Uniswap
est. 2018
The largest decentralised exchange — the foundational swap layer of Ethereum DeFi.
DeFi
dexethereum
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10 curated resources · 2026 directory
DeFi · compared & reviewed
Decentralised finance runs on smart contracts instead of companies: swap on DEX aggregators, lend and borrow in money markets, stake with liquid protocols. More power and better rates — plus smart-contract risk to manage.
Quick picks — Where do I start with DeFi?
| Resource | Best for | Est. | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uniswap ★ | Swapping tokens without handing keys to anyone | 2018 | Visit |
| 1inch | Getting the best price on any swap | 2019 | Visit |
| Aave | Earning yield on idle assets or borrowing against holdings | 2017 | Visit |
| Curve | Stablecoin traders and sophisticated yield farmers | 2020 | Visit |
| dYdX | Leverage traders who refuse to trust a custodian | 2017 | Visit |
| Jupiter | Solana traders who want one trading surface for everything | 2021 | Visit |
| Lido | ETH holders who want staking yield without lockups | 2020 | Visit |
| PancakeSwap | BNB Chain users who want the full DeFi playground | 2020 | Visit |
★ = Sumo Pick, our editors' recommendation for the most common use case.
Every defi we list
1inch
est. 2019
The DEX aggregator that routes your swap across hundreds of pools to find the best price.
DeFi
aggregatorbest-rates
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Aave
est. 2017
The largest lending protocol in DeFi — supply assets to earn, or borrow against them.
DeFi
lendingborrowing
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Curve
est. 2020
The liquidity backbone for stablecoins — minimal-slippage swaps and yield for liquidity providers.
DeFi
stablecoinsdeep-liquidity
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dYdX
est. 2017
The largest decentralised perpetuals exchange — CEX-grade trading from your own wallet.
DeFi
perpsderivatives
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Jupiter
est. 2021
Solana's everything-app: the best-price swap aggregator plus perps, DCA and limit orders.
DeFi
solanaaggregator
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Lido
est. 2020
The dominant liquid-staking protocol — stake ETH, keep it liquid as stETH.
DeFi
stakingethereum
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PancakeSwap
est. 2020
The dominant DEX of the BNB Chain ecosystem, with lottery, staking and yield features galore.
DeFi
dexbnb-chain
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Rocket Pool
est. 2016
The decentralised answer to Lido — permissionless liquid staking where anyone can run a node.
DeFi
stakingdecentralised
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Wormhole
est. 2021
The interoperability protocol connecting 30+ blockchains for transfers and cross-chain apps.
DeFi
bridgecross-chain
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Frequently asked questions
Is DeFi safe?
DeFi removes intermediaries but adds smart-contract risk — the code itself can be exploited. Sticking to large, long-audited protocols, capping token approvals and using a simulating wallet removes most real-world losses. Start tiny and read our DeFi safety guide.
What are token approvals?
Permissions you grant dapps to spend your tokens. They can be unlimited and never expire, which makes them an attack surface. Review and revoke them quarterly with Revoke.cash.
Don't be the next headline
90% of crypto losses are avoidable.
Scams, phishing and sloppy approvals take more money than every hack combined. The fix is a checklist — and we wrote it for you. Free, no email required.