# CardanoPools.com

> CardanoPools.com is an independent, ad-free directory of every registered Cardano stake pool (2887 pools, epoch 663), updated daily from the blockchain. It helps ADA holders choose a stake pool by expected return, fees, pledge, saturation, age and whether the pool is a single independent operator.

## Key facts
- Data: pool settings and stake from our own Cardano relay node; delegators, blocks, groups and governance votes from the public Koios API; pool info files checked against their on-chain hash. Refreshed once a day.
- Expected return is the yearly return a delegator can expect with average luck after the pool's fees. Best possible right now: 2.11% a year. Small pools earn less because the fixed fee (minimum 170 ADA per epoch) takes a bigger share of each block's reward.
- Saturation point: about 77,902,154 ADA (k = 500). Above it, rewards per ADA drop.
- 1902 of the pools are single pools (not part of a group). 820 pools have voted on Cardano governance.
- Featured pools are hand-picked and clearly labelled; they never change the order of the main list. No ads, no paid rankings, no tracking.
- Delegating on Cardano does not move or lock your ADA; you can switch pools any time. First rewards arrive after about 15 to 20 days.

## Main pages
- [Pool list with filters](https://cardanopools.com/) ([Markdown](https://cardanopools.com/index.md)): search and filter by return, margin, fees, stake, saturation, pledge, age and blocks.
- [All pools A to Z](https://cardanopools.com/pool/): one page per pool, each also available as index.md (for example https://cardanopools.com/pool/bkv/index.md).
- [Learn](https://cardanopools.com/blog/): plain-English guides to staking.
- [About](https://cardanopools.com/about/) · [Privacy](https://cardanopools.com/privacy/)
- [Full text of all guides](https://cardanopools.com/llms-full.txt)

## Guides
- [Why the highest return is not the best reason to pick a pool](https://cardanopools.com/blog/why-highest-return-is-not-the-best-choice/index.md): The gap between a good pool and the most profitable one is usually a few ADA a year. Here is why chasing the top return can cost you, and Cardano, more than it pays.
- [Why single pools keep Cardano strong](https://cardanopools.com/blog/why-single-pools-keep-cardano-strong/index.md): When a few big operators run hundreds of pools, the whole network gets weaker. Here is why your choice of pool matters, in plain words.
- [How to choose a Cardano stake pool](https://cardanopools.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-cardano-stake-pool/index.md): Margin, fixed fee, pledge and saturation are the four numbers that decide your rewards. Here is what each one means and what to look for.
- [What is a Cardano stake pool?](https://cardanopools.com/blog/what-is-a-cardano-stake-pool/index.md): A stake pool helps run the Cardano network and shares rewards with you. Your ADA never leaves your wallet. Here is how it works, step by step.