Two Solana pools flash 500.0% APR, but only one isn’t a trap.
Today’s leaderboard by risk‑adjusted farmer score
Ranked by farmer score, with plain‑English reasons that tie back to three inputs: depth (TVL), turnover (24h volume vs TVL), and how likely the fee APR holds up under real flow rather than a one‑off spike.
- SOL-ZEREBRO — 83/100 (risk 39/100). TVL $2.89M, 24h vol $5.21M (1.8x), fee APR 164.6%. Why it scored: solid mid‑cap depth with healthy turnover that can sustain triple‑digit fees if spreads persist. Risk is non‑trivial (39) because ZEREBRO isn’t a major; expect path‑dependency and sharper IL on swings.
- CARDS-USDC — 81/100 (risk 31/100). TVL $3.92M, 24h vol $6.72M (1.7x), fee APR 250.2%. Why it scored: deeper than most non‑majors and turning over meaningfully, so that headline APR isn’t just optics. Slightly lower risk than ZEREBRO and broader USDC routing support help.
- SOL-USDC — 70/100 (risk 8/100). TVL $4.65M, 24h vol $13.19M (2.8x), fee APR 41.2%. Why it scored: this is the low‑risk workhorse. Massive, persistent routing demand gives you 41.2% fee APR with single‑digit risk. The score isn’t higher because the APR is moderate against the top memey pairs, but it’s the most dependable line item on this page.
- SOL-SAOS — 67/100 (risk 14/100). TVL $165K, 24h vol $4.27M (25.9x), fee APR 94.3%. Why it scored: tiny TVL with giant flow creates eye‑catching fees, but the pool is thin. The score gives credit for turnover and reasonable risk, yet clips it because sustainability on a $165K base is fragile and slippage can get weird fast.
- SOL-MINE — 66/100 (risk 15/100). TVL $88K, 24h vol $765K (8.7x), fee APR 500.0%. Why it scored: pure headline appeal from a thin pool that turned over briskly. The algorithm rewards volume and fees, but risk and depth cap its score — you can’t push much size through this without moving price or getting parked out of range.
- SOL-USDT — 66/100 (risk 12/100). TVL $1.34M, 24h vol $6.97M (5.2x), fee APR 19.0%. Why it scored: mid‑tier APR on strong turnover with low risk. It scores the same as SOL‑MINE because of steadier flows and better depth, despite a much lower headline percentage.
- SOL-NVDAx — 66/100 (risk 48/100). TVL $27K, 24h vol $12K (0.4x), fee APR 41.8%. Why it scored: APR is fine, but volume is anemic relative to TVL and risk is high. It ties at 66 on the math, yet the qualitative read says patience or a very small probe only.
- SOL-GTA 6 Coin — 65/100 (risk 40/100). TVL $108K, 24h vol $257K (2.4x), fee APR 216.5%. Why it scored: decent turnover for a small AMM pool pushes fees up. Score dips versus peers due to token risk and thinner liquidity. Treat as a fast‑twitch farm, not a core position.
- SOL-XYO — 63/100 (risk 60/100). TVL $43K, 24h vol $5K (0.1x), fee APR 10.3%. Why it scored: low turnover and a very high risk read keep this down. The 10.3% APR won’t carry unless volume wakes up.
- DEGROLL-USDC — 63/100 (risk 15/100). TVL $29K, 24h vol $312K (10.8x), fee APR 500.0%. Why it scored: huge one‑day churn on a tiny base sends the APR to 500.0%, but limited depth and path fragility cut the score. This is the definition of a day‑trade LP.
Chasing the highest APR works — until it doesn’t. The pools that keep paying are the ones traders hit every day, not just on meme‑driven spikes.
What pushed these scores up or down
Depth that can absorb flow
Depth protects fee APRs from collapsing when spreads compress. SOL-ZEREBRO and CARDS-USDCSOL-SAOS at $165K and SOL-MINE at $88K can print massive APRs, but a single whale or sudden lack of takers can swing realized fees dramatically from one day to the next.
Turnover per dollar of TVL
Turnover tells you how hard a pool is worked. The standouts this cycle are SOL-USDC at 2.8x, SOL-USDT at 5.2x, and the thin but busy outliers: SOL-SAOS at 25.9x and DEGROLL-USDC at 10.8x. High multiples on thin bases look obvious on paper; they’re noisy in practice. A 25.9x day on $165K can just be a temporary routing quirk. A 2.8x day on $4.65M in SOL-USDC is market structure doing its job.
Fee stickiness beats spikes
Fee APR is the visible carrot. What you want is stickiness. A pair like SOL-USDC posting 41.2% with 8/100 risk is a better core than an ephemeral 500.0% that collapses when spreads tighten or incentives rotate. Pools with consistent volume routing — majors, and the healthier mid‑caps — keep clipping fees through calm days and volatility bursts. That’s why the top two today, SOL-ZEREBRO and CARDS-USDC, sit above a higher‑TVL major like SOL-USDC — their fee prints are currently outsized relative to depth, and turnover isn’t a one‑off blip.
If you’re newer to concentrated liquidity on Raydium, skim the Raydium docs for fee tiers and how range placement affects where you actually earn.
High‑APR traps hiding in plain sight
Three pools look juicy at a glance. They also carry the clearest tripwires.
