QuStream shares 60% of its revenue with people who help run the network. This is unusual in crypto—most projects simply mint new tokens to pay network participants, which dilutes value and contributes to why most crypto projects eventually fail.
There are two ways to participate: run a node, or stake to the global pool. Both earn a share of company revenue from processing encrypted data.
Nodes 101
What's a node?
In most crypto networks, nodes validate transactions. QuStream's encryption nodes are different. They serve as a certified source of QRNG (Quantum Random Number Generation) output—generating and disseminating the quantum randomness that powers QuStream's encryption.
This decentralized, distributed network of nodes is integral to the actual QuStream product as it secures data in transit against quantum attacks. Keep your node online, earn revenue.
What's staking?
Staking means locking up QST tokens to show commitment to the network. It's not required to run a node, but staking dramatically increases earnings.
The revenue model
QuStream pays out 60% of its gross revenue to node operators and stakers. This revenue is split evenly among all running nodes, regardless of how much traffic each one processes.
There's a permanent cap of 4,732 nodes. No more will ever be created.
Here's an example: If QuStream generates $50 million in annual revenue, 60% of that ($30 million) goes to the network. Divided by 4,732 nodes, each staked node would earn approximately $6,340 per year. If you run multiple nodes, multiply accordingly. An unstaked node would earn approximately $1,902 per year.
These are speculative example numbers only. Actual revenue depends entirely on adoption and is impossible to predict. This is not financial advice.
Two ways to earn
Run a node
Purchase a node key on the marketplace (a one-time purchase, priced in QST by sellers). The marketplace interface refers to these as "nodes," but what you're actually buying is a node key—a license that gives you the right to run a node. After purchase, you'll receive a unique identifier that you use when installing the node software.
Node keys are bought and sold at account.qustream.com/marketplace. Prices fluctuate based on seller demand.
Stake to the global pool
Don't want to run hardware? Stake QST to the global pool instead. No node ownership required. You earn from the revenue that unstaked node operators don't claim.
Staking details
If you own a node
Staked (200,000 QST required):
Your node receives 100% of its potential earnings.
Unstaked:
Your node receives 30% of its potential earnings. The remaining 70% goes to the global staking pool.
Either way, you must actually run the node to earn anything. Simply owning a node key generates no revenue.
There's no such thing as a partially staked node—it's either staked or it's not.
The global staking pool
The global pool receives the 70% that unstaked nodes don't claim. If the pool has enough QST staked (at least 200,000 QST for every unstaked node that's running), it receives the full 70%. If the pool is underfunded, it receives a proportional amount, and the remainder goes back to node operators.
Unlike node operation (which is capped at 4,732 participants), anyone can stake to the global pool. There's no cap. This means as more people stake, individual rewards get diluted.
Qube advantage
QuStream's proprietary Qube hardware offers a staking discount: only 100,000 QST required instead of 200,000. Each Qube can run up to 3 nodes.
Qubes also earn modest additional revenue from hosting cloud storage, separate from node earnings.
The Qube presale is coming soon. Pricing is expected to be around €2,000 (approximately $2,160 USD).
What you need
To run a node
- Any computer that can run a web browser
- A wired internet connection to your router (no WiFi)
- Minimum 100 Mbps internet speed
- You can run multiple nodes on a single device (the exact limit hasn't been specified)
To get started
- Buy a node key at account.qustream.com/marketplace
- Set up your hardware (computer, cloud server, or Qube)
- Install and run the node software
- (Optional) Stake 200,000 QST (or 100,000 if using a Qube) to maximize earnings
Alternatively, skip the node entirely and just stake any amount of QST to the global pool.
Good to know
Staking is not live yet. The infrastructure is still being finalized. When it launches:
- Staked QST will be locked for a period of time (duration to be determined)
- Payouts will occur on a fixed schedule (frequency to be determined)
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You must actually run your node to earn revenue
Purchasing a key alone doesn't generate income