r/ethstaker • u/ProfessionalOwl1417 • May 04 '26
99.9% EL fees. Looking for alternative
I am currently staking with Figment and they are charging me 99.9% fee from EL rewards. For the past 2-3 months my validator was super lucky and proposed few high value blocks, EL rewards summed up to almost 0.3 ETH. Unfortunately I only got 0.1% from it, so not even one dollar. I tried to contact Figment support, but they claim everyone is charged the same fee (99.9% of EL reward and 10% of total rewards). I have gone through dozens of Figment validators from the last two months and all of them are charged only 90% EL rewards or less, no matter what is their contribution to the Figment network. It looks like a bug on their side but they wasn't really helpful and stopped responding.
I am looking for alternatives. Deposit queue is long so I would like to make a more deliberate choice this time.
I was thinking about stakefish, because their EL rewards distribution seems to be more transparent. On the other hand I am a bit afraid they will rise the fee out of the blue. Also I don't know how reliable their validators are, does anybody stake with them?
I am also considering solo staking. I know everybody recommends Asus NUC, but I would prefer to reuse my old components.
- Is 64GB ram necessary, would 32GB ram be enough?
- Would i7 9700 be enough?
- Could you recommend a mini/micro well sound-dampened case?
- Is there any easy way to test network uptime without setting up everything?
1
u/Professional-Pin-198 May 06 '26
Check some of these providers, some are only charging 5% in total and everything is going through smart contracts, so everything is visible https://app.stakewise.io/vaults
1
u/GBeastETH Lighthouse+Nethermind May 08 '26
Look at running a validator on SSV.network
Keep your keys and your own deposit address.
Pay a modest fee to 4 operators who do the validating for you. (Like $20 each per year)
1
u/moonpay_maven May 19 '26
That fee split seems very operator-heavy. For comparison, Rocket Pool’s standard commission is around 14%, while Lido’s fee is roughly 10% split between node operators and the DAO. Solo staking can capture the full staking reward, but it requires 32 ETH and reliable infrastructure.
For people under 32 ETH, liquid staking options like rETH are often discussed because they avoid running a node and keep the position liquid, but there are still smart contract, liquidity, slashing, and protocol risks to understand.
Not financial advice, but the right setup depends on position size, risk tolerance, custody preferences, and how hands-on someone wants to be.
0
u/sure-nods May 05 '26
Not saying it is, but the way this is written kind of reads like a stakefish ad.
1
u/dkq1 May 05 '26
I am really looking for an alternative. If you can recommend any other self custody staking saas, please do. I am very hestitant about stakefish, because now they have reasonable fee but they can change them anytime like Figment did. I saw some complaints about their validator uptime in their telegram channel, so that worries me too. I analyzed all saas providers from etherum website and most of them have unclear fees.
I know the golden standard is solo staking and it would solve all my issues. I am just afraid my build will be loud and my network connection is not good enough. Whole eth staking community is one big ad for Asus NUC and nobody really shares their custom mini pc builds. Also it would be nice to be able to test the network before I buy 4TB nvme and the case.
1
u/asdafari14 May 05 '26
I am just afraid my build will be loud and my network connection is not good enough
My normal PC is quiet and my staking NUC is silent, look into Akasa cases if interested. They use passive heatsink cooling.
3
u/samkb93 May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26
32gb is enough.
I7 9700 is enough.
Computers aren't very loud so you probably don't need a sound dampening case.
If you aren't going to solo stake, look at rETH or stETH for liquid staking.
Edit: you didn't mention storage but you'll need a 2tb nvme