What Are Crypto Faucets?
A crypto faucet allows crypto users and investors to earn small cryptocurrency rewards — basically free – for completing small or simple tasks. Investors generally do not need to make a purchase or put up any additional assets in exchange. The term “faucet” comes from the fact that the rewards are very small — like drops of water dripping from a faucet.
The idea of earning free crypto may sound intriguing, but know that crypto faucets have been used in scams in years past. However, when used wisely they can be a way to increase your crypto holdings over the long term.
There are numerous types of crypto faucets, like Bitcoin faucets. A Bitcoin faucet, for example, sends small amounts of free or earned Satoshis or “sats” (the smallest unit of Bitcoin) to a user’s wallet. To claim these rewards, users typically have to perform a task such as:
• Watching product videos
• Viewing or clicking on advertisements
• Completing a Captcha
• Solving a puzzle
• Playing a game
As payment for these tasks, users could receive a single Satoshi, which is one millionth of one Bitcoin (0.00000001 BTC). While that may sound like a very small drop in the bucket indeed, Bitcoin is still the oldest cryptocurrency (and by far the largest) on the market, and its value could increase over time. (Remember that past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.)
How Do Crypto Faucets Work?
Most crypto faucets are relatively easy to use. Sometimes, using one can be as simple as entering a public key address for your crypto wallet, clicking a few buttons, and receiving the coins or tokens. In general, the more complex the tasks required, the higher the rewards.
Keep in mind that some faucets tend to give out very small rewards — and it is unlikely that users will amass a large amount of crypto from them.
Faucets often have a web-hosted crypto wallet, which stores coins for users up until a certain threshold. To avoid transaction fees eating up most or all of the rewards, many crypto faucets have a minimum threshold that users must reach before they can withdraw the coins to their own wallet.
What Is the Point of Crypto Faucets?
A bit of context is required to fully understand why crypto faucets are a part of the crypto universe.
During the first few years after the creation of Bitcoin 2009, few people had heard of virtual currencies, let alone used them. And those who had couldn’t do much with their coins, as businesses did not accept Bitcoin for payment, and there were no opportunities for trading, because modern crypto exchanges didn’t exist yet.
Gavin Andresen, an early Bitcoin adopter, believed in the future of Bitcoin and devised a way for more people to learn about cryptocurrency. He offered free Bitcoins in exchange for completing Captchas.
In 2010, the first Bitcoin faucet ever created paid out 5 BTC in exchange for the simple task of clicking on images. This was, at a time, when one Bitcoin was worth less than a penny. Today, 5 BTC would be worth well into the six-figures.
As crypto and crypto faucets became more popular, the rewards fell to the smallest denominations possible. Faucets became an integral part of cryptocurrency history, as they helped get crypto into more people’s hands.
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Pros and Cons of Crypto Faucets
Crypto faucets have both benefits and drawbacks that investors should make note of:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free crypto | Some faucets could be scams |
| Easy way to get started learning about crypto | Small rewards |
| Anyone can use faucets | Mindless tasks required |
Pros of Crypto Faucets
• The biggest pro of crypto faucets might be the free crypto. There aren’t many other ways to get crypto simply handed to you. Crypto airdrops also involve users receiving free crypto, but those are usually distributed to select users based on certain eligibility requirements.
• Faucets are an easy way to get started with Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. There’s no real investment required beyond getting a crypto wallet and the time required to complete the task in question.
• Faucets don’t require much knowledge or know-how to get started. Anyone can use them — you don’t need to know how to trade crypto to use a faucet.
Cons of Crypto Faucets
• The amount of crypto earned is very small. As mentioned earlier, the reward could be as little as one Satoshi from a Bitcoin faucet, which is worth only a tiny fraction of a cent.
• The tasks that a Bitcoin faucet will require can quickly get monotonous. How long will someone be willing to sit there and repeatedly complete a Captcha, after all?
• The general risks associated with crypto also apply to faucets. Some can be types of crypto scams, phishing attempts, or ways to steal a user’s funds or identity. Some faucets could infect users’ devices with malware.
The lure of free money can be an effective way for hackers to compromise the devices or identity of potential users. The website or app might be phishing for information or download malware to a user’s device after having them click a link or download a file. Here are a few red flags that a crypto faucet is a scam:
◦ The rewards are too good to be true. If the rewards seem significantly higher than other faucet rewards, they are likely not legitimate.
◦ You’ve received an unsolicited offer. If you’ve received a faucet offer via email or message without asking for it, it could be from a scammer.
◦ Error-heavy messages. Multiple grammatical errors and misspellings could indicate the email is fraudulent.
Bitcoin Faucets
As noted, Bitcoin faucets were the original crypto faucet, as Bitcoin itself was the original cryptocurrency. As such, Bitcoin faucets are likely the most common on the market. Also as mentioned, Bitcoin faucets distribute BTC to users who are willing and able to complete certain tasks or activities.
