Ranks DeFi protocols by an objective, on-chain TVL metric anyone can audit in open-source code; by its own policy, projects can't pay to list or rank higher.
What it's really for A DeFi analytics site; rankings come straight from open on-chain data, hard to game or buy.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its TVL rankings of DeFi protocols and chains, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
Power users and developers pay the most via Pro and API subscriptions; by DeFiLlama's stated policy listing is free and permissionless and rankings are driven by on-chain TVL, so paying does not buy placement.
Source →- Operating since
- 2020 (6 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- Freemium: the core site and public API are free, with revenue from Pro ($49/mo) and high-volume API ($300/mo) subscriptions plus ecosystem partnerships.
- What they do
- It aggregates and ranks DeFi protocols and chains by Total Value Locked and related on-chain metrics, computed from open-source adapter scripts that read directly from the blockchain.
- What to watch for
- It measures capital locked in contracts, not whether a protocol is safe or legitimate, so a high TVL ranking is not an endorsement of a project's quality or risk.
- Composite score
- 4.80 / 5.00 → grade A+
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- DeFiLlama states each metric has its own open-source adapter repository where anyone can contribute, and it prides itself on producing inclusive, non-biased, community-driven statistics, treating all projects equally with regards to what is and isn't included in TVL. This makes the ranking methodology publicly reproducible. Source: DefiLlama Docs - Methodology →
- Per the FAQ, getting a protocol listed is free and permissionless and only requires submitting a technical adapter that returns the project's TVL; there is no listing fee or paid-placement option described. Source: DefiLlama Docs - FAQ →
- Each listed protocol submits an open-source adapter, a script that computes TVL directly from its contracts, so the underlying data is verifiable from on-chain sources rather than self-reported. Revenue comes from Pro ($49/mo) and API ($300/mo) subscriptions, not from the protocols being ranked. Source: Lampros Tech - How to get listed on DeFiLlama →