Top 5 Best Crypto Airdrops for Early Adopters

What Is a Crypto Airdrop?

A cryptocurrency or NFT airdrop is a marketing tactic where creators of a specific blockchain project send free tokens to users. New projects leverage this strategy to promote themselves before their official launch date, building momentum and attracting early adopters.

Startups use both NFT airdrops and simple cryptocurrency giveaways to capture attention and increase awareness about their non-fungible token collections or cryptocurrencies. Airdrops can also boost token prices if they generate significant publicity and community engagement. This approach has proven effective for many projects seeking to establish a strong initial user base.

The first crypto airdrop in history is considered to be Auroracoin, a cryptocurrency created in Iceland. It was designed as a national digital currency, offering an innovative approach to financial sovereignty. Everyone who registered received a crypto airdrop worth 31.80 Auroracoins for free. However, the AUR price plummeted after the airdrop, and the project was eventually abandoned, serving as an early lesson in airdrop economics.

One example of an easy and highly successful airdrop is the Ontology airdrop, which took place in January 2018. Anyone who subscribed to the Ontology newsletter received 1,000 ONT tokens, which were worthless at the time. However, by March 2018, one ONT token was worth approximately $11. This means that anyone who participated in the airdrop could sell their tokens and realize a profit of $11,000, demonstrating the potential value of early participation in promising projects.

What Types of Airdrops Exist?

There are four main types of cryptocurrency airdrops, each with distinct requirements and characteristics:

Standard Airdrops: You can sign up for free tokens by simply filling out required information or completing promotional tasks and providing your cryptocurrency wallet address. These are the most accessible type of airdrop, requiring minimal effort from participants.

Exclusive Airdrops: These are "VIP" category airdrops, usually reserved for those who are loyal to the blockchain project. Projects often reward their most engaged community members, early investors, or long-term holders with exclusive airdrops as a token of appreciation.

Bounty Airdrops: Participants are required to perform more promotional work, typically on social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. Tasks might include sharing posts, creating content, or referring new users to the project.

Holder Airdrops: Participants must hold an existing, specific cryptocurrency, such as ETH or BTC, to receive the airdrop. These airdrops reward users who already have a stake in the broader ecosystem, encouraging continued holding and engagement.

What Are Airdrops Used For?

Projects that have not yet launched often ask their supporters to follow their social media channels to help them draw attention to their brand. This grassroots marketing approach helps build organic communities around new projects. Typically, crypto airdrops involve distributing a governance token, which gives holders the right to vote on the future development of the project, creating a decentralized decision-making process.

The value of airdrops varies, but typically amounts to a few dollars initially. However, participation in airdrops is very simple and can prove quite profitable in the long run, especially if the project gains significant traction. Some early participants have seen their airdropped tokens appreciate dramatically over time.

Uniswap Airdrop

Uniswap is a leading decentralized platform on the Ethereum blockchain, revolutionizing how users trade cryptocurrencies without intermediaries. While the platform did not have a native token at launch, it later issued the UNI token and decided to distribute 15% of the total supply to early users as a reward for their trust and participation.

From September 2020, the UNI token was sent to all wallets that had previously used this platform. Each user could claim a minimum of 400 UNI tokens – even those who made failed transactions during a specific time period. An additional 49 million UNI is available to liquidity providers, incentivizing continued participation in the platform's ecosystem.

Ethereum Name Service Airdrop

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) aims to simplify the cryptocurrency and financial space by allowing users to create an alias that can be used for all public addresses and decentralized websites. This service makes blockchain addresses more human-readable and easier to remember, improving user experience significantly.

From November 2021, project creators distributed 25 million ENS tokens to all those who had previously purchased a ".eth" domain. To qualify for the ENS airdrop, you would need to have purchased an ENS domain before October 2021. Approximately 137,000 wallets qualified for the airdrop. As of December 2021, the received airdrop was valued at approximately $7,300, representing a substantial reward for early domain adopters.

Top 5 Potential Best Crypto Airdrops in Recent Years

1. MetaMask Airdrop

MetaMask is a browser extension that functions as an Ethereum wallet, serving as a gateway to the decentralized web. Created by ConsenSys, it allows users to store Ether and other tokens securely. They can then make transactions to any Ethereum address and other blockchain networks, providing seamless interoperability.

Users can connect to applications, blockchain games, and decentralized platforms to exchange or stake tokens. It provides users with an access point to decentralized finance (DeFi), making complex financial operations accessible to mainstream users.

As of early periods, MetaMask did not have a native token, but there has been much speculation that the popular crypto wallet may issue its native token. Joseph Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum and ConsenSys, suggested on Twitter a possible MetaMask token premiere, sparking excitement in the community.

While this is all speculation, there has been an increase in activity as the crypto community began using MetaMask for transactions on the Polygon network. Recently, MetaMask introduced MetaMask Swap, which led to rumors that the wallet would issue its own token. If this is confirmed, all addresses that used MetaMask Swap may become eligible to receive an airdrop.

2. Bored Ape Yacht Club

Bored Ape Yacht Club is a collection of 10,000 NFT ape avatars, released as digital art created on the Ethereum blockchain. Much buzz has emerged around this NFT art collection, making it one of the most recognizable projects in the space.

The company behind the NFT collection believes in fair distribution and sold each of them for 0.08 ETH. The collection sold out within 12 hours of its premiere and is currently trading at significantly higher prices, demonstrating the strong demand for quality NFT projects.

