There are many ways to get free cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum.
In this article, we’ll run down 10 different methods, explaining how to get started and the tips and tricks you need to know for raking in as much free crypto as possible.
The strategies on this list range from very easy to very difficult, and are ranked based on a combination of effort required and earning potential.
#1. Get Cryptocurrency Sign-Up Bonuses
Some websites and apps offer cryptocurrencies as sign-up bonuses. The most common place to find these bonuses is cryptocurrency exchange platforms, where you buy and sell digital currency.
See the best offers in our regularly-updated list of the best crypto sign-up bonuses.
#2. Coinbase Earn
When you sign up for Coinbase, you get access to Coinbase Earn (which can be found in the Coinbase app under the “Rewards” tab). This is a platform that offers short modules that teach you about different cryptocurrencies. Each modules takes a few minutes at most, and they pay out instantly.
As a Coinbase user myself, I make sure to take advantage of these offers as soon as they become available. The picture below shows the cryptos I’ve earned through this method (and the amounts they’re worth in USD) at the time of publication:
No deposit is required to access Coinbase Earn, but you do need to verify your account (which requires uploading a photo ID — a process that takes less than five minutes).
See the platform’s latest sign-up bonuses on our Coinbase promos page.
Related reading: How to Make Money With Bitcoin – Investing, Lending, Trading and More.
#3. Get Cryptocurrency as Cash-Back
Cryptocurrency cash-back works in much the same way as a standard cash-back system: you shop through an app or a website and receive a percentage of your purchase back in the form of crypto.
- StormX:A free app that lets you earn up to 10% back in Bitcoin from over 500 stores when shopping online. It works like popular shopping reward websites such as Rakuten and Swagbucks: just use the app to visit a retailer’s website and then shop as normal. You’ll earn the app’s native token (STMX) and have the option to stake it to earn interest. Learn more about how it works in our StormX review.
- Lolli: A crypto-back app that works similarly to StormX. Get $5 in free bitcoin after your first qualifying purchase.
- Cash App: The popular peer-to-peer payment app offers a free debit card, called the Cash Card. Users can then add “Boosts” to their card, which provide cash-back (or other incentives) on purchases at select merchants. Cash App has a built-in cryptocurrency trading platform, and a common boost is for a percentage of your purchase back as Bitcoin — usually 5% or 10%. Learn more in our guide on how to get free Cash App money.
- Fold: Pays a percentage of Bitcoin back when you purchase digital gift cards through the app. It also offers a daily “spin to win” wheel, which is free to play.
#4. Cash-Back Credit and Debit Cards That Pay in Crypto
Many credit cards offer automatic cash-back on your purchases — either in the form of points or statement credits. Recently, a new class of credit cards has emerged offering cryptocurrency rewards.
Some of these crypto-back cards offer sign-up bonuses that waive annual fees for a year if you spend a certain amount with the card in the first few months.
Here are a few of the best options for upcoming crypto-back credit cards:
- Gemini: Earn up to 3% crypto-back on all purchases — there’s currently a waiting list, which you can sign up for with our link.
- Fold: Along with their crypto-back app, Fold also offers a crypto-back prepaid Visa card. Rewards aren’t automatic: each qualifying purchase earns you a spin on Fold’s prize wheel, which may or may not result in rewards.
#5. Earn Interest on the Cryptocurrency You Already Own
Nothing is better than putting your money to work for you, and cryptocurrency is no exception. Some cryptocurrency savings accounts offer as much as 8% interest, which is considerably higher than traditional savings accounts.
However, be aware that there is no FDIC or SIPC insurance with these options.
With BlockFi closing down to new investors, Gemini Earn is the biggest player right now in the space. With Gemini Earn, you can get up to 8% APY by lending out your digital assets.
November 2022 update: Gemini Earn has paused withdrawals. We recommend holding off on any deposits for the foreseeable future.
#6. Earn Crypto By Playing Games
It’s worth noting that the cryptocurrency rewards from playing the games below can vary greatly, and it could take a very long time to meet either the minimum withdrawal or cash-out balance.
Regardless, here are some of the most popular crypto-earning games for you to try:
- AxieInfinity: Players purchase “eggs” that hatch into creatures called Axies, which they can then grow and battle. Players participate in tournaments to earn funds, which are used to purchase items, Axies, land and more both in-game and on third-party marketplaces.
