Top Ways to Earn with Cryptocurrency

Methodology for Choosing the Best Cryptocurrency Earning Methods

To identify the most effective cryptocurrency earning strategies, we evaluated several key factors: learning curve, user safety, potential returns, and accessibility of entry.

Trading leads the rankings. While it demands substantial time investment for education, trading offers virtually unlimited earning potential. Today's trading platforms provide a broad array of automation tools and the ability to copy strategies from top traders.

Mining ranks second. This method delivers high returns during crypto bull markets. A major advantage is the option to start mining without purchasing costly hardware—cloud mining services let you rent computing power as needed.

Airdrop participation continues to gain traction. This approach enables users to earn rewards with little to no upfront investment. Some blockchain projects distribute sizable token rewards to participants who engage with their ecosystem.

Affiliate programs are particularly appealing for content creators and influencers. A large social media following lets you share referral links and receive commissions from the trading volume of referred users on crypto platforms.

Staking is considered a passive income solution in crypto. The process involves locking digital assets for a set period in exchange for regular rewards. Its primary drawback is relatively modest yields compared to more active strategies.

The Play-to-Earn model creates earning opportunities through blockchain games. Most projects reward players with in-game currency, which can be converted to crypto tokens and withdrawn as fiat.

The decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem delivers a variety of earning tools—from liquidity provision to lending. However, some mechanisms may be complex for newcomers, and the highest yields often come from new projects lacking a proven track record.

Crypto faucets can add a few dozen dollars to your monthly balance with minimal effort. These platforms pay small amounts for basic tasks like captcha solving or viewing ads.

Bonus programs are popular among crypto newcomers. Trading platforms regularly offer welcome bonuses for signing up or making an initial deposit.

Arbitrage trading leverages price differences across platforms for profit, but to be effective, it requires substantial starting capital.

Learn-to-Earn programs round out the list, with major crypto projects rewarding users for completing educational modules—allowing you to earn while you learn.

Eleven Proven Ways to Earn with Cryptocurrency

Trading

Difficulty: 8/10
Potential returns: Unlimited

Trading involves earning profits from cryptocurrency price movements. The core idea is to buy digital assets at a lower price and sell them higher.

There are countless trading strategies and approaches. For example, traders can open short positions to profit from price declines, expanding their opportunity set across all market conditions.

Modern technology offers tools for automating trades and copying successful market participants. Copy trading platforms let beginners mirror the strategies of experienced traders.

Advantages:

• Unlimited earning potential
• Wide selection of strategies for any goal
• Robust automation tools
• Opportunity to replicate successful trades via copy trading

Disadvantages:

• Requires significant time to master
• High risk of capital loss
• Need for initial trading capital

Mining

Difficulty: 7/10
Potential returns: Several hundred to several thousand dollars per month

Mining is a classic crypto earning strategy. It requires validating network transactions using specialized hardware, for which miners receive newly minted coins as rewards.

Mining demands significant upfront investment, technical expertise for setup and maintenance, and high electricity costs. The sector is now highly competitive, with industrial-scale mining companies dominating the space.

Mining has become less profitable since crypto's early days. Still, there is earning potential when mining Proof-of-Work coins with lower hash rates and potentially high rewards. Mining lesser-known coins, however, may pose liquidity risks.

Cloud mining offers an alternative: rent computing power from specialized providers and start mining without buying equipment.

Advantages:

• Potential for passive income
• Attractive returns during market upswings
• Cloud mining options require no hardware purchase

Disadvantages:

• Requires technical know-how for self-managed equipment
• High hardware costs and ongoing upgrade needs
• Risk of losses if coin prices don’t cover expenses

Airdrops

Difficulty: 2/10
Potential returns: Several dozen to several hundred dollars per month

Airdrops are one of the most accessible crypto earning methods. Users receive free tokens for completing certain actions: holding specific coins, using a particular wallet, registering on an exchange, or subscribing to project channels.

This approach is ideal for those who want to earn without upfront investment. However, always review airdrop terms carefully—some can be scams aimed at stealing your private keys.

