Rocko Review 2025: Fees, Pros, Cons, & Safety

Rocko Overview

Protocols supported	•Aave V3 (Ethereum, Base, Optimism, Polygon) •Compound III (Ethereum, Base, Optimism, Polygon) •Morpho (Ethereum, Base) – more to come •MarginFi (Solana)
What you borrow	$USDC
Use as Collateral	$ETH, $SOL, $WBTC, $CBBTC, $WSTETH, $TBTC, $UNI, $LINK, $CBETH, and $AAVE
Loan terms	•Variable interest rate •No monthly repayments •No maximum loan term
KYC	No
Fees	•1% on new loans and loan increases •0.25% on refinancing
Locations supported	Worldwide

What Is Rocko?

Rocko is a crypto loan marketplace that makes it super easy to borrow $USDC using your crypto as collateral – no DeFi experience needed.

Instead of hopping between different DeFi platforms like Aave, Compound, or Morpho, Rocko does all the hard work for you. It finds the best rates across all of these protocols and gives them to you in one clean and simple interface.

You don’t need to hand over any personal information, or even download a DeFi wallet.

Rocko does a good job at making everything transparent and simple. Rates, terms, and all the details are laid out upfront so there are no surprises. It also links easily to centralized exchanges, so you can easily send and receive funds directly from an exchange account. 

Borrow against your wrapped Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and several other assets as collateral, then set up alerts to track your loan.

It’s user-friendly, non-custodial, and built for people who want the benefits of DeFi lending without the headaches. 

Support for fiat currency loans is still yet to be launched – but what Rocko does now, it does really well.

Rocko Key Features

• Automatically get the best rates: Rocko scans top audited DeFi lending protocols to find you the most competitive interest rates, so you don’t have to hunt around.
• No DeFi experience needed: You don’t need a browser wallet, or navigate any of the DeFi protocols yourself. You can send your collateral from a centralized exchange and have the loan funds sent right back there.
• Low rates, flexible terms: Rocko gets you lower interest rates than centralized lenders and full flexibility. There are no fixed monthly payments or end dates. No fees for repaying early, either.
• Wide range of collateral assets: You’re not limited to just one or two assets to borrow against. Use popular tokens like wrapped $BTC, $ETH, $SOL, or any one of several ERC-20 tokens as collateral for your loan.
• One-click refinancing: Rocko uses flash loans so you can switch to better terms instantly, without needing to repay your loan first or go through a multi-step process.
• All-in one loan dashboard: Keep track of all your loans in one place, and set up SMS or email alerts when your collateral value changes or interest rates move.
• Non-custodial: Your funds always stay in your control. Nobody can touch your funds but you.
• Real human customer support: Need help? You’ll get a response from an actual human, not just a chatbot.

Rocko Fees

Rocko keeps fees simple. 

They charge a 1% fee when you take out a new loan or increase an existing one, and just 0.25% if you’re refinancing (replacing your old loan for a new one, often to get a lower interest rate or a better LTV).

That’s it – those are the only fees Rocko takes. 

But keep in mind, since this all runs on DeFi, you’ll also need to pay network (“gas”) fees. As you may know, these fees go to blockchain validators for processing your transactions, not to Rocko. But good news – Rocko is currently covering network fees for most transactions!

There may also be small fees associated with the underlying lending protocols, which are taken directly by those DeFi platforms. 

Our Expert Review of Rocko

In this review, I’m going to use Rocko to take out a $USDC loan against my $ETH. 

This will give us a first-hand look at Rocko’s user flow, from onboarding to monitoring your loan, and then finally repaying it.

Let’s get right into it:

Getting started

Clicking “get a loan” on the Rocko homepage gets you straight onto onboarding – without needing to make an account until you’re sure you want to take out a loan. 

In my eyes, this is a great user experience. It doesn’t force you to jump through hoops before you even know what you’re signing up for. It’s frictionless and easy.

Rocko walks you through the process step-by-step so you don’t even have to think about it. 

One by one, you choose your collateral, loan size, and preferred protocol. Before you know it, you’ll just have the option of whether or not to open the best loan possible – with all the terms made clear.

Currently, Rocko only lets you borrow the $USDC stablecoin, but support for real US dollars is supposedly on its way soon. 

Choosing your collateral

The collateral options are even wider than I thought. Rocko supports popular DeFi tokens like $UNI, $AAVE, in addition to wrapped $BTC and $ETH tokens. The coolest part is $SOL support – something that not many lending platforms offer.

The UI clearly shows how much of your chosen collateral asset you need to lock up, in order to borrow your desired amount of $USDC.

Getting the best rate

It will then give you a clear list of all your possible borrowing options. 

In my case, they gave me a whopping 9 different options of platform and networks to choose from. This would perhaps be a little overwhelming to a newbie, but it’s also great to have that much choice. 

One thing I ran into: I had $ETH on the Ethereum network, but some of the best loan options were on Layer 2s like Optimism or Base. To use those, I’d have to move my $ETH over to the right network using a bridge or an exchange.

