Staking ATOM is one of the simplest ways to take part in the Cosmos network: you delegate your tokens to a validator, help secure the chain and earn rewards in return. But the validator you choose affects both your income and the health of the network. In this guide we walk through the criteria that matter — from commission to uptime and voting power — so you can make an informed decision.
What a Validator Does
Validators run the nodes that propose and sign blocks on the Cosmos Hub. Only validators in the active set — a fixed number of the largest by stake — take part in consensus and earn rewards. Delegators lend their stake to a validator without giving up ownership of the tokens. Rewards are shared between the validator and its delegators after the validator’s commission.
Criterion 1: Commission
Commission is the percentage of rewards the validator keeps. Lower commission means more rewards for you, but very low or zero commission is not always a good sign: running secure infrastructure costs money, and a validator that earns nothing may cut corners or raise fees later. Cosmoscan recorded an average validator commission of about 11.9% on the Cosmos Hub in 2022.
Also check the maximum commission and the maximum daily change. These limits are set when a validator is created and protect delegators from sudden increases.
Criterion 2: Uptime and Reliability
A validator that misses too many blocks is “jailed”: it stops earning rewards and its delegators lose a small part of their stake. Look for validators with a long history of signing nearly every block. Our Validators section brings together performance metrics, voting power and historical data for this purpose.
Criterion 3: Slashing History
Slashing is the penalty for misbehaviour. On the Cosmos Hub, double-signing (signing two different blocks at the same height) leads to a 5% slash and permanent removal of the validator, while extended downtime results in a much smaller slash and temporary jailing. A validator that has been slashed in the past deserves extra scrutiny: ask what went wrong and how it was fixed.
| Event | Penalty for delegators | Validator status |
|---|---|---|
| Double-signing | 5% of stake | Permanently removed (“tombstoned”) |
| Downtime | 0.01% of stake | Jailed, can return after unjailing |
Criterion 4: Voting Power and Decentralisation
The network is only as resilient as its stake distribution. If a small group of validators controls more than one third of voting power, they could halt the chain; with two thirds they could finalise blocks without the rest. In 2022, the top 20 validators on the Hub held about 62.6% of voting power. Delegating to a validator outside the top of the list helps spread power more evenly, often without any loss of rewards.
Criterion 5: Governance Participation
When you delegate and do not vote yourself, your validator’s vote counts for your stake on governance proposals. A good validator votes on every proposal, explains its decisions publicly and respects the community’s direction. You can review voting outcomes in our Governance section, and learn how proposals work in Cosmos Governance Explained.
Criterion 6: Contribution to the Ecosystem
Many validators do more than run nodes: they maintain public infrastructure such as RPC endpoints, relayers and explorers, write tools or fund education. Supporting them keeps the ecosystem healthy.
A Simple Checklist
- Is the validator in the active set and has it been there for a long time?
- Is the commission reasonable, with sensible maximum limits?
- Does it have a clean record of uptime and no double-signing?
- Is it outside the group that concentrates most of the voting power?
- Does it vote on governance proposals and explain its votes?
- Can you find out who runs it and how to contact the team?
Practical Tips
- Split your stake. Delegating to two or three validators reduces the impact if one of them is slashed.
- Remember the unbonding period. Unstaking takes 21 days, but switching from one validator to another can be done instantly with a redelegation.
- Claim and restake. Rewards are not compounded automatically unless you use a tool or the validator offers auto-compounding.
- Protect your wallet. Staking is only as safe as your keys — see Essential Tips for Securing Your Cryptocurrency Assets.
“Delegating is not just an investment decision. It is a vote for how decentralised the network should be.”
Conclusion
The best validator is rarely the one with the lowest commission. Reliability, a clean slashing record, active governance participation and a healthy share of voting power matter just as much. Take a few minutes to compare candidates using public data, split your stake when it makes sense and review your choice from time to time. Your rewards — and the Cosmos Hub — will benefit.