stakee promotes fast withdrawals, which a protocol can offer by holding back a liquidity buffer for instant unstakes; if instant exits matter most to you, a buffered protocol may fit (test it at your intended size). KTON deliberately stakes essentially all deposited Gram with validators rather than parking an idle buffer, so more of your capital is earning and KTON can pursue the highest staking yield. The cost is that you wait out the unstake cycle (up to about 36 hours, one validation round), with the thin STON.fi pair only as an emergency hatch. If you value capital efficiency and can wait, KTON’s full-stake model fits.
• Use a specific wallet? KTON works with any TON Connect wallet, which covers most popular TON wallets. Confirm your wallet is supported on whichever app you choose.

Whichever you pick, only stake what you understand, and read each project’s own audit and documentation first.

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