It’s easy enough if you’ve done it before, but could definitely trip up someone who’s new to DeFi.

Throughout the entire process, important figures and info are summarized in the panel on the right-hand side. Thanks to this, you get all of the important details like APR, projected interest, and liquidation price of your collateral, as soon as they come up.

As mentioned before, it’s only once you’re ready to go ahead that will Rocko get you to sign up. 

This is a single-step process done with an email address or a Google sign in – super convenient.

Finalizing your loan

Rocko’s also forward-thinking enough to prompt you to set a collateral buffer. In a nutshell, this is the option to add more collateral than you need right now, so that your loan stays safe later. 

This is super smart to do in a volatile market, where the value of your collateral could fluctuate a lot. Better to be safe than sorry.

Finally, you’ll get a final summary of the loan, which includes literally every important figure you can think of: 

From the APR, to the liquidation threshold, to DeFi rewards rates (protocol tokens received from the underlying protocol chosen).

It’s here that you’ll notice that you can receive your loan directly into an exchange address. 

That means you can put it straight to work – whether that’s buying another crypto, or possibly cashing it out into fiat through that exchange for real-world purchases.

Monitoring your loan

The Loans dashboard gives you the most important details of your open loans at a quick glance. 

Clicking “manage loan” will take you to this page, for a closer look at your loan with deeper insights and options:

One of these options is setting up alerts for your loans – a great extra feature in my opinion. 

Your collateral value will fluctuate, as will your interest rate. To stay on top of these numbers, Rocko lets you set up alerts for when they reach crucial levels of your choice. 

For example, if the interest rate goes up past a certain point – say, 10% APR – you’ll want to know about it. 

You can set up an email or SMS alert if this threshold is reached, so you can close the loan or refinance if necessary.

Refinancing a loan

Refinancing loans is another area where Rocko really shines. Usually, to refinance a DeFi loan, you need to close the position altogether and open a new one separately. 

This can be a bit of a tedious process, with a lot of steps in between. 

Refinancing with Rocko, however, uses some blockchain magic to let you refinance your loan in just a single transaction.

It doesn’t matter if you’re sticking with the same underlying protocol, or switching to a totally new one – all it takes is a couple of clicks. 

This is all done for you by Rocko behind the scenes using a special blockchain called flash loans.

You can also increase the amount borrowed in an existing loan in a single step, too.

Repaying the loan

The final step in the process, of course, is repaying or completely closing the loan. 

Repayments are super easy with Rocko. 

Simply click “Make a Repayment” and enter the amount you wish to repay. To close the loan altogether, click “Repay Loan in Full”. This will close your loan position in one go.

Customer Service

Rocko’s customer support starts with a solid FAQ section that covers a lot of the basics – perfect for quickly clearing up common questions. 

It’s well-organized, and makes it easy to find what you need without having to reach out.

When I had a more specific question about which collateral assets were supported, I used the “Contact Us” form under the Contact tab. 

Within a few hours, a Rocko team member got back to me with a useful and friendly response. Solid turnaround time, and it’s always nice to hear from a human rather than a robot.

What really sets Rocko apart, though, is that you can actually book a call with their team through a Calendly link. 

That level of personal support is rare in this space, and honestly, it’s a refreshing touch. 

You can also check out Rocko’s resource centre which answers a lot of basic DeFi / borrowing questions as well as how-to instructional articles for many Rocko actions (i.e. taking out a loan, setting up MFA, etc.).

Who’s Rocko For?

• Long-Term Crypto Holders: Rocko is ideal for those who want to unlock the value of their assets without selling them or triggering capital gains taxes. They can use their borrowed $USDC to buy more crypto, or sell it for real-world expenses.
• Centralized Exchange Users: It suits crypto holders who mostly use centralized exchanges, and want an easy borrowing experience without having to navigate DeFi directly.
• DeFi-Curious Users: It’s great for those who are interested in borrowing against their crypto, but find DeFi too complex. Rocko handles the heavy lifting, but users still keep control of their funds.
• Solana Holders: Rocko is one of the few platforms of its kind that supports loans against both $ETH and $SOL.

Who’s it Not For?

• DeFi Power Users: Rocko isn’t designed for hardcore DeFi users who prefer to work manually or dig deeper into DeFi protocols. They might handle the space fine on their own, and not want to pay additional fees.
• Short-Term Borrowers: Rocko’s style of loans probably won’t mesh with borrowers who need quick, short-term loans for day trading or arbitrage plays.
• Crypto-Denominated Borrowers: Rocko isn’t a fit for users looking to borrow various crypto assets directly – it currently supports $USDC loans only. 

Rocko Alternatives

Rocko vs. Arch Lending

Rocko keeps things simple and user-friendly. There’s no KYC, and you can start borrowing with just an email sign-in. 

