That no one gives anything away is a maxim that is generally quite accurate. But in the world of cryptocurrencies there are some events highly appreciated by users that could be considered gifts, although the reality is somewhat more complex.
If you have used cryptocurrency platforms or held various types of cryptocurrencies, you may have received some of these gifts if you have met a series of conditions…and You may not even know it and you may not have claimed them yet.. This is what is known as airdrops.
What is an airdrop
An airdrop is a marketing or loyalty strategy in which a platform related to the world of cryptocurrencies (a new crypto, an exchange, a wallet...) distributes coins for free among users. They can also be used to distribute liquidity or governance and increase the decentralization of a crypto. Generally, these airdrops require users to meet a series of conditions to be beneficiaries.
Sometimes these conditions are very simple; register somewhere, follow the platform that performs the airdrop on social networks, or complete a simple task. Other times, the conditions are a little stricter, requiring users to hold a certain amount of a certain cryptocurrency.
On other occasions, the airdrop does not require the user to do anything and is retroactive. These types of airdrops consist of rewarding early users of certain cryptos or platforms. The promoters take a snapshot of the blockchain network at a given time (known as a snapshot) that records all the activity that has occurred on said network so far. This data (volume of transactions, age...) is then used to formulate the eligibility criteria.
Airdrops are generally mentioned in advance to attract users, so their advertising utility for those responsible is very high. Airdrops were much more frequent a few years ago, but today they still exist and are one of the most anticipated moments in the sector.
Famous airdrops
Some airdrops have created small fortunes for their recipients. It is impossible to know the price that the token distributed by the airdrop will reach, but hype and speculation can take them to stratospheric heights. These are some of the most successful.
Uniswap
Uniswap is a decentralized exchange, which in September 2020 distributed its token, UNI, among the addresses that used the exchange. Specifically, 400 UNI were awarded to each one. This token reached a maximum price of $44.92, so each wallet received which potentially amounted to almost $18,000.
UNI marked the peak of popularity of DeFI exchanges and richly rewarded its users. Some used more than one address to operate on the platform, so their reward was substantially higher. Likewise, many users never found out they received an airdrop or lost access to their wallets before they could claim it.
Arbitrum
The airdrop of ARB, the Arbitrum token, occurred in March 2023, at which time the network was decentralized and began to transform into a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization). Arbitrum tokens are governance tokens, meaning they are used to make decisions regarding the future of the network.
Users were Snapchatted in February 2023, marking more than 600,000 addresses to receive the airdrop.
Upcoming airdrops
Many times, airdrops are not announced with great fanfarebut rather they are intuited and it is not known whether they will occur or not until the moment users receive their tokens. And what's more, on many occasions the conditions that must be met to be eligible are not even known.
However, some airdrops, although not officially confirmed, are practically certain and highly anticipated.
MetaMask
MetaMask is one of the most used digital wallets. In 2025, the CEO of MetaMask announced that the launch of its token, MASK, was closer than one could imagine.
It is estimated that the most active users could be eligible in case this airdrop happens. And this does not only mean holding crypto in the wallet, but, probably, having used the myriad of functions that this wallet offers; swaps, use of your stablecoin, etc…
Polymarket
Polymarket is a betting platform based on predictions of all types of real-world events (elections, wars, etc...). It moves an absolutely massive amount of crypto, and in October 2025, its marketing director announced that an airdrop with its token, POLY, would take place, although the requirements to claim it are not yet known.
Caution with airdrops
Although airdrops may seem like the most useful events in the sector, you have to be careful. Malicious actors may advertise fake airdrops whose conditions may mislead users; link your wallet with a service, deliver your keys...This way, the only airdrop that will occur is the victim's funds flying into the scammer's wallet.
Even if the airdrop is legitimate, it is not advisable to carry out expensive operations to meet the eligibility criteria to receive a crypto whose value is unknown.
This is why it is always mandatory to check that the platforms behind an airdrop are legitimate and not to get too excited at the idea of free cryptos.
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