- CoinHuntWorld: In this game, you hunt for hidden treasure that is small cryptocurrency amounts. These amounts can vary, but earnings are comparable to other platforms. To download the app on the App Store or Google Play, you will need to download a secondary app that allows you to play beta apps.
- Counter-Strike: This is a classic first-person shooter. There are two primary methods of earning crypto playing Counter-Strike: crypto tournaments through Steam and a new initiative from ZEBEDEE. The former is run by Earn Nano, and a player can join a nano tournament on Steam for a chance to win crypto. The latter is a Bitcoin startup currently planning on launching CS:GO Bitcoin-earning servers.
- Decentraland: A virtual world owned by users where people can build and create structures, explore, and chat with others. The site is built on the Ethereum blockchain, and digital land, wearables, goods and more can be traded, won and purchased using the game’s currency (which can be easily exchanged for Ethereum).
- EverDragons: Similar to AxieInfinity, players can unlock and battle with digital dragons against other players. There is a marketplace backed by Ethereum where players can purchase new dragons or sell their own.
- Just Cause 2: This is an open world third-person shooter. With Earn Nano, players can install a mod onto their Steam version of Just Cause 2 that allows them to earn crypto by completing missions, defending faction territory and more.
- My Crypto Heroes: This is the world’s number one blockchain game, where users find historical items and battle against other players. It is based on the Ethereum blockchain.
- Player Killers’ Exchange: Players earn cryptocurrency by killing other players in this RPG. Players can upgrade their characters over time and become stronger, giving them a better chance of victory. To cash out, three player kills or 33 NPC kills are required.
- WeNano: WeNano is more of a social digital banking app than a game. Users can exchange messages with each other in the app (available on the App Store and Google Play Store), and Nano can be earned by physically visiting “spots.” At these spots, a user can collect nano payouts set up by other users in a donation style system or create spots themselves.
See more options in our guide on how to get paid to play games.
#7. Get Cryptocurrency Airdrops
Cryptocurrency airdrops are a unique marketing strategy for new cryptocurrencies that blockchain users with an active digital wallet can benefit from. Essentially, an airdrop is when the propagators of a new crypto randomly deposit coins or tokens into an active blockchain user’s wallet.
Sometimes these coins and tokens are completely free and sometimes the user may be asked to perform a task, such as retweeting about the new coin. The entire point of the airdrop is to spread awareness of the new currency.
Typically, these airdrops go to blockchain users who have wallets of either Bitcoin or Ethereum. Companies will always make it known that it is an official airdrop, but be wary of crypto deposits that don’t have any information surrounding them — this is something called a dusting scam, in which malicious actors try to de-anonymize your crypto accounts.
Below are just a few sites you can utilize to learn when an airdrop may occur:
- AirdropAlert: This site is one of the highest-rated and is a location where users can post their upcoming airdrops for others to take advantage of. They also offer a weekly newsletter to keep subscribers updated on new drops.
- Airdropter: Quite similar to AirdropAlert, Airdropter stores a list of organizations currently doing Airdrops, along with their end dates. They also offer featured drops.
- Airdrops.io: As with the two others on this list, airdrops are stored, but Airdrops.io has more tabs and options for upcoming Airdrops than the others.
#8. Use Cryptocurrency Faucets
Cryptocurrency faucets are arguably one of the largest and most convenient ways to earn free crypto. Essentially, a faucet is an app or website that pays you a small amount of cryptocurrency for completing a task, such as watching ads or taking a short survey.
In general, the simpler the task is the less you’ll get paid.
Most cryptocurrency faucets have a minimum withdrawal amount. On some sites, you may be able to hit this amount in as little as a day, while on others, it could take months.
Here are a couple of the most well-known cryptocurrency faucets.
- Advercoins: This faucet has a simple premise: view ads and then click them. One click earns a user a small amount of Bitcoin. When we researched for this article, that number was .00000008 BTC (about .005 cents). The minimum withdrawal is .0002 BTC (about $12), so you’ll need to click a lot of ads in order to cash out.
- Cointiply: This site’s earning methods are through surveys, quizzes, videos and even chatting. The site pays in “Coins,” which can be exchanged for Bitcoin or Dogecoin.
See also: A regularly updated list of cryptocurrency faucets.