Bored Ape Yacht Club announced on Twitter that its token would be launched in the first quarter of the following year. This would make it one of the few NFT projects that has its own token. If the airdrop is confirmed, BAYC NFT holders may be eligible to receive it, adding another layer of value to their existing holdings.

3. MeanFi Airdrop

MeanFi is a self-service bank that aims to bring cryptocurrency and DeFi to everyday banking flows on the Solana blockchain. The platform represents a new approach to decentralized banking services.

The platform offers the following services to its users:

• A simple exchange with an efficiently functioning liquidity market, providing competitive rates
• Users can use dollar-cost averaging (DCA) strategies to invest daily, weekly, or monthly, reducing market timing risk
• Setting up automatic recurring payments for money transfers, streamlining financial management

MeanFi planned to launch its native governance token and airdrop the entire initial supply (10 million MEAN tokens) to its community. Token generation occurred in late 2021. All addresses active on the protocol before the token generation event qualify for the early user airdrop, rewarding those who trusted the platform from its inception.

4. OpenSea Airdrop

OpenSea is the first and most popular decentralized marketplace that allows users to create, buy, and sell NFTs. It has become the dominant platform in the NFT space, facilitating billions in transaction volume.

While most decentralized applications, and cryptocurrency platforms in particular, have their own token, OpenSea until recently did not have a native token. OpenSea introduced the native token TheOpenDAO, which was distributed among users who had already purchased or sold NFTs on the platform and generated appropriate transaction volume, recognizing their contribution to the platform's success.

5. Layer 2 Solutions: Arbitrum, Optimism, and zkSync Airdrops

Arbitrum

Arbitrum is a Layer 2 solution that enhances the capabilities of the Ethereum blockchain, addressing scalability challenges. It allows developers to run solutions through the Ethereum Virtual Machine, Ethereum contracts, and transactions on L2, while still benefiting from the unique security of Ethereum's Layer 1.

Arbitrum was created to fix some weaknesses in Ethereum-based smart contract technology. These include low performance and high execution costs, which have limited mainstream adoption. The solution uses a technique called transaction rollups to record transactions bundled on the main Ethereum chain and then execute them on a sidechain, or Layer 2.

In early periods, Arbitrum did not yet have a native token, but there were rumors that it might follow Uniswap's path and launch one soon, potentially rewarding early users.

Optimism Airdrop

Optimism is a Layer 2 scaling solution that supports Ethereum decentralized applications. The Optimistic Ethereum network allows for Ethereum-like transactions to be sent, but with two main benefits: greater transaction speed and lower costs, making DeFi more accessible.

It does this by running transaction data on-chain and then running computations off-chain. This increases the number of transactions per second on Ethereum and consequently lowers fees, improving the overall user experience.

zkSync

zkSync is a privacy-focused protocol that enables cheap, scalable payments on the Ethereum blockchain. It is powered by ZkRollup technology, representing cutting-edge cryptographic innovation. The zkSync protocol was released by Matter Labs in mid-2021.

zkSync is a tool that can be used to transfer ERC20 tokens and ETH efficiently. Like Arbitrum and Optimism, zkSync did not have a token initially, but already announced that it would soon launch its native token, generating anticipation in the community.

Are Crypto Airdrops and NFT Airdrops Worth Attention?

NFT airdrops and free cryptocurrencies have been successful marketing tactics used by major blockchain projects to create awareness around their products. Many early users of these decentralized applications have been rewarded for their actions, sometimes substantially.

There are already several examples of decentralized platforms that have rewarded their early users generously. There are also similar speculations about the latest Ethereum Layer 2 solutions, wallets, and decentralized applications that have not yet introduced a token, suggesting potential future opportunities.

Airdrops can be easily manipulated and used to scam money from participants. You should always research the blockchain project before investing money or providing personal information. Never give anyone your private keys or wallet recovery phrases, as legitimate airdrops will never require this sensitive information. Exercise caution and due diligence to protect your assets.

FAQ

What is NFT Airdrop and how does it differ from regular crypto airdrops?

NFT airdrops distribute unique digital assets to users for free, unlike crypto airdrops which distribute fungible tokens. NFTs represent collectible items or digital art with individual value, while crypto airdrops distribute identical tokens. Both reward community engagement through similar distribution methods.

How to participate in NFT airdrop projects? What conditions must be met to receive free NFTs?

Follow project social media and join Discord communities. Complete simple tasks like following, sharing, or engaging with content. Verify project authenticity to avoid scams. Most airdrops require wallet connection and community participation.

What are the risks of participating in NFT airdrops? How to identify and avoid scam projects?

NFT airdrop risks include phishing scams and malicious smart contracts. Identify scams by verifying official sources, never share private keys, and avoid unsolicited tokens. Legitimate airdrops won't request personal information or wallet access permissions.

Where can I trade or sell NFTs after receiving free NFT airdrops?

You can trade or sell your airdropped NFTs on major NFT marketplaces like OpenSea, Blur, and Magic Eden. Simply connect your wallet, list your NFTs, and set your desired price. Most marketplaces support multiple blockchain networks and offer competitive trading volumes for active NFT assets.

How to judge the authenticity of NFT airdrop projects? What are the official channels and information sources?

Verify authenticity through official websites, verified social accounts, and official Discord channels. Check domain names carefully to avoid phishing sites. Research project background and team credentials from official sources only.

What impact does wallet security have on participating in NFT airdrops? What preparations are needed?

Wallet security is crucial for NFT airdrops. Use secure wallets like MetaMask or OKX Wallet to protect your assets. Never share private keys, enable two-factor authentication, verify smart contracts before interacting, and avoid suspicious airdrop links to prevent fund loss and security breaches.