In this article we summarize the best and most interesting airdrops in the world that you absolutely must be a part of.
Many projects, especially those in the layer2 world, are about to launch their tokens and may choose the airdrop technique to decentralize their ecosystem.
Let’s delve into both the infrastructures that have already been launched in the mainnet and those still in the testing phase.
Full details below.
Summary
Airdrop of mainnet projects: which ones are the best and what to do to get them?
Many of the best layer 2 blockchains leveraging zero knowledge technology have already been launched in the mainnet and may decide to airdrop to usher a token into their network.
These kinds of projects tend to wait a few months before creating and deploying a governance and/or utility cryptocurrency, playing heavily on the FOMO phenomenon.
By creating hype regarding a future airdrop, the infrastructure can monetize for several months the on-chain traffic that is created by the crowd of individuals seeking to prove eligible by conducting transactions on their platforms.
There are currently 3 top networks that have already been live on the mainnet for months and are probably on the verge of taking the extra step of airdropping a token to their community.
The most prominent of these is definitely zkSync: Ethereum’s layer 2 scaling solution, which using cryptographic zero-knowledge proofs (SNARKs), aims for high network scalability with low fees and focus on the principle of privacy.
The company behind the development of the chain, namely Matter Labs, has raised venture capitalist funding of $458 million.
zkSync recently reached an extraordinary $700 million in TVL: perhaps we are close to the long-awaited airdrop, which has already been confirmed by the official development team.
The second best layer 2 that falls under this umbrella is Starknet, a blockchain created under the Cairo programming language and using zk proof STARKs, similar to those used by zkSync.
Starkware Industries, the company leading the infrastructure, was financed by private investment funds for $282 million in a total valuation of $8 billion.
Right now the network has $71 million in capital locked up in decentralized application smart contracts, with growth accelerating starting in May 2023.
The latest project, which is available in the mainnet and is likely to release an airdrop to its early users is Polygon zkEvm.
The rollup launched by Polygon Labs, will be a key piece of the Polygon 2.0 set of networks, which aims to bring unified liquidity and unlimited scalability, in a completely innovative concept.
The zk infrastructure has been funded to the tune of $451 million and already has a TVL of $47 million, just a few months after its launch.
It is one of the most promising networks of the moment.
Airdrops of projects in testnet: better to wait or get to work right away?
While many of the best networks have been launched in mainnet and could easily undertake marketing strategies such as airdrops, many other projects are still in testnet, waiting to finish some structural developments.
It is worth noting that the likelihood of an actual airdrop release, is higher for networks on the mainnet
However, this does not mean that there is a need to refrain from trying to earn rewards by making on-chain transactions.
Indeed, there have been several past cases where active participation in testnets by early adopters has been rewarded with a cryptocurrency reward.
Furthermore, airdrop hunting on testnet networks is totally free and can be considered as an activity to gain experience in the web3 world by amplifying one’s skill set.
In this paragraph we want to point out 3 very interesting networks, among the best around, and with high probability of future airdrops.
The first is Scroll, Ethereum’s layer 2 focused on the privacy and security of its ecosystem, which will be launched soon.
It currently lacks a governance token for the project but could easily arrive shortly after it lands on the mainnet, or even in parallel.
The project has been funded to the tune of $80 million by several established Venture Capitalists in the industry, and is estimated to revolutionize the zero knowledge technology landscape.
The second case of a blockchain that could reward its community with one of the best airdrops in history is Base, the layer 2 of Coinbase.
The exchange is the second largest crypto exchange platform in terms of volume and notoriety, and has never created its own decentralized token, even though the company is listed on the Nasdaq.
Perhaps the most important trade-off here are the regulatory challenges with the SEC: launching a cryptocurrency may not be well seen by the federal agency, but at the same time it could serve to greatly decentralize the infrastructure.
Rumor has it that an airdrop by Coinbase is only a matter of time.
The latest network in the blockchain field that is in testnet and could give a token to its first users is Zetachain, an omnichain interoperability infrastructure that has already raised funding from private investors.
The chain is run by a California-based company specializing in software development that holds great promise for the future of this project.
As in the other cases, there is no central token within the ecosystem, but there is already a glimpse of a supposed coin called ZETA within the testnet.
An airdrop could be feasible to launch the network in mainnet.
How to move into mainnet and testnet projects to get gift tokens
Let’s now turn to the operational side and see what are the best activities to do, for both mainnet and testnet projects, to be rewarded with an airdrop.
First, as anticipated, it is important to understand that most of the effort must be put into performing actions on mainnet infrastructure, both as a matter of timing and the feasibility of the airdrop itself.
If we were to quantify the amount of time that is required to be spent on the two, we would say that 70% should be allocated to mainnet projects, and a remaining 30% to testnet projects.
In any case, it is up to you to choose what to focus on, depending on your web3 skills and your economic availability.
For example, if you do not have at least $1000 to run on the mainnet, perhaps it is better to apply more for testnets.
Be that as it may, as a general rule, to get rewards from projects that are already in mainnet, the operational procedures are always the same:
- bridging funds from Ethereum to the layer 2 in question;
- performing various swaps on the decentralized exchange platforms;
- acting as liquidity providers for the DEX pools;
- testing the various ecosystem applications.
As for networks that are in testnet, there are a variety of activities that can be performed, but again we can summarize them in a few steps:
- bridging funds from the GOERLI testnet to the testnet in question;
- performing various tasks among the applications that support the testnet;
- participating in social campaigns and tasks on the Galxe platform.
If you want to delve into the various cases individually, you can take a look at the previous articles we have compiled for you in which we explain how to get the best airdrops of the moment.
In addition, you can independently check out the official websites of the various projects and try out the different decentralized applications present for each ecosystem.