- SOL-MINE — 500.0% on $88K TVL with 8.7x turnover can disappear the moment the flow source dries up or spreads compress. Your position can get yanked out of range by a single tail move. Treat it as a tactical farm, size like it can go to zero fees tomorrow, and exit on a volume fade.
- DEGROLL-USDC — another 500.0% headliner on only $29K TVL. The 10.8x turnover is the whole story: fun while it lasts, hard to size. Expect slippage on adds and redemptions.
- SOL-GTA 6 Coin — 216.5% with 2.4x turnover and 40/100 risk. Memecoins can deliver fee bonanzas, then leave you with concentrated IL and no bids. If you farm it, write down exact exit triggers before you enter.
The near‑miss is SOL-SAOS. At 94.3% and 25.9x turnover, it behaves like a rocket on rails — until the rail ends. Nice score (67/100) because risk prints a mild 14 and turnover is real, but remember the base is only $165K. Size accordingly.
One more caution flag: SOL-NVDAx shows 41.8% but turns over just 0.4x with a 48/100 risk read. That combo says spread‑driven APR without demonstrated demand. If you want it, wait for volume to pick up or you’ll earn less than the headline suggests.
Low‑risk yield that still pays
This is the contrarian take: your best expected PnL this week likely comes from the boring majors and the healthier mid‑caps rather than the 500.0% outliers. Why?
- SOL-USDC — 41.2% fee APR, 2.8x turnover, and 8/100 risk. That risk score alone is an edge. You can size larger, hold longer, and actually collect what the math implies because routing is persistent. We called this dynamic out before in Raydium CLMM Pays on SOL-USDC; Most TVL Is Sitting Idle. Same story today — but now with more turnover.
- SOL-USDT — 19.0% at 5.2x turnover and 12/100 risk. Lower APR, yes. But if you’re balancing a book across stable routes, it’s a sensible allocation as spreads ebb and flow between USDC and USDT pairs.
- SOL-ZEREBRO and CARDS-USDC — these two are the sweet spot for risk‑on LPs. You’re getting 164.6% and 250.2% respectively on $2.89M–$3.92M of depth with 1.7–1.8x turnover. That combination is why they sit 1 and 2 on the board. They won’t be forever; but while they are, you can actually deploy more than lunch money.
If you want a live short‑list that updates before your coffee cools, keep an eye on Best Solana pools (live). For timing entries and exits, AI Signals (free) is handy when volumes pivot between majors and memes.
Actionable tactics for LPs today
- Size by depth, not APR. Allocate the most to SOL-USDC and the two mid‑caps up top. Keep thin pools to single‑digit percentages. A $165K or $88K TVL pool cannot absorb your risk as well as a multi‑million one.
- Use wider ranges on majors. On CLMMs, earn through chop without constant rebalancing. Let SOL-USDC and SOL-USDT pay you while others chase candles.
- Narrow only when turnover is proven. On SOL-ZEREBRO and CARDS-USDC, a slightly tighter range can work because flow is consistent and depth respectable. Still, budget for at least one rebalance per move day.
- Thin pools = hard stops. For SOL-MINE, DEGROLL-USDC, and SOL-GTA 6 Coin, pre‑define exit triggers: volume/TVL drops below 3.0x, fee APR halves day‑over‑day, or the token loses exchange routing. Respect those triggers even if fees look decent in the moment.
- Track turnover, not just fees. A sustained 2.0x+ turnover on meaningful TVL is the simplest durability filter. That points you straight at SOL-USDC, SOL-USDT, and whichever mid‑caps are consistently above 1.5x.
- Don’t ignore risk scores. The difference between 8/100 and 48/100 is the difference between sleeping and staring at charts. High risk can pay, but it’s a choice — price it in.
FAQ
How is the farmer score different from just sorting by APR?
APR is a snapshot; the farmer score blends APR with depth, turnover, and a risk read. A thin pool can blast 500.0% for a day, then flatline. A pool turning 2.0x+ on multi‑million TVL is more likely to keep paying through the week.
Why does SOL-USDC rank below mid‑cap pairs despite low risk?
Because the current fee APR (41.2%) is lower than the triple‑digit outliers. The score rewards sustainability, but it still counts yield. If those mid‑caps normalize to double‑digits while SOL‑USDC holds 2.0x+ turnover, SOL‑USDC tends to climb.
Are 500.0% APR pools ever safe to size up?
Only when the TVL is deep and turnover is sustained. Today’s two headliners — SOL-MINE at $88K and DEGROLL-USDC at $29K — are not. If you size them, think day‑trade LP, use hard stops, and accept that fees can vanish as routing shifts.
What’s a good turnover/TVL multiple to target?
As a rule of thumb: above 2.0x on a pool with at least seven figures of TVL. That’s where fee prints tend to be repeatable. Thin pools can show 10.8x or 25.9x, but the base is too small to be durable.
Should I prefer CLMMs or AMMs on Raydium right now?
CLMMs are paying on majors and many mid‑caps because you can concentrate inventory where trades happen. AMMs can still shine on small tokens, but they’re more volatile on realized APR. If you’re new to CLMMs, skim the Raydium docs first, then start with wider ranges on majors before tightening.
