When it comes to getting free crypto, people tend to think of airdrops, or staking rewards, but there is another way: Brave Browser. By using Brave Browser you can get free crypto in the form of Basic Attention Token (BAT) for clicking on ads that pop-up while you’re browsing the Internet as you normally do. Rather than unavoidably seeing ads, you can now choose when to see them and get paid to do so, while simultaneously no longer seeing the ads you weren’t getting paid to see.
Brave Browser is a privacy-focused browser, with built in tracking and ad-blockers. In this guide, we’ll go over what Brave Browser is, how it works, the BAT token, and more ways to earn free crypto.
What is Brave Browser?
Brave Browser is essentially another version of Google Chrome, but with a few tweaks for privacy and earning BAT. It’s no different from other internet browsers like FireFox or Safari, and it allows you to add extensions through the Chrome Web Store too.
This allows you to have all the same extensions that you do on Chrome, but with the privacy and protection of Brave Shields and ability to get paid in crypto for viewing ads.
How Do Brave Shields Work?
Brave Shields protect your privacy while you browse by making you harder to track as you do so. The majority of sites nowadays include all kinds of trackers which can follow you across the Web. By blocking this type of content Shields keeps you safe and even increases your browsing speed. Here are the exact ways Shields protect you:
- Blocking most ads and the trackers that come with them
- Throwing away cookies other than the ones from the sites you actually visit
- Making your browser harder to recognize and follow without cookies
- Upgrading you to secure connections whenever sites support them
- Blocking malicious code and malicious sites — like ones which try to use your computer to mine cryptocurrencies
How Do I Get Paid for Viewing Ads on Brave?
Getting paid for viewing ads on Brave is extremely simple, and can be customized to your liking. As you’re browsing the internet on Brave, you’ll get a notification from the browser for an ad (image below). If you click the ad, you’ll earn a portion of Basic Attention Token (BAT), which is paid out in a lump sum once per month (you’ll need to register for Uphold to receive it, more on this later).
Alternatively, you can ignore the notification, or close it, and not view the ad at all. Here’s what the ads look like:
The number of ads you’re notified about per hour can be adjusted in Brave Browser’s settings, allowing you to customize it to your liking (image below).
Assuming you want to maximize the amount of BAT you can receive per month, you’ll want to set it to the max number of ads per hour, which is 10. Of course, you could also choose to see no ads and just enjoy the privacy benefits of Brave.
What is Basic Attention Token (BAT)?
Basic Attention Token, or BAT, is the native token of the Brave Browser. BAT is what you’re paid in when clicking on the ads that pop up. BAT began as an ERC-20 token (Ethereum), but has since expanded to other blockchain networks including the Binance Smart Chain (BNB), Avalanche (AVAX), NEAR Protocol (NEAR), and Solana (SOL).
The BAT you receive for viewing ads can be swapped, sold, held, or used for tips and contributions, it’s up to you. However, in order to receive your BAT rewards you’ll need to connect a custodial exchange account. If you don’t connect an account, you won’t be able to see the rewards you’re accruing, and won’t receive them at the end of the month.
Connecting a Custodial Account to Brave
There are three exchanges which Brave has partnered with to offer your BAT rewards through: Gemini, Uphold, and bitFlyer (Japan only). In order to receive your Brave Rewards, you need to register for one of these exchanges and have your identity verified.
Once you’ve successfully verified your identity with the exchange, you can connect the account to your Brave Rewards account and start receiving your BAT.
Tipping and Contributing with BAT
One of the other aspects of Brave Browser is the ability to tip or contribute to websites or creators you like. As long as the party has verified themselves with Brave and connected a custodial account, you can choose to tip once, or set up specific contributions paid out at intervals you set.
For example, if you use a site like CoinMarketCap frequently, you could choose to contribute 1 BAT per month to the site. You can also choose to not tip any creator or site, it’s totally up to you what you do with your Brave Rewards.
Are There More Ways to Earn Free Crypto?
Apart from Brave Rewards, airdrops, and staking rewards, there are a couple other ways to earn free crypto. First, there are play-to-earn (P2E) games, such as Axis Infinity. These types of P2E games allow you to earn crypto in exchange for playing the game, completing tasks, beating opponents, etc. Rewards are paid out in game specific assets, as with BAT, meaning you’ll have to trade or sell the rewards for cash if that’s your end goal.
The other way to earn free crypto is through learning programs such as the ones offered through Coinbase Learn and CoinMarketCap Learn and Earn. Both of these programs ostensibly work the same way. You watch videos that describe details and information regarding how the crypto coin or token works. Then, you answer fairly simple questions that relate to the video you just watched. In exchange for getting these answers right, you get a portion of the crypto asset for free.
Take Advantage of Free Crypto
The main takeaway of this guide should be that there are ways to earn free crypto that you can take advantage of today.
If you’re already on the internet all day, it makes sense to use a browser such as Brave in order to get rewards for viewing ads. The added privacy and lack of tracking provided by Brave Shields are an added bonus to getting free crypto. Of course, you can always choose to just have an ad free browsing experience instead.
At the end of the day earning free crypto is a great way to start your crypto journey and start interacting with the Web3 interface.