The number one rule: never share your private keys with anyone, even if a project requests them. Legitimate projects will never ask for sensitive information.

Advantages:

• Earn with no financial outlay
• No special skills required
• Participate in unlimited airdrops at once

Disadvantages:

• Prevalence of scams
• Generally low rewards
• Truly valuable airdrops are rare

Affiliate Programs

Difficulty: 4/10
Potential returns: Several hundred dollars per month

Some crypto firms reward users for helping grow their platforms via referral programs. Earnings come from attracting new users with your unique referral link.

This method is especially effective for popular social media account owners, bloggers, and content creators. With a sizable audience, affiliate programs can provide a steady stream of extra income. Rewards are typically a percentage of trading fees or a fixed payout per referral.

Many platforms offer multi-tier programs, so you can earn from your referrals and their networks.

Advantages:

• No special technical skills required
• Participate in multiple referral programs
• Potential for passive income

Disadvantages:

• Income is relatively modest
• Directly tied to audience size and engagement

Staking

Difficulty: 4/10
Potential returns: Several hundred dollars per month

Staking provides a source of passive income, no matter the market’s volatility. Peercoin introduced this model in 2012, pioneering Proof of Stake.

Staking works by locking crypto in a dedicated wallet to support the network. Your odds of being selected as the next block validator—and earning rewards—rise with the amount you stake.

There are two main staking approaches: solo staking (which may require significant holdings, such as 32 ETH for Ethereum), and pool staking, where users combine funds and platforms or services handle technical operations.

Popular staking coins include Ethereum, Cardano, and Polkadot, among other Proof-of-Stake projects. Annual yields vary widely, from a few percent to double digits, depending on the token.

Advantages:

• Passive income opportunity
• No advanced technical skills needed
• Pool staking accessible with smaller amounts

Disadvantages:

• Funds are locked for a set period
• High minimums for solo staking major coins
• Lower returns compared to active strategies

Play-to-Earn

Difficulty: 3/10
Potential returns: Several hundred to several thousand dollars per month

Play-to-Earn describes blockchain games where players can earn real money by playing. Earnings may come from completing in-game quests, joining tournaments, trading assets, or developing characters.

Players are rewarded with in-game currency or NFTs, which can be swapped for crypto tokens and cashed out as fiat on exchanges. Some games allow you to monetize further by renting out your in-game assets.

Returns vary widely by game popularity, time invested, and upfront costs. Some games require you to buy NFT characters or items to start, while others are free to play.

Advantages:

• Earn while enjoying games
• No special skills needed
• Participate in multiple games at once

Disadvantages:

• Inconsistent earnings across games
• Initial investment needed for popular games
• Potential loss if game declines in popularity

DeFi Earning

Difficulty: 6/10
Potential returns: Unlimited

The DeFi ecosystem offers a robust suite of earning tools, including liquidity provision, crypto lending, yield farming, and automated market maker (AMM) protocols.

Providing liquidity means depositing crypto pairs on decentralized exchanges, earning a share of trading fees. Lending lets you earn interest by supplying assets through dedicated protocols.

Yield farming is a more complex approach, requiring you to move assets between protocols to maximize returns. This method demands constant monitoring and an in-depth understanding of DeFi mechanics.

Remember: higher yields often come with higher risks. New projects may offer sky-high APYs, but lack a proven history and may have exploitable smart contract vulnerabilities.

Advantages:

• Wide variety of earning options
• Can combine multiple strategies
• Opportunity for passive income

Disadvantages:

• Challenging to identify reliable, profitable projects
• Risk of losses from hacks or coding errors
• Requires ongoing market monitoring to rebalance assets

Bitcoin Faucets

Difficulty: 1/10
Potential returns: Several dozen dollars per month

Crypto faucets are websites that pay users small amounts of cryptocurrency for basic tasks. These may include captcha solving, ad viewing, link clicks, or surveys.

No special skills, technical knowledge, or investment is needed. However, earnings per task are tiny—often just fractions of a cent. To earn a meaningful sum, you’ll need to use many faucets and spend considerable time.

