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NFT airdrops

NFT airdrops are free NFTs, or free tokens for NFT holders, that you receive or mint for the cost of gas. Below are the NFT programs we track, how NFT airdrops work, and how to tell a real one from the spam NFTs that empty wallets.

Jump to steps Updated Sources

NFT airdrops we track (6)

Each one has a step-by-step guide.

What is an NFT airdrop?

An NFT airdrop is a free NFT, or a free token for NFT holders, that a project sends to your wallet or lets you claim. MetaMask describes airdrops as "automated transactions that send assets to your account, usually free of charge (excluding any gas fees you may need to pay)". The kinds you'll meet:

  • Free mints: you mint the NFT yourself and pay only the network fee. As OpenSea puts it, "minting an NFT costs gas no matter who mints it."
  • Allowlist spots: an allowlist is, in OpenSea's words, "a list of wallet addresses that are given the opportunity to mint NFTs before a drop is opened" to everyone else. Projects often give spots for early activity.
  • Drops to NFT holders: a project sends a new NFT or token to the holders of a collection. Ledger's example is the mutant serum NFTs sent to Bored Ape holders, each of which let a holder mint a Mutant Ape for free.
  • Prizes: games and apps give out NFTs for points, rankings or finished tasks.

The biggest NFT airdrops: ApeCoin and PENGU

The largest NFT airdrops paid tokens to holders. In March 2022 ApeCoin said 15% of the APE supply "will be made available to @BoredApeYC NFT holders", and Decrypt reported about 10,000 APE per Bored Ape and about 2,000 per Mutant Ape.

In December 2024 Pudgy Penguins posted: "Penguins and eligible parties can claim their $PENGU now." Its project lead had said there would be no snapshot, because "your PENGU allocation is attached to the NFT". In January 2025 the claim was cut short with five days' notice, and Pudgy Penguins said "All unclaimed $PENGU will be burnt."

How to get NFT airdrops: step by step

  1. Use a separate wallet for mints and claims, holding only the gas you need, so one bad signature can't reach your main holdings.
  2. Find the program on the project's own site or official X account, and type the address yourself. For a mint that copies a real project, MetaMask's advice is to "inspect the URL and compare it with the real site."
  3. Expect to pay gas, even on a free mint. OpenSea warns: "You'd pay gas fees even if you weren't able to successfully mint an item."
  4. Read what you sign. A mint needs gas, but in MetaMask's words "an NFT mint certainly won't need access to any token, such as an ERC-20."
  5. Leave NFTs you didn't expect alone, and hide them if they clutter your wallet. "Hiding tokens or NFTs does not affect ownership".

NFT airdrop risks

  • Spam NFTs: the NFT airdrop you're most likely to get is a scam. Phantom's rule: "Assume any unsolicited NFT in your wallet is a scam and never click links in them." The NFT's image or description points to a fake site that asks you to connect a wallet or approve a transaction. OpenSea says it hasn't seen merely receiving one cause harm, so the danger starts when you follow the link.
  • Approval drainers: an approval called setApprovalForAll lets another address move every NFT you hold from one collection. MetaMask warns that "malicious dapps ask you to setApprovalForAll to claim an NFT drop: you shouldn't have to sign this kind of approval to receive anything".
  • Signed messages: some approvals are signatures rather than transactions, so they cost nothing to sign. Ledger explains that "Permit signatures allow you to grant token approvals by signing a message off-chain."
  • Fake ads: Phantom warns that "Scammers pay for sponsored Google ads pretending to be official projects."
  • Paid mints: a mint that costs money is a purchase, not an airdrop, and the NFT can lose all its value.

Sources

  1. How to view and claim NFT airdrops and mints in MetaMask MetaMask Help Center
  2. NFT airdrop scams MetaMask Help Center
  3. NFT minting scams MetaMask Help Center
  4. What is a token approval? MetaMask Help Center
  5. How to hide an asset (token or NFT) in MetaMask Portfolio MetaMask Help Center
  6. Common crypto scams and how to avoid them Phantom
  7. OpenSea Drops Guide: How NFT Drops Work OpenSea,
  8. Hiding Suspicious NFT Transfers on OpenSea OpenSea,
  9. What is a Crypto Airdrop? Ledger Academy,
  10. How to Check & Revoke Ethereum Token Approvals Ledger Academy,
  11. The ApeCoin airdrop claim for BAYC NFT holders ApeCoin on X,
  12. ApeCoin Launches for Bored Ape Ethereum NFT Holders With Reddit, FTX, Animoca Execs on Board Decrypt,
  13. Penguins and eligible parties can claim their $PENGU now Pudgy Penguins on X,
  14. Your PENGU allocation is attached to the NFT Luca Netz on X,
  15. The $PENGU claim period will end in 5 days Pudgy Penguins on X,

This page is general information, not financial advice. No airdrop is guaranteed. Check each project's official channels before you connect a wallet or deposit funds.