DeFi Yield Aggregator
Free DeFi Yield Aggregator. Compare real-time APY across Aave, Compound, Lido, and 50+ protocols. Filter by chain, asset, and TVL to find the best yield.
DeFi yields are variable and not guaranteed. Smart contract risk, impermanent loss, and protocol-specific risks may reduce actual returns. DYOR.
How to use DeFi Yield Aggregator
The DeFi Yield Aggregator Calculator compares yield farming opportunities across major DeFi protocols — Aave, Compound, Curve, Yearn, Convex, Lido, and others — to find the highest risk-adjusted return for your capital. Enter the token you want to deploy, your deposit amount, and the tool displays current APY, TVL, protocol age, and audit status for every matching pool.
The calculator accounts for auto-compounding effects, which can turn a 12% base APR into 12.75% effective APY with daily compounding. It also estimates gas costs for deposit and withdrawal transactions so you can calculate the minimum holding period needed to break even on gas. For a $5,000 USDC deposit at 8% APY with $15 in gas costs, you need at least 14 days before the yield exceeds the entry fee.
Input guide and assumptions
The token selector covers major assets: ETH, WBTC, USDC, USDT, DAI, and popular LP tokens. Deposit amount in dollars determines which pools are practical — small deposits under $500 may lose most yield to gas fees on Ethereum mainnet. The chain filter lets you narrow results to specific networks (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, Base) where gas costs differ dramatically.
Risk tolerance slider filters pools by protocol audit status, TVL floor, and time since launch. Conservative mode shows only audited protocols with $100M+ TVL and 6+ months of operation. Aggressive mode includes newer protocols with higher yields but higher smart contract risk. The output table ranks results by net APY after estimated gas costs.
How to interpret results correctly
The yield aggregator calculator shows projected returns across multiple DeFi protocols after accounting for gas costs, protocol fees, and auto-compounding frequency. Compare the 'net APY' (after all fees) against simply holding the underlying asset — if net APY is under 5% for stablecoins or under 10% for volatile assets, the smart contract risk may not justify the yield. Always check whether displayed APY includes token rewards that may be illiquid or declining in value.
Pay close attention to the TVL trend of each protocol. A vault showing 25% APY but losing TVL rapidly is a red flag — either yields are actually lower than advertised, or informed participants are exiting due to risk concerns. Stable or growing TVL alongside consistent yields is the healthiest signal. Compare yield strategies against simpler approaches like <a href="/staking-calculator/">staking</a> which carries less smart contract risk.
Practical scenarios and planning workflow
Stablecoin yield optimization: you have $20,000 USDC and want the best risk-adjusted yield. Strategy A: Aave lending at 4.2% APY (low risk, battle-tested). Strategy B: Curve stablecoin pool at 7.5% APY (medium risk, impermanent loss possible). Strategy C: New protocol offering 25% APY (high risk, unaudited). The calculator shows Strategy B nets $1,500/year versus $840 from A and $5,000 from C — but C's smart contract risk makes the expected value negative when adjusted for 5–10% probability of total loss.
Auto-compounding comparison: manually compounding a 12% APR position weekly gives 12.7% APY. An aggregator auto-compounds daily, achieving 12.75% APY, but charges 0.5% of harvested yield. Net APY: 12.69% — nearly identical to manual weekly compounding. For positions under $5,000, the gas savings of auto-compounding outweigh the fee. For positions over $50,000, manual compounding saves significant fees.
Risk and execution checklist
- Before depositing into a yield aggregator: 1) Verify the aggregator contract is audited by a reputable firm (Trail of Bits, OpenZeppelin, Certik). 2) Check the aggregator's track record — at least 6 months live with no exploits. 3) Understand exactly which underlying protocols your funds are deposited into. 4) Calculate break-even time: how long until yield earned exceeds gas costs of deposit + eventual withdrawal.
- After calculating projected yields: compare gas costs for entry and exit. A $1,000 position in a Yearn vault on Ethereum mainnet costs ~$20–$50 in gas to enter and exit. At 10% APY, that is $100/year yield minus $40 gas = $60 net — a 6% real return. The same strategy on Arbitrum costs $1–$3 gas, netting $97–$99. Always factor <a href="/gas-calculator/">gas costs</a> into your yield calculation.
Common mistakes to avoid
- The most dangerous mistake is chasing the highest APY without understanding the source of yield. Legitimate yield comes from: lending interest, trading fees, protocol incentives. If you cannot identify which of these generates the APY, you may be the yield — meaning your capital is being paid out as 'returns' to earlier depositors in a Ponzi-like structure. If APY exceeds 100% with no clear revenue source, avoid it.
