01Proof of stake chain
Create a proof of stake blockchain. Holders secure it, and earn for it.
On a proof of stake blockchain, validators lock coins instead of running miners. Pick one of three proven staking designs, Cosmos, PIVX or an Ethereum-style chain, choose how many validators can fail before anything stops, and go live in about 30 minutes.
Updated . Prices checked .
- From $149 one-time
- No mining rigs
- Your validator keys
Block 48,211: signatures
- validator-1signed
- validator-2signed
- validator-3signed
- validator-4offline
Voting power online75%
needs more than two thirds
Chain status
Making blocks. 1 more offline would stop it.
On this pageThree designs
02Three staking designs
Cosmos, PIVX or Ethereum-style: three ways to stake.
They all replace miners with staked coins, but they decide blocks very differently. That changes who can stake, how fast a payment is final and what happens when servers go down.
Cosmos SDKRecommended
CometBFT, a fixed validator set
- Who makes blocks
- Validators, with holders delegating stake to them
- Final when
- The block is committed: no waiting for confirmations
- Starts on
- 4 validators
- Good for
- An app chain with staking, governance and fast payments
$249Start on Cosmos
PIVX
Coin staking plus masternodes
- Who makes blocks
- Any holder whose coins have matured, chosen by stake
- Final when
- Enough blocks follow it, like Bitcoin confirmations
- Starts on
- 2 nodes
- Good for
- A payment coin where every holder can stake from a wallet
$249Start on PIVX
Ethereum-style
Geth plus a consensus client
- Who makes blocks
- Validators take turns, one per slot
- Final when
- Two thirds of the stake vote across checkpoints
- Starts on
- 4 validators
- Good for
- Smart contracts and MetaMask, secured by stake
One-time prices. Sources: Cosmos SDK docs, PIVX staking docs, ethereum.org proof of stake, checked October 2026. New to the idea? Read proof of work vs proof of stake. Building a Cosmos chain? See the Cosmos app chain page.
03Validator count
How many validators do you need?
Cosmos keeps making blocks while more than two thirds of validators are online. Ethereum-style chains finalize while at least two thirds of the stake votes. So the count you pick sets how many servers can fail at once.
Try it: validators with equal stake
| Design | Can go offline | Must stay online | Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmos | 1 | 3 of 4 | $76 a month |
| Ethereum-style | 1 | 3 of 4 | $36 a month |
With 4 validators, Cosmos survives 1 offline and Ethereum-style 1.
Equal stake on every validator. Hosting is the validators only, before add-ons. PIVX has no fixed validator set: any holder with matured coins can stake.
The surprise
On Cosmos, 5 or 6 validators survive no more outages than 4. The next step up that helps is 7, which survives two.
Spread the stake
If one validator holds more than a third of the stake, it alone can stop a Cosmos chain. Ask holders to delegate to several.
Running one yourself
Rewards, commission and the active set are in the Cosmos validator guide.
04Staking rules
The staking rules you set, and the ones you inherit.
Each design starts on safe defaults marked Recommended in the builder. These numbers decide what stakers earn and how long their coins stay locked.
Cosmos
- Yearly inflation for stakers
- 7 percent
- Unstaking period
- 21 days
- Double signing
- 5 percent slashed
- Downtime
- 1 percent, 10 min jail
- Counts as down
- under 50 of 100 blocks
You set inflation and unstaking. Slashing is the Cosmos SDK default.
PIVX
- Minimum to stake
- none
- Coins can stake after
- 600 confirmations
- Block time
- 60 s
- Masternode collateral
- 1,000 coins
- Masternode share
- 50 percent
Staking rules from the PIVX docs; collateral and share are yours to set. See the masternode guide.
Ethereum-style
- Block time
- 5 s
- Starting supply
- 1,000,000,000
- Finality
- two thirds of stake
- If finality stalls
- leak after 4 epochs
- Wallets
- MetaMask
Finality and the inactivity leak from ethereum.org. More in create an EVM blockchain.
Fixed at launch
Supply, inflation and the unstaking period go into the genesis file. Changing them later takes a hard fork, or on Cosmos SDK chains with governance, an on-chain vote.
05Price
What a proof of stake chain costs.
One price for the chain, then hosting per validator or node each month. The builder shows the total before you pay.
Chain, one-time
- Ethereum-style
- $149
- Cosmos and PIVX
- $249
Hosting after launch: $9 per server a month on Ethereum-style, $19 per server a month on Cosmos and PIVX.
Worked example: a Cosmos chain on 7 validators with a block explorer
$249 + $149 = $398 one-time. Hosting 8 servers x $19 = $152 a month.
What agencies quote
Published guides put a coin on its own chain at $50,000 to $500,000+ when built from scratch. Checked October 2026.
Add-ons
Block explorer $149, web wallet $149, faucet $79. Ethereum-style and Cosmos chains can add a swap and a bridge.
06Clear lines
You hold the stake. We run the servers.
Yours
- The chain, its staking rules and its supply
- The server logins: we never hold your private keys
- Who gets the starting stake in the genesis file
- Add-ons and more validators whenever you want them
Not included
- Outside validators or delegators: those are yours to win
- Staking rewards promised to anyone
- Exchange listings or a price for your coin
07Questions
Proof of stake blockchain: questions
Short answers before you pick a staking design.
How do you create a proof of stake blockchain?
Pick a staking design, set the supply and staking rules in a genesis file, give the first validators their stake and start at least four of them (two nodes on PIVX). Here, you choose the design and the rules, and the network is live in about 30 minutes.
How many validators does a proof of stake chain need?
Four is the practical minimum on Cosmos and Ethereum-style chains: one can go offline and the chain keeps going. Seven lets two go offline. PIVX has no fixed set, so two nodes are enough to start.
Who gets the coins to stake at launch?
You decide in the genesis file. Usually the team or early backers hold the first stake, and holders join by buying coins and delegating or staking them.
What is slashing?
A penalty that burns part of a validator's stake. On Cosmos by default, signing two blocks at the same height costs 5 percent, and long downtime costs 1 percent plus a short jail.
Is proof of stake safer than proof of work for a new coin?
For a small coin it often is: there is no hash power to rent, so an attacker has to buy a large share of your coins instead. The 51 percent attack guide covers both.
How much does a proof of stake blockchain cost?
$149 one-time for an Ethereum-style chain, $249 on Cosmos or PIVX, plus hosting from $9 per server a month.
Can I change the staking rules later?
On Cosmos SDK chains with governance, holders can vote on parameter changes. On PIVX and Ethereum-style chains, rule changes need a hard fork every node accepts.
Stake, not hash power.
Your own proof of stake chain on Cosmos, PIVX or Ethereum-style code, from $149 one-time.