Withdrawal minimums can be high, meaning weeks or months of activity to cash out. Fees may also eat into your profits.

Advantages:

• Zero skill or knowledge requirements
• Unlimited faucet participation

Disadvantages:

• Extremely low earning potential
• High withdrawal fees relative to earnings

Bonus Programs

Difficulty: 2/10
Potential returns: Several dozen to several hundred dollars per month

Crypto projects and exchanges frequently run bonus programs to attract and keep users. The most common are signup bonuses, rewards for first deposits, or incentives for reaching certain trading milestones.

Contests and prize draws are also common. Some platforms host educational campaigns, rewarding users for completing courses or quizzes.

To maximize bonus program rewards, monitor multiple platforms and join several programs at once. Always read the terms carefully—bonus eligibility may require specific trading volumes or other conditions.

Advantages:

• No specialized knowledge needed
• Join multiple programs simultaneously

Disadvantages:

• Strict eligibility requirements
• May need to meet complex criteria for bonuses
• Few truly lucrative programs available

Arbitrage

Difficulty: 7/10
Potential returns: Unlimited

Crypto arbitrage strategies capitalize on price differences for the same asset across different platforms. The basic approach is to buy on a lower-priced exchange and sell on a higher-priced one at the same time.

Types of arbitrage include spatial (between exchanges), temporal (timing-based price lags), and triangular (currency pair pricing discrepancies within one exchange).

To profit meaningfully, arbitrage requires substantial starting capital, since price gaps are usually small. Always factor in trading and transfer fees, which can quickly consume your gains.

Many arbitrageurs use bots that track prices in real time and auto-execute trades when opportunities arise.

Advantages:

• No cap on earning potential
• Generally lower complexity than active trading
• Can automate with bots

Disadvantages:

• High capital requirements for significant returns
• Large balances must stay in play
• Risk of capital loss

Learn-to-Earn

Difficulty: 3/10
Potential returns: Several dozen dollars per month

Learn-to-Earn programs reward users for studying blockchain and crypto topics. Major crypto projects and exchanges offer these initiatives to boost user knowledge.

Typical activities include watching educational videos, reading articles, and passing quizzes. After completing the modules, users receive rewards in the project’s crypto tokens.

This method is great for beginners—it lets you earn digital assets while learning the basics. However, the number of available programs is limited and new content updates are infrequent.

Advantages:

• Earn while learning
• Diverse educational offerings

Disadvantages:

• Limited earning potential
• Educational content is rarely updated

FAQ

What are the main ways to earn with cryptocurrency?

The main options are trading (buying and selling for profit), mining (earning rewards for transaction processing), staking (locking coins for yield), arbitrage (leveraging price gaps), and running nodes to validate network blocks.

What is crypto staking and how can you profit?

Staking involves locking crypto assets to support a blockchain and earn rewards. You earn by freezing coins for a set period and receiving a share of staking returns. See this staking guide for details.

How do you start mining crypto from scratch?

Buy an ASIC miner, connect it to a mining pool, configure the hardware, and begin mining. For best results and profitability, house your equipment at a professional facility with specialist oversight.

Can beginners earn from crypto trading?

Yes, beginners can earn through crypto trading. The keys are learning chart analysis, understanding market trends, and practicing sound capital management. With discipline and experience, you can achieve positive results.

What is liquidity farming and how much can you earn?

Liquidity farming means supplying crypto assets to DeFi pools for rewards. Yields can range from 5% to over 100% per year, depending on the protocol, deposit size, and pair volatility. High-yield strategies can also bring losses if prices move against you.

What risks come with earning from crypto?

Major risks include price volatility, lack of regulation, and no guarantees. The crypto market is young and highly volatile. You may face heavy losses from market manipulation or technical failures. There is a risk of losing your entire investment.

What's the minimum capital needed to start earning with crypto?

The minimum to get started is $10–50. Early on, focus on gaining experience and learning how trading works, rather than chasing big profits. Begin with small amounts and increase your exposure as you build skills.