- Another common error is ignoring impermanent loss in LP-based aggregator vaults. A vault showing 30% APY on an ETH/USDC LP may actually deliver 15% after impermanent loss in a trending market. The aggregator APY display often excludes IL, making returns appear higher than reality. Calculate expected IL for your specific pair before committing.
Performance benchmarks and expectation ranges
Sustainable yield benchmarks by risk tier: low risk (Aave/Compound lending) 2–6% for stablecoins, 1–4% for ETH/BTC. Medium risk (Curve/Convex pools) 5–15% for stablecoins, 8–20% for volatile pairs. High risk (new protocols, leveraged strategies) 15–50%+ but with proportional smart contract and liquidation risk. Any yield consistently above these ranges requires scrutiny.
Aggregator fee benchmarks: Yearn charges 2% management + 20% performance fee. Beefy charges 0.5–4.5% of harvested yield. Convex charges 16% of CRV rewards. These fees are deducted before displayed APY on some platforms but not others — always verify whether APY is gross or net of fees.
Execution templates you can reuse
Yield farming workflow: 1) Identify target protocol and vault. 2) Calculate net APY after all fees and gas. 3) Determine minimum deposit for the yield to exceed costs within 30 days. 4) Approve token spending (separate gas tx). 5) Deposit into vault. 6) Set a 30-day reminder to check that actual yield matches projected yield. 7) Plan exit: know the withdrawal process and associated gas costs.
For multi-protocol strategies, use a yield dashboard (DefiLlama, Zapper) to monitor all positions in one view. Track total yield earned across all vaults weekly and compare against the projected yield from this calculator. If actual yield falls below 70% of projected for 2+ weeks, investigate the cause and consider reallocation.
Data hygiene and model maintenance
Monitor vault health weekly. Check: underlying protocol TVL (declining = risk), token reward prices (declining = lower real APY), smart contract upgrade events (new code = new risk), and competitor yields (if others offer 2x for the same strategy, investigate why your vault is lower).
Diversify across at least 3 protocols and 2 chains to reduce smart contract risk concentration. A 50% loss from one protocol exploit on 20% of your portfolio is a 10% total portfolio impact — survivable. The same exploit on 100% of your portfolio is catastrophic. Never put all yield-farming capital in a single vault.
Final validation before capital deployment
After 30 days, compare actual deposited value plus earned yield against what the calculator projected. If actual is within 80–120% of projected, the model is accurate for ongoing use. If actual is below 60% of projected, the input assumptions (APY stability, fee accuracy, gas costs) need recalibration.
Validate that displayed APY matches on-chain reality by checking the vault's recent transaction history on a block explorer. Calculate the actual yield from the last 7 days of harvest transactions and annualize it. If this on-chain APY differs from the displayed APY by more than 30%, the display is misleading.
Authoritative sources
Frequently asked questions
What is a DeFi yield aggregator?
A DeFi yield aggregator auto-routes deposits to the highest-yielding strategies and auto-compounds rewards. Examples: Yearn Finance (vaults across Curve/Compound/Aave), Convex (Curve LP boosting), Beefy Finance (multi-chain auto-compounder). Typical APYs: 4–25% on stables, 8–60% on volatile pairs.
Yearn vs Convex vs Beefy — what is the difference?
Yearn: deepest strategy library, focus on Ethereum mainnet, 20% performance fee. Convex: specialized in Curve LP boosting (typically +50% APY vs raw Curve), 17% performance fee. Beefy: multi-chain (BSC, Polygon, Arbitrum), simple UX, 4.5% performance fee.
How do aggregators boost yield?
Auto-compounding: rewards are harvested daily/weekly and reinvested, turning 10% APR into 10.5% APY. Strategy switching: capital moves between protocols as APYs change. Boosting: locking governance tokens (veCRV, veCVX) to multiply LP rewards 1.5–2.5×. Gas pooling: thousands of users share one harvest tx.
What are the risks of yield aggregators?
Smart contract risk (Yearn lost $11M to a vault exploit in 2021; Beefy had $2M Bunny exploit). Strategy risk (underlying protocol gets exploited). Token-reward dump risk (CRV/CVX/BEEFY price drops while you earn them). Always check insurance options (Nexus Mutual) and cap exposure at 5–15% per protocol.
Are aggregator APYs sustainable?
Stablecoin yields of 4–8% are typically sustainable from real fees + lending demand. Anything above 15% on stables usually requires governance token emissions that decay. Backtests show "20%+ APY pools" typically deliver only 8–12% effective return after token sell-off and fees.
Auto-compounding vs manual claim — which is better?
For positions <$5k: auto-compound wins because manual gas costs ($5–20 per claim) eat 5–10% of monthly rewards. For positions >$20k: manual can be optimal if you compound during low-gas windows. Aggregators charge 4–20% performance fee, so net benefit needs to exceed that.
Related calculators
← ← All DeFi & Yield calculators