It supports a wide range of crypto for collateral, offers lower, more flexible rates, and charges fewer fees overall. Plus, it’s non-custodial, so you always stay in control of your funds.

Arch Lending, on the other hand, is more traditional. It requires full KYC and supports fewer collateral options. Rates are fixed and generally higher, and it charges more upfront. Since it’s custodial, your crypto is held by a third party, not directly through DeFi smart contracts.

Criteria	Rocko	Arch Lending
Loan Fees	1% on new loans/loan increases, 0.25% on refinancing + network gas fees	1.5% origination fee
Identity Verification?	No KYC required. Email/Google sign-in only	Yes, full KYC required (name, address, SSN, driver’s license)
Non-custodial?	Yes, fully non-custodial	No, custodial (collateral held by BitGo)
Collateral Assets Supported	$BTC, $ETH, $SOL, $WBTC, $cbBTC, $wstETH, $tBTC, $UNI, $LINK, $cbETH, $AAVE	$BTC, $ETH, $SOL
Borrow Asset	$USDC only (fiat USD support planned)	$USDC, fiat USD
Loan Terms	• Up to 86% LTV (varies by protocol)  • Variable, ~2-8% APR (market-dependent)  • No maximum term	• Up to 50% LTV  • Fixed 14% APR  • Maximum term 12 months

Rocko vs. Coinbase

Both Rocko and Coinbase make it easy to borrow $USDC using your crypto, but they take different approaches. 

Rocko supports a wider range of collateral options, while Coinbase only lets you borrow against one ($cbBTC). Once again, signing up with Rocko is quick, whereas Coinbase requires full verification.

Both platforms use DeFi protocols (Morpho) under the hood, but Rocko stands out with lower fees, better rate options, and handy tools like one-click refinancing and loan alerts. 

Both Rocko and Coinbase support Morpho which allows up to 86% LTV.

Overall, Rocko gives you more control and a smoother borrowing experience.

Criteria	Rocko	Coinbase
Loan Fees	1% on new loans/loan increases, 0.25% on refinancing, plus network gas fees	No Coinbase fees, only fees from Morpho, plus network gas fees
Identity Verification?	No KYC required, email/Google sign-in only	Yes, KYC required (standard Coinbase account verification)
Non-custodial?	Yes, fully non-custodial	Yes, non-custodial (loans via Morpho, collateral in smart contract)
Collateral Assets Supported	$BTC, $ETH, $SOL, $WBTC, $cbBTC, $wstETH, $tBTC, $UNI, $LINK, $cbETH, $AAVE	$BTC only (converted to $cbBTC)
Borrow Asset	$USDC only (fiat USD support planned)	$USDC only
Loan Terms	• Up to 86% LTV (varies by protocol)  • Variable, ~2-8% APR (market-dependent)  • No maximum term	• Up to 86% LTV  • Variable, ~4-10% APR (Morpho market-driven)  • No maximum term

Is Rocko Safe to Use?

Rocko Founders

Rocko wasn’t built by newcomers – it was founded by industry veterans who know the space inside and out.

Thomas Harrison (CEO) and Vince DePalma (CTO) previously worked together at Gemini, the well-known crypto exchange owned by the Winklevoss twins. 

Thomas is a second-time founder who sold his first company, Blockrize, to Gemini. While there, he also led the launch of the Gemini Credit Card and expanded it across all 50 US states.

Vince brings serious engineering experience, previously leading tech teams at Goldman Sachs, Gemini, and Nifty Gateway. He’s also advised DeFi projects like Ondo Finance, which has crossed $2 billion in market cap.

Between them, they’ve got years of experience in both crypto and traditional finance, which shows in how thoughtfully Rocko is built.

Does Rocko hold my funds?

Rocko itself isn’t a lender and doesn’t hold your funds. It just gives you non-custodial access to DeFi lending platforms, in an easy way.

That means your crypto goes directly into the smart contracts of those platforms, and no one (even Rocko) can touch your assets.

That said, you are trusting the code behind those protocols. Rocko only works with platforms that have been thoroughly audited – but like anything in DeFi, there’s always a small risk of bugs or exploits.

Conclusion to this Rocko Review

Rocko does a great job of making DeFi lending feel simple and approachable, even for newbies.

If you’ve got crypto and want to borrow against it without selling it (or dealing with complex interfaces), Rocko makes it smooth.

You don’t need a wallet plugin or deep DeFi knowledge, and Rocko finds the best rates for you on the spot. You get to manage everything from one clean dashboard, and do would-be complicated stuff like refinancing in a single click. 

SMS and email alerts, real-human support, and its non-custodial design are all huge pluses.

There are just a few downsides – no fiat currency loans yet, no mobile app, and some users might get tripped up when bridging to Layer 2s. 

But overall, Rocko holds its own. Compared to some of its competitors, Rocko gives you more collateral options, better rates, and fewer hoops to jump through.

If you’re looking to unlock the value of your crypto without selling it, Rocko is definitely worth checking out.

Rocko Frequently Asked Questions