Uniswap v3 pools charge fixed fee tiers of 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.30% or 1%, and on Ethereum mainnet you also pay gas: a plain ETH transfer alone uses 21,000 gas and a swap uses more. That makes small trades costly on mainnet, so this list picks one Ethereum protocol per job and states its own fee.
Quick answer
Uniswap is the best DeFi app on Ethereum for swaps, Aave for lending and Lido for staking ETH. Add Curve for stablecoin swaps and CoW Swap to cap price impact on large orders.
- 01Uniswap: best for swaps
- 02Aave: best for lending
- 03Lido: best for staking ETH
- 04Curve Finance: best for stablecoins
- 05CoW Swap: best for large swaps
The 10 best ethereum defi apps
Uniswap runs automated market maker pools on Ethereum. v2 pools charge 0.3%, and v3 pools use fixed tiers of 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.30% and 1%. v4-core is public on GitHub.
- Chains
- Ethereum, L2s and other L1s
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, API
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Fees
- v2 0.3%; v3 tiers 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.30%, 1%
- Token
- UNI
Pros
- v3 fee tiers as low as 0.01% and 0.05%
- Pool contracts are public on GitHub
- UNIfication plan to burn 100 million UNI from the treasury
Cons
- v2 LP fee of 0.3% on every swap
- Protocol fees, once on, take 1/4 of LP fees on 0.01% and 0.05% v3 pools
- Ethereum mainnet gas adds cost to small swaps
Skip it if you trade small amounts: mainnet gas can exceed the pool fee.
Aave is a non-custodial lending protocol with 65 audits and AI-assisted reviews listed and a $5M+ bug bounty. Its flash loan fee was set at 0.05% at deployment.
- Chains
- Ethereum and other EVM networks
- Platforms
- Web
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Fees
- Flash loan fee 0.05% at deployment, changeable by governance
- Security audits
- 65 audits and AI-assisted reviews; $5M+ bug bounty
Pros
- Security page lists 65 audits and AI-assisted reviews
- Bug bounty rewards of $5M+ listed on its security page
- Flash loans for developers, with a 0.05% fee at deployment
Cons
- Positions are liquidated when the Health Factor falls below 1
- Borrow rates rise faster above the optimal utilization point
- Flash loan fee can be changed by governance vote
Skip it if you cannot watch your loan: positions are liquidated when the Health Factor falls below 1.
Lido turns staked ETH into stETH and takes 10% of staking rewards. Its audits page lists 99 reports for Lido on Ethereum.
- Chains
- Ethereum
- Platforms
- Web
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Fees
- 10% of staking rewards
- Security audits
- 99 reports for Lido on Ethereum
Pros
- Rewards start accruing within 24 hours of deposit
- 99 audit reports listed for Lido on Ethereum
- stETH is widely accepted as collateral in DeFi
Cons
- 10% fee on staking rewards
- Lido Earn vaults are not open to US residents or citizens
- Fee can be changed by a DAO vote
Skip it if you want Lido Earn vaults: they are not open to US residents or citizens.
Curve's Stableswap pools charge 0.005% to 0.02% per trade, among the lowest pool fees on Ethereum. Audits include Trail of Bits, MixBytes and ChainSecurity.
- Chains
- Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains
- Platforms
- Web, API
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Fees
- Stableswap 0.005% to 0.02%; Cryptoswap about 0.05% to 0.4%
- Security audits
- Trail of Bits, MixBytes, Quantstamp, ChainSecurity, StateMind
Pros
- Most Stableswap pools charge 0.005% to 0.02%
- Audits by Trail of Bits, MixBytes, Quantstamp and ChainSecurity
- Dynamic fees raise the fee on swaps that unbalance a pool
Cons
- Cryptoswap pool fees can reach about 0.4%
- Some pool types are not supported on sidechains or Layer 2 networks
- Pool-by-pool fees make costs harder to compare
Skip it if you trade volatile pairs: Cryptoswap pools can reach about 0.4%.
CoW Swap lets solvers compete to settle signed orders on Ethereum. It charges 0.02% of volume plus 50% of quote improvement, capped at 0.98%.
