Harvest adds an autocompounding layer on top of other protocols. it doesn't create its own lending markets but instead deposits into strategies on Morpho, Moonwell, Arcadia, Aave, and others, then automatically harvests earned rewards and reinvests them. The compounding effect can add meaningful value over time: a position earning 5% APY with weekly manual compounding will underperform the same position autocompounded daily, with the gap widening over longer time horizons.

Harvest operates on Ethereum Mainnet and Base, deploying vaults that mirror underlying strategies from multiple protocols. This creates an interesting comparison opportunity. you can often find both a direct deposit version and a Harvest autocompounder version of the same underlying strategy, letting you evaluate whether the compounding benefit justifies the additional smart contract layer.

The trade-off is straightforward: Harvest adds convenience and compounding efficiency, but also adds a contract between you and the underlying yield source. Harvest vaults track their underlying protocol's performance closely, so when comparing yields, the relevant question is usually how much incremental value the autocompounding provides over the base rate.

Earnbase tracks 18 strategies on Harvest across Arbitrum, Base, Mainnet.