Stacking pool fees refer to the portion of Bitcoin yield that is taken by a third-party Stacking pool in exchange for making the Stacking process easier for users. These pools allow users to participate in Stacking without having to meet the full protocol-required threshold of STX, which would normally be required to Stack independently.

In exchange for this convenience, most pools charge a fee—typically a percentage of the BTC-based rewards earned. This can range depending on the provider and any added features such as instant liquidity, auto-compounding, or the use of tokenized representations of stacked STX (like stSTX).

Before choosing a Stacking pool, it's important to compare fee structures, payout methods, and whether the pool is compatible with Leather. Pools that are accessible directly through Leather simplify the process and reduce the risk of mistakes during delegation or withdrawal.

While fees reduce your net BTC yield, they often enable broader access and optional benefits that can be worth the tradeoff for many users.