Other Types of Crypto Faucets
It all began with a Bitcoin faucet many years ago, but today, there are crypto faucets for all types of different cryptocurrencies. Some of the most popular include Litecoin faucets, Ethereum faucets, and Dogecoin faucets.
Litecoin Faucets
A Litecoin faucet functions in the same manner as a Bitcoin faucet. The only difference is that the faucet distributes Litecoin (LTC) rather than Bitcoin (BTC).
To use Litecoin faucets, users will have to first set up a Litecoin wallet. Then it’s just a matter of choosing the highest-paying Litecoin faucet. Some faucets could pay up to 1,000 litoshis (the smallest units of Litecoin).
Ethereum Faucets
An Ethereum faucet is one that distributes ETH, the native token of the Ethereum network.
Ethereum faucets, like some other faucets, may also have referral bonuses. Users who refer their friends could get an extra faucet drip without having to do anything more.
When trying to withdraw funds, however, users could run into an issue: The Ethereum network tends to have very high transaction fees, known as gas fees. So, to send $2 worth of ETH to another wallet could easily cost more than the transaction itself.
Dogecoin Faucets
Dogecoin faucets have been popular since the meme cryptocurrency was first invented back in 2014. These faucets distribute Dogecoin (DOGE). Because DOGE has such a low value, larger portions of coins can come out of faucets.
When one DOGE was worth a fraction of a penny, faucets would distribute between one and five DOGE at a time. Today’s Dogecoin faucets mostly distribute anywhere from 0.1 to 1 DOGE at a time.
The Future of Crypto Faucets
The future of crypto faucets probably looks a lot like the past. These are basically fun apps for people who are new to crypto (as long as you’re careful). It gives individuals a way to get started learning how to interact with the cryptocurrency ecosystem without having to make an initial investment. Some modern or current crypto faucets even allow users to play games, making it a bit more fun to earn rewards.
But, keep in mind: No one keeps clicking on a faucet all day hoping to cash in on big rewards. In terms of today’s value, the typical crypto faucet pays out a tiny fraction of a cent each time, and there are often limits on the number of payouts a user can receive in a given timeframe.
Are There Any Real Crypto Faucets?
Yes, there are numerous real crypto faucets, but it may take a little time for users to do some research to make sure they’re not falling for a scam or some sort of fake faucet. A simple internet search for a desired, certain cryptocurrency faucet is likely to yield a list of results.
But again: It’s up to you, the user, to take a little time and make sure you don’t see any red flags that could indicate a faucet is a scam.
Other Ways to Make Money With Crypto
Crypto faucets are an option for earning crypto, or adding additional holdings to your portfolio. But, as mentioned, it’s a slow, tedious process. Here are some other ways to make money with crypto.
Investing
Investing is likely the most common or popular way that people make money with crypto, which more or less entails buying at one price, and selling it at a higher price. There are numerous ways to invest in crypto, however (even through retirement accounts), and the risks involved are significant — even more significant than investing in stocks.
Mining/Staking
You can also mine certain cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, or stake others, to earn even more crypto. Whether you can mine or stake crypto will depend on the specific cryptocurrency, but know that an increasing number of cryptos are moving to a proof-of-stake system (which allows for staking), as it’s generally more efficient and less resource-intensive.
Play to Earn
You can also try your hand at any number of play-to-earn crypto games, of which there are many. These games reward players or participants with tokens or NFTs for playing, which may or may not have value — they allow the player to participate in the in-game economy, though.
If any of these methods don’t strike your fancy, there are numerous ways to earn passive crypto income, too, such as lending, cloud mining, and running lightning nodes.
Buying Crypto With SoFi
Crypto faucets can give new users their first foray into the crypto world. They reward users with small amounts of crypto, though the actual amounts are often miniscule. Crypto faucets take advantage of the divisibility of cryptocurrencies, or their ability to be divided into many smaller units — and the potential for growth over time (although with crypto there is also considerable volatility).
There are numerous types of crypto faucets, such as Bitcoin faucets or Litecoin faucets. There are also many scams out there using the guise of crypto faucets in order to take advantage of unsuspecting users — which is important to keep in mind.
FAQ
Are there any crypto faucets?
Yes, there are many crypto faucets out there. You should be able to find them through simple internet searches, but you’ll want to make sure you’re finding a faucet for the specific cryptocurrency you hope to accumulate through rewards.
Are crypto faucets legit?
Many crypto faucets are legit, but there are numerous scams out there — so, faucet users should proceed with caution.
Is using a crypto faucet profitable?
Crypto faucets are not really profitable. Though they do offer users “free” rewards in the form of tiny amounts of crypto, those amounts are often so tiny that they carry next to no value.
How can I get 1 Bitcoin for free?
It’s not likely that you’ll find anyone or anywhere that’s willing to give you a free Bitcoin as of 2023, given that a single Bitcoin’s value is more than $20,000, as of March 14, 2023.
Photo credit: iStock/Fabian19
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