- Chains
- Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Gnosis, Polygon, BNB, Avalanche, Optimism, Linea, Ink, Plasma
- Platforms
- Web, API
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Fees
- 0.02% volume fee (0.003% for correlated assets) plus 50% of quote improvement, capped at 0.98%
- Chains
- Ethereum, Arbitrum One, Avalanche, Base, BNB, Gnosis, Ink, Linea, Optimism, Plasma, Polygon
Pros
- 0.003% volume fee on stablecoin and other correlated pairs
- Fees are taken inside execution, no separate transfer
- Core contracts deployed at the same address on 11 mainnets
Cons
- Takes 50% of quote improvement on swaps, up to 0.98% of volume
- No audit list on the core contracts docs page
- Partner integrations can add their own fees
Skip it if you want a fixed fee: the surplus share changes per trade.
Morpho runs isolated lending markets and vaults on Ethereum, audited by Spearbit, ChainSecurity, Zellic and others. In Vaults V2, curators set a performance fee capped at 50% of interest.
- Chains
- Ethereum, Base and other EVM networks
- Platforms
- Web, SDK
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Security audits
- Spearbit, ChainSecurity, Zellic, Blackthorn, Certora and others
- Fees
- Vault performance fee set by curator, capped at 50% of interest (Vaults V2)
Pros
- Long public audit list, with Spearbit, ChainSecurity and Zellic reviews in 2025 and 2026
- Isolated markets keep one market's bad debt away from others
- Formal verification with Certora
Cons
- Vault curators can charge a performance fee of up to 50% of interest
- Vault risk depends on the curator you pick
- More choices to compare than a single-pool protocol
Skip it if you do not want to pick a curator: vault risk depends on them.
Spark, powered by Sky, lists Ethereum first among its networks. SparkLend is based on the Aave v3 codebase, and Spark Savings pays a rate on USDS and USDC.
- Chains
- Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Unichain, Avalanche and others
- Platforms
- Web
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Chains
- Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Unichain, Avalanche, Robinhood, X Layer; Gnosis deprecated
- Security audits
- Aave v3 codebase audits plus Spark-specific core audits
Pros
- Savings product for USDS and USDC alongside borrowing
- Built on the Aave v3 codebase, with added Spark-specific audits
- Swaps between USDS, USDC and DAI in the app
Cons
- SparkLend on Gnosis Chain was deprecated and its markets frozen
- Tied to the Sky (formerly Maker) ecosystem and its stablecoins
- Flash loan fees are governance-set rather than fixed
Skip it if you want to avoid the Sky (formerly Maker) stablecoin ecosystem.
Pendle splits yield-bearing tokens into PT, which lock a fixed yield, and YT. It charges 5% of yield accrued by YT plus swap fees, and runs on Ethereum among other chains.
- Chains
- Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain and other EVM networks
- Platforms
- Web, API
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Fees
- 5% of yield accrued by YT, plus swap fees
- Chains
- Ethereum, Optimism, BNB Chain, Sonic, HyperEVM, Mantle, Base, Arbitrum, Berachain, Monad and others
Pros
- PTs lock a fixed yield until maturity
- Deployed on more than ten EVM networks
- 20% of swap fees go to liquidity providers
Cons
- 5% fee on all yield and points accrued by YT
- YT can lose most of its value if yields fall
- PT and YT concepts take time to learn
Skip it if you are new to DeFi: YT can lose most of its value if yields fall.
EigenLayer's core contracts run on Ethereum and accept native ETH, LSTs and EIGEN. Audits include Sigma Prime, Certora and ConsenSys Diligence.
- Chains
- Ethereum (Base as multichain destination)
- Platforms
- Web
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Security audits
- Sigma Prime, Certora, Cantina, ConsenSys Diligence
- Open source
- Yes, contracts on GitHub
Pros
- Public contract repo with audit reports from 2023 to 2026
- Accepts native ETH, LSTs, EIGEN and ERC-20s
- Core protocol live on Ethereum mainnet
Cons
- Restaked assets can be slashed
- EIGEN emissions to the ETH quorum have ended
- Core protocol not deployed on Base, only multichain destination contracts
Skip it if you cannot accept slashing risk on restaked assets.
Compound III's first market launched on Ethereum with USDC as the base asset. It has been audited by OpenZeppelin and ChainSecurity.
- Chains
- Ethereum and other EVM networks
- Platforms
- Web
- Custody
- Non-custodial
- Security audits
- OpenZeppelin, ChainSecurity
- Token
- COMP (governance)
Pros
- Audited by OpenZeppelin and ChainSecurity
- One base asset per market keeps each market simple to read
- COMP holders govern parameters and the pause guardian
Cons
- Each Compound III market lends only its single base asset
- Pause guardian can halt supply, transfer and withdraw
- Fewer assets to borrow than multi-asset pools
Skip it if you want many borrowable assets: each market lends one base asset.
