It’s the end of the year, and I’ve been reminiscing a bit.
A lot of you joined during the 2017 days.
When ICOs were booming.
When AirdropAlert first started.
Back then, everything felt new.
Chaotic.
Full of opportunity.
Today, we’re looking back at how free crypto and airdrops evolved over the last eight years.
And honestly… when I say eight years out loud, I feel old.
Crypto years hit different.
What started with faucets turned into ICO hype, then DeFi summer, NFTs, and now points-based airdrops and farming strategies.
The idea of free crypto never disappeared.
It just kept changing shape.
So let’s walk through how we got here.
The Earliest Days: Bitcoin Faucets
The first version of free crypto was simple.
Bitcoin faucets.
Early faucets gave out Bitcoin just for showing up.
No KYC.
Without trading.
No real effort beyond clicking a button.
At the time, Bitcoin had little monetary value.
The goal wasn’t profit.
It was distribution.
Faucets helped:
- Spread Bitcoin to new users
- Encourage experimentation
- Build early network effects
Looking back, this was the purest form of free crypto.
On that note, we promoted a platform FreeBitco.in for years, and earned over 0.5 BTC from this faucet. Unfortunately, they are shutting down this month. You may have spotted their banner on our site not too long ago. Anyways, final goodbye to the free bitcoins i guess.
ICOs: Free Money Turns Speculative
As crypto grew, free crypto became more speculative.
Enter ICOs.
Initial Coin Offerings allowed anyone to buy into new projects early, often with nothing more than a whitepaper and a dream.
While ICOs weren’t technically “free,” they felt like free money.
You sent ETH.
Tokens appeared.
Prices often went up.
I remember cold-calling ICO teams during this phase.
Literally explaining airdrops to them as a way to grow communities.
Most of them didn’t get it.
Until a few did.
Projects like Oyster and Experty said yes.
They asked us to host the campaigns.
That’s how we started running exclusive airdrops for the AirdropAlert community.
It made sense at the time.
We were early.
We were the only real airdrop aggregator.
Distribution was still a problem.
Those early successes snowballed.
Before long, it spiraled into the crazy ICO + airdrop season of 2017 and 2018.
Everyone wanted attention.
Everyone wanted an airdrop.
Free crypto became marketing.
The Quiet Middle: Airdrops Before They Were Cool
Before DeFi summer, airdrops already existed.
Projects experimented with:
- Dropping tokens to wallet holders
- Rewarding early users
- Incentivizing adoption
Many people ignored these airdrops.
Some forgot about them entirely.
At the time, they felt small.
In hindsight, many were meaningful.
This phase quietly laid the foundation for what came next.
DeFi Summer: Free Crypto for Using the System
Then came DeFi summer.
This was a turning point.
Protocols began rewarding users not for speculation, but for participation.
Providing liquidity.
Swapping tokens.
Using lending protocols.
Airdrops became retroactive.
You used the product.
Months later, you got rewarded.
Free crypto was no longer random.
It was earned.
This changed everything.
NFTs: Free Crypto Through Culture and Identity
NFTs introduced a different form of free crypto.
It wasn’t always about tokens.
It was about access.
Holding NFTs could unlock:
- Future token drops
- Whitelist spots
- Revenue sharing
- Community rewards
Free crypto became cultural.
Sometimes it paid extremely well.
Sometimes it didn’t.
NFTs proved that value could be distributed through belief, not just usage. Personally, I landed so many big airdrops during these stages, $APE, $PENGU, $LOOKS, to name a few. Crazy to think back on those days.
Airdrops Today: Free Crypto With Structure
Today’s version of free crypto looks far more refined.
The biggest shift has been the airdrop points meta.
DeFi farming became gamified.
You earn points for:
- Trading
- Providing liquidity
- Staking
- Being consistently active
Those points often convert into airdrops later.
Not always.
But often enough to matter.
Liquidity now plays a major role.
Having funds to deploy intelligently usually leads to larger airdrops.
That’s why strategies like:
are popular today.
Free crypto now rewards structure, not randomness.
Why Free Crypto Keeps Evolving
Free crypto evolves because crypto evolves.
Every cycle introduces:
- New users
- New incentives
- New problems
Distribution adapts.
Faucets solved early adoption.
ICOs funded experimentation.
DeFi rewarded usage.
NFTs rewarded belief.
Points and airdrops reward commitment and liquidity.
Each phase reflected what the ecosystem needed at that moment.
Is Free Crypto Still Really “Free”?
Not exactly.
Today’s free crypto costs:
- Time
- Attention
- Gas fees
- Liquidity
- Opportunity cost
Liquidity matters more than ever.
You don’t need millions.
But having capital and using it smartly makes a difference.
Free crypto didn’t disappear.
It became competitive.
Guide; Don’t forget to pay your taxes on the free airdrops you receive.
What Comes Next?
History suggests free crypto will not vanish.
It will change form again.
New networks need users.
Fresh ecosystems need liquidity.
New ideas need believers.
Distribution always finds a way.
The people who benefit most aren’t the smartest.
They’re the ones paying attention and adapting.
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Final Thoughts
Free crypto was never really about free money.
It was about alignment.
Aligning users with networks.
Aligning incentives with growth.
From faucets to airdrops, the methods changed.
The goal stayed the same.
Reward the people who showed up early and stayed active.
If you enjoyed this blog, check out our airdrop farming content.
As always, don’t forget to claim your bonus below on Bybit. See you next time!
