An airdrop is a reward that a crypto user gets during the launch of a new project or during a period where such rewards are purposefully dropped for various marketing purposes. These rewards usually contain cryptocurrency for new projects, NFTs, and even unique tokens like RWAs and other utility tokens.

Typically, airdrops are a marketing tactic that persuades users to try some crypto project transactions. For the users, they act as a source of passive income.

Types of Airdrops

Typically, two types of rewards are airdropped: NFTs and crypto tokens. With the decline in the NFT markets, fewer companies have been doing airdrops. Now, most new airdrops have been just dropping tokens.

NFT Airdrops

NFT airdrops are dropped when the user participates in a whitelisting campaign. A whitelisting campaign is an event where people interested in an NFT collection submit their addresses to the project to receive an NFT or a discount.

Token Airdrops

Token airdrops are the most popular, with most tokens coming from new projects. Older projects also conduct airdrops when they want to increase their market presence or combat a lack of adoption.

A token airdrop acts as a source of free money and persuades the user to interact with the crypto project. This creates an initial impression for the user and brings traction to the project.

Some examples of token airdrops are Arbitrum, DOGS coin, and Four.meme.

How To Get an Airdrop?

Each airdrop has a specific set of activities and thresholds above which a user can receive it. These activities include interacting with the project on blockchain, generating a high trading volume, and sending peer-to-peer transactions.

Besides these common interactions, most airdrops also have a threshold only above which users qualify for an airdrop. These thresholds are typically in terms of trading volume, number of on-chain transactions, and the kinds of interactions the user has had with a project.

For example, to be eligible for the Four.meme airdrop, users must have a Solana or an Ethereum wallet and create new memecoins. Further, they also need to complete a few social tasks, such as sharing on social media, before the end of the airdrop period. 

How To Maximize Your Airdrop Chances

Users can quickly increase their chances of getting an airdrop by employing some intelligent tactics that successful winners have been using.

1. Users use multiple wallets to maximize their chances for airdrops with a limit of dropped tokens per wallet.
2. Another common tactic is wash trading. For crypto tokens that require a high number of on-chain transactions to qualify for the drop, users usually trade between a few wallets to generate a high trading volume.

Top 7 Billion Dollar Airdrops Till Date

It is estimated that over $26 billion worth of crypto has been airdropped to all the winners. Several projects dropped more than a billion dollars worth of tokens. The list below shows the biggest seven airdrops in history.

1. Uniswap has the record for the biggest airdrop ever, dropping $6.43 billion worth of UNI tokens to its winners in September 2020.
2. The second-largest airdrop was from Apecoin. During its glory days, APE was the craziest and most expensive NFT collection. The Ape airdrop was $3.5 billion.
3. The third largest multi-billion airdrop was the defi protocol dYdX, which dropped $2 billion worth of dYdX tokens in 2021.
4. Arbitrum, an Ethereum scaling solution, has dropped $1.96 billion worth of ARB tokens in 2023, making it the fourth-largest airdrop in history.
5. Ethereum Name Service (ENS) had the fifth largest airdrop in history when it dropped $1.88 billion to its users in 2021.
6. The sixth-largest airdrop was from the decentralized computing protocol, the Internet Computer Protocol. In 2021, it dropped $1.7 billion to its users.
7. Bonk is the seventh and the last on this list, with an airdrop of $1.3 billion in 2022. 

Top Upcoming Airdrops in 2024

Now that you have understood how it works and how rewarding it can be, its time to look at the top airdrops this year.

1. Four.Meme, a top memecoin creation tool on Binance, has launched an airdrop for users who share the platform on social media.
2. Another large airdrop is from DuckChain, which uses a point system to distribute tokens.
3. Tari brings another airdrop that rewards 1000 gems for each referral you help sign up for.
4. Magic Eden, an NFT marketplace, is offering an airdrop to celebrate the launch of its ME token. To claim the airdrop, users need to sign up and buy some NFTs on the chain.

Airdrop Websites and Calendars

1. Airdrops.io remains the top choice for checking the latest airdrops. The platform lists hundreds of airdrops each month, helping users maximize their chances.
2. Airdropalert.com is another website that brings you the latest airdrops in the market.
3. Freeairdrop.io brings you unique airdrops that are free and require little to no money to claim.

Frequently Asked Questions