Not on this list
Ethena: Its terms prohibit US persons, so we left it out of a list for US users.
Ethereum DeFi Apps compared
Select a name to jump to its review.
| Name | Best for | Fees | Chains | Custody | Token |
|---|
| Uniswap | Token swaps on Ethereum | v2 0.3%; v3 tiers 0.01%, 0.05%, 0.30%, 1% | Ethereum, L2s and other L1s | Non-custodial | UNI |
|---|
| Aave | Supply and borrow | Flash loan fee 0.05% at deployment, changeable by governance | Ethereum and other EVM networks | Non-custodial | AAVE; GHO stablecoin |
|---|
| Lido | Liquid ETH staking | 10% of staking rewards | Ethereum | Non-custodial | Not verified |
|---|
| Curve Finance | Stablecoin swaps | Stableswap 0.005% to 0.02%; Cryptoswap about 0.05% to 0.4% | Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains | Non-custodial | Not verified |
|---|
| CoW Swap | Solver-routed orders | 0.02% volume fee (0.003% for correlated assets) plus 50% of quote improvement, capped at 0.98% | Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Gnosis, Polygon, BNB, Avalanche, Optimism, Linea, Ink, Plasma | Non-custodial | COW (governance), 1 billion issued at launch |
|---|
| Morpho | Vault lending | Vault performance fee set by curator, capped at 50% of interest (Vaults V2) | Ethereum, Base and other EVM networks | Non-custodial | Not verified |
|---|
| Spark | Sky ecosystem savings | Not verified | Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Unichain, Avalanche and others | Non-custodial | Not verified |
|---|
| Pendle | Fixed or traded yield | 5% of yield accrued by YT, plus swap fees | Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain and other EVM networks | Non-custodial | PENDLE |
|---|
| EigenLayer | Restaking ETH and LSTs | Not verified | Ethereum (Base as multichain destination) | Non-custodial | EIGEN |
|---|
| Compound | USDC borrowing | Not verified | Ethereum and other EVM networks | Non-custodial | COMP (governance) |
|---|
“Not verified” means we could not confirm the value on the project’s own pages.
How we rank ethereum defi apps
- 01Live on Ethereum: mainnet deployment confirmed on the protocol's card.
- 02Published fee: the protocol's own fee, from its docs.
- 03Audits: audit firms or reports listed by the protocol.
- 04US access: restrictions stated in the protocol's own terms.
- 05One job each: one pick per use: swaps, lending, staking, yield.
No project paid to be listed or ranked. Full rules: methodology.
How to choose
Count gas first
On Ethereum mainnet the fee is gas used times base fee plus tip. On a small swap, gas can cost more than the pool fee, so batch actions or trade larger sizes.
Check approvals
Swaps and deposits ask for token approvals. Revoke ones you no longer use.
Know liquidation rules
On Aave a loan is liquidated when the Health Factor drops below 1. Keep a buffer.
Read US terms
Lido Earn vaults and Ethena exclude US persons; check each protocol's terms.
Who should skip all of these
- Cheap small trades: layer 2 networks cost less than Ethereum mainnet.
- Anyone who wants a custodial account: these protocols need a self-custody wallet.
Bottom line
Use Uniswap for swaps, Aave for loans and Lido for staking; add Curve for stablecoins.
On mainnet, gas decides whether a small action is worth it, so size trades accordingly.
Educational content, not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile; do your own research.
FAQ
What is the best DeFi app on Ethereum?
±
It depends on the job: Uniswap for swaps, Aave for lending, Lido for staking ETH.
What does Lido charge?
±
10% of staking rewards, split between node operators and the DAO treasury.
Which Ethereum DEX is cheapest for stablecoins?
±
Curve: most Stableswap pools charge 0.005% to 0.02% per trade.
Why are Ethereum DeFi fees high?
±
You pay gas on top of protocol fees. A plain ETH transfer uses 21,000 gas; swaps and loans use more.
Can US users use these apps?
±
The terms on these protocols' cards do not bar US users, but Lido Earn vaults exclude US residents, and Ethena is left out because it bars US persons.
What changed in this list
2026-09-26First version: 10 picks, each confirmed as usable on the chain from its card or its own page.