two hand holding lot of cryptocurrency

 

These days, there are plenty of ways to get your hands on cryptocurrency that don’t require you to mine it yourself or earn it from a job (which can take quite some time). 

So what’s the fastest way to amass crypto? Here are some tried-and-true approaches you can use.

Earn Cryptocurrency Through Regular Jobs

The simple act of searching for work on a freelancing site like Upwork or Fiverr can bring in a decent amount of coins, but you don’t have to be an experienced developer to make money through these platforms. 

If you’re skilled at something specific—like web design, writing, or marketing—you can set up an account on one of these sites and start offering your services today. 

Keep in mind that competition is tight and jobs are typically paid per project, not per hour, so it may take some time to build up a steady stream of clients. 

Still, there are plenty of people looking to hire out their time as they look for ways to make extra money online.

Earn Cryptocurrency By Playing Games

You can play games for rewards, too. Two popular sites that distribute crypto via game play are Freebit and Earnhoney. 

Don’t expect to get rich—these sites reward fractions of a penny in exchange for playing games like Minesweeper, Pinball and Solitaire. 

But over time, those small amounts can add up. Some of these platforms also allow you to turn your earnings into Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Litecoin. (See also: How Do People Actually Use Cryptocurrency?)

Earn Cryptocurrency By Trading Crypto On Exchanges

This is one of the fastest ways to earn crypto. However, most exchanges only accept fiat money as payment. 

So in order to trade crypto for crypto on an exchange, you’ll first need to buy some Bitcoin or Ether with your fiat money and then exchange them for other cryptocurrencies at market value. 

This isn’t a beginner-level activity for sure, but if you’re looking for quick results and don’t want to mine or stake cryptocurrency, it is possible (though risky). 

Earn Cryptocurrency By Mining: If you have a powerful computer that can handle lots of processing power, then mining might be right up your alley. If so, there are two main ways to go about mining: solo and pooled mining.

Earn Cryptocurrency Through Other People’s Efforts

Peer-to-peer networks can generate small amounts of income from people who are willing to provide you with their computer power. 

These individuals run special software on their computers, called miners, which help verify and record payments into digital ledgers. 

As an incentive for running these programs, these users are rewarded with new cryptocurrency as it is created. 

Two popular peer-to-peer networks that allow users to earn crypto through other people’s efforts include NiceHash and MinerGate.

Earn Cryptocurrency By Investing In Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs)

Many startups choose to issue their own cryptocurrency through an initial coin offering, or ICO. These startups, which include blockchain companies and other tech firms, are raising money with cryptocurrencies instead of traditional funding methods. 

In an ICO campaign, interested investors buy digital tokens issued by a startup company—typically in exchange for Bitcoin or Ethereum. 

These coins are similar to shares of a company sold to investors in an initial public offering (IPO). 

However unlike shares of stock, tokens don’t necessarily confer ownership rights to anything. The new digital tokens can be freely traded on secondary markets, much like stocks and other forms of equity in early-stage companies.

Earn Cryptocurrency With DApps

Decentralized applications, or DApps, are essentially apps that aren’t controlled by one centralized party. 

The best part? You can earn tokens while using these apps. And you don’t even need experience programming in order to earn crypto with them. 

Here are four DApps you can check out today:

1. Loom Network 

2. CryptoKitties 

3. Gnosis 

4. Augur

 Note: Do your own research before investing any money into cryptocurrencies and/or blockchain startups.