#9. Use the Brave Web Browser
The Brave web browser is a fast and compatible browser anybody can use that has ad blocking and web tracking protection built in. Its private browsing mode hides your web traffic using Tor, but its biggest appeal is the fact that it offers a cryptocurrency wallet.
Basic Attention Token (BAT) is the currency used by the browser, which is based on the Ethereum blockchain. As a user, you can select whether or not you want to earn a small portion of this currency in return for viewing advertisements.
Rather than simply displaying ads, a push advertisement will be sent. If you choose to view it, you will be paid. PCMag tested the browser for a day and earned about 7 cents.
While this may not seem like a lot, setting Brave up as your default browser and viewing ads daily could be a nice addition to other strategies on this list. Plus, users laud the browser for its security and privacy features.
#10. Earn Crypto By Doing Odd Jobs and Tasks
Similar to cryptocurrency faucets, you can complete odd jobs through websites or apps and receive small cryptocurrency payments in return. In truth, this is a high effort, low reward way of earning.
These odd jobs could be on pay-for-click sites, where you click an advertisement or button in return for some denomination of cryptocurrency. Alternatively, you may have the option to complete surveys or perform small online tasks.
Realistically, your earning potential could be as low as in the cents per hour, but you can certainly pass time with this method.
Here are a few prominent sites:
- BitcoinGet: This platform is survey and task based, but earning potential for this site isn’t advertised. After inputting your personal Bitcoin address, options for earning will be listed.
- BitForTip: Users can tip Bitcoins and earn Bitcoins by simply helping others with questions or tasks. There is no withdrawal amount, but you must fund your account with .0001 BTC (about $6) to post an inquiry. Supported cryptocurrencies are BTC, Bitcoin Cash, Nano and Tezos.
- r/Jobs4Bitcoins: This is a subreddit dedicated to odd jobs for those looking to earn Bitcoin. As with other threads, it’s important to stay vigilant and avoid falling for scams that may be posted.
#11. Earn Crypto For Blogging
If you have a passion for writing or blogging, a number of websites are beginning to offer payment options in cryptocurrency. Typically, the sites that offer this option are sites centered around cryptocurrency.
Sites such as Cryptocurrency News look for journalists from around the world and have been known to happily pay writers in BTC. Take advantage of blockchain companies looking for writers and request payment in crypto.
Additionally, Publish0x pays out ETH to users for writing and reading content on their site. Most of the content on this site has to do with blockchain and various cryptocurrencies, though, so it’s best for people with a deep interest.
Here’s a post with more ways to make money blogging.
Free Bitcoin FAQ
The business model of each site or app varies.
Sign-up bonuses are offered because the site or company hopes you’ll join and then become a regular customer.
Cash-back portals make money for referring you to a merchant’s website; then they share a portion of that revenue with you.
Crypto faucets pay you for viewing ads (which they get paid for showing), or when you provide them with valuable data (such as through the completion of a survey).
Crypto airdrops use giveaways as advertising to raise awareness about new coins.
Crypto games make money by creating digital assets that have value, but in order to do this, they need an active player base — so they build free crypto earning opportunities into their game models.
A Satoshi is the smallest unit of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency, and is named after Satoshi Nakamoto, who is believed to have created the protocols used in Bitcoin and blockchain. 100 million Satoshis are equal to a single Bitcoin. With free crypto sites, you’ll often be paid in Satoshis.
No. Crypto mining requires powerful computers that solve complicated mathematical equations, and which thus use significant amounts of electricity. While it is possible to make money through crypto mining, it’s certainly not free (and can be quite capital intensive to carry out at the scale necessary to become profitable).
Under U.S. tax law, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are defined as personal property and are subject to capital gain taxes. With that said, those capital gains taxes only occur when the gains are realized, and you won’t owe a cent in taxes before that moment.
How to Get Free Bitcoin: Summary
Yes, there are many different ways to get free crypto.
But no, they’re not going to make you rich.
Out of all the options on this list, we think:
- Taking advantage of the best crypto sign-up bonuses will earn you the most free bitcoin per hour.
- Coinbase’s video series on crypto, which allows you to learn and earn free crypto at the same time, is a great starting point.
Beyond that, many of the games we listed can generate solid returns; just keep in mind that earning free crypto through gaming requires interest, skill and time.
What to read next: How To Get Free Money Right Now.
