Is there such a thing as free crypto? Is it possible to earn crypto without taking a financial risk? Can you get Bitcoin for free?
As the popularity of cryptocurrencies has skyrocketed in recent years, there have been countless opportunities to generate value and make money. Usually, these possibilities are all based on a financial investment coupled with the risk of losing your money.
This is why many – not unlike you – are looking for ways to earn free crypto and expand their portfolio without taking on financial risks.
We’ve compiled this list of the best ways to earn crypto in 2025 for you as a starting point, including many ways to earn Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, how to keep track of your crypto portfolio, and what free crypto could mean for your tax bill
Let’s get started!
What is cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency has been all the rage for the past years and yet many still don’t understand the concepts involved in the creation of its value.
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography and encryption techniques to secure and verify transactions and to control the creation of new units.
Where traditional currencies, also known as fiat, rely on central authorities like banks, clearing houses and governments to process transactions or issue new currency, cryptocurrencies are based on decentralized mechanisms.
Cryptocurrencies rely on distributed, peer-to-peer networks to maintain their integrity and ensure the accuracy of transactions. Transactions are stored in blocks on the so-called blockchain, which promises immutability as well as a novel way to process digital transactions.
There are thousands of cryptocurrencies, including Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple, with Bitcoin being considered some of the best crypto to invest. Due to its potential as an investment and its capacity to enable quick and inexpensive cross-border transactions, cryptocurrency has grown in popularity in recent years.
How to acquire cryptocurrency
There are several ways to acquire crypto, including buying crypto from an exchange, accepting it as payment for goods or services, mining crypto, staking crypto, or earning it through a cryptocurrency-based job or activity.
Buying cryptocurrency from an exchange is one of the most common methods and involves purchasing it, using either traditional fiat currency such as USD or EUR, or exchanging it for another cryptocurrency.
Learn more in our guide: How to buy cryptocurrency
Mining cryptocurrency plays an essential part in proof-of-work based blockchains like Bitcoin. Mining involves using powerful computers to solve complex mathematical equations in order to validate transactions and add new blocks to the blockchain. The miner who successfully adds a block is rewarded with new coins. Today, mining often requires a significant investment in hardware and electricity costs.
Similarly, staking cryptocurrency is a method used to verify transactions on proof-of-stake based blockchains like Ethereum. It involves holding a certain amount of a cryptocurrency in a crypto wallet and using it to participate in the network’s consensus mechanism. Stakers are rewarded with new coins as an incentive for maintaining the network’s security. Typically, earning crypto from staking already requires a larger amount of cryptocurrency to stake.
Finally, earning cryptocurrency through activities such as participating in airdrops, completing online surveys, or freelancing on a cryptocurrency-based platform is also possible. And while these are ways to earn free crypto without a financial investment, they are usually a bit more unreliable than the previous methods.
Nevertheless, we’ve written this guide to show you easy ways to earn free crypto in 2025. There are quite a few possibilities to do so, so let’s shed some light on the most common methods.
