You can't really compare a place like Hive to other crypto projects as they are so different in what they offer. They are both crypto and that is where the similarities end.
Over the next 10 years we will see millions of users/investors staking in various projects subsidizing their monthly income. Some projects will offer more than others and some will do better than others on price depending on their development and uptake.
I think for this reason alone one has to be very careful in which projects they get involved with as at the end of the day this will be crucial in how much you earn. Staking can take various formats though as there is also DeFi which is still fairly new and somehow I do think we have more to come in it's development and use case.
I look at some of the projects I am involved with like Coti which is great but also can be seen as one dimensional. You purchase Coti and stake it in their trust wallet earning 15% - 25% depending on the size of stake and it is that simple. If you want more then you need to stake more and the ability to earn in other ways is just not there. This is the case in so many other tokens except for a few like Hive.
Hive you stake like everything else but the ability to earn in so many other ways is available which for me makes a huge difference. I was looking at earning potential today and Hive still comes out way ahead in comparison to other projects.
60 000 Hive valued at $1 is obviously $60 000 and the equivalent in Coti would be roughly 120 000. On 20% one would receive back 24 000 Coti per annum or $12 000 on current pricing. Hive would give you the 3% interest compounded which is only plus minus $1800, but then you have so many other things that makes the biggest overall difference. Curation would add roughly another $5000 growing as your stake grows and then also add the ability to earn via posting. The extras come in the form of the second layer tokens which add up considerably and cannot be underestimated. I would say the earnings are very similar besides all the added extras but then you are also growing your Hive stake due to compounding which will always win in the end.
My thoughts and concerns are that in a project like Coti how sustainable is the 15-25% APR for staking long term? This is fine for now but in 10 years time will it still be available or the APR would have been adjusted offering far less? The same applies to DeFi as we have seen with the pools the more TVL they have the less the APY is earned. In 10 years time we would expect to have far more users invested in crypto than today thus making what we see being earned via staking come tumbling down diluting returns. Not necessarily with Hive though as your stake is what allows you to earn more through your actions you perform.
A place like Hive will grow organically attracting new users as more development happens which overtime will make Hive harder to earn unless you have the stake already. I can see Hive over time increasing in value as others start to understand the concept and get involved. This is staking on steroids with more thought and effort applied. Personally I would rather be involved with a project where my actions play a role in how much will be earned as it is up to you how well you do.
I suppose at the end of the day it boils down to how much you have to invest and how much time you have to commit. For the masses I believe Hive is the obvious go to place as it offers far more for those that have extra time on their hands. The ability to earn through little or no investment is still here for those that roll up their sleeves and get stuck in. No doubt at some point it will get harder to earn as the value increases along with the amount of users on the blockchain.