1. Set Up a Solana Wallet
You need a Solana-compatible wallet to receive and stake your SOL. Popular options include:
Phantom
Solflare
Backpack
Important: These are non-custodial wallets. Only you control your funds. Keep your seed phrase safe, offline, and private. Never share it with anyone, even if they claim to be from Marinade or Solana.
For larger amounts, consider a hardware wallet like Ledger or Keystone for additional security.
A Coinbase exchange account is not one of these wallets. The Coinbase app or website where you buy and hold SOL cannot connect to Marinade. Only Coinbase Wallet, the separate self-custody extension and app, can. If you want to use Coinbase, install Coinbase Wallet and withdraw to it, exactly as you would to any wallet above.
2. Withdraw SOL from Coinbase
Once your wallet is ready:
Open your wallet and copy your SOL receive address.
On Coinbase, go to Send/Withdraw, paste the address, and choose the Solana network.
Confirm the transfer, then wait for it to finish and your SOL will appear in your wallet.
Check the network before you confirm. Coinbase can send SOL over more than one network. If you send on anything other than Solana, the funds will not arrive in your Solana wallet and Marinade cannot recover them. This is the one step in this guide where funds can actually be lost.
3. Stake with Marinade
After your SOL arrives in your wallet:
Go to app.marinade.finance
Click Connect Wallet
Choose your preferred staking method
Confirm the transaction in your wallet
Staking is only at app.marinade.finance. The marketing site at marinade.finance has no Connect Wallet button.
Visual walkthrough available here: Stake SOL with Marinade.
Staking Options in Marinade
A simple, set-it-and-forget-it option.
Your SOL is staked directly and rewards auto-compound in your wallet.
You do not receive an extra token.
Best if you want a passive experience.
You receive mSOL in return for staking.
mSOL continues earning rewards and can also be used across DeFi apps such as lending and liquidity pools.
Best if you want to explore Solana DeFi more actively.
The app also offers Earn on USDC, and Marinade Recipes, which pay your SOL staking rewards in a token of your choice. Both are on the Earn pages once your wallet is connected.
Your SOL is now staked and earning rewards with Marinade.
