Choose a network before you chase a drop

How to choose an ecosystem to follow

Following all fourteen networks is a good way to follow none of them well. A better approach is to pick one or two, learn them properly and ignore the rest until something verified turns up. We would choose in this order.

1. Start with what you can protect. If you already understand EVM wallets and approvals, an EVM network lowers your chance of an expensive mistake. Learning a new account model while a deadline is running is how people lose funds.
2. Check the record, not the buzz. Each page links to the campaigns we track on that network and how they ended. A network with several closed, well-documented drops teaches you how rules are written. A network with none teaches you what silence looks like.
3. Count the cost of one honest test. Do one small action, read what the wallet asks you to sign and see what it costs. Then decide whether repeating it is worth it without any reward.
4. Prefer networks whose docs you can read. The pages in this section cite official documentation for fees and accounts. If a network's own documentation does not state something, we say so instead of guessing.

How ecosystems differ for airdrop hunters

EVM versus non-EVM

On Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Linea and BNB Chain, one address works across networks, and the same wallets, approvals and scam patterns apply. That is convenient and dangerous in equal measure: a leaked key on one network is a leaked key on all of them. Solana, Cosmos, TON, Sui, Aptos and Bitcoin each use different address formats and wallet software, so a wallet you trust on one may not exist on another. Starknet and ZKsync are Ethereum layer 2 networks that diverge from the standard EVM account model, which is why they get their own pages.

Account models

Account and signing differences, from each network's official documentation

Network	What the docs say about accounts	Why it matters to you
Sui	A 32-byte address for accounts and objects; assets are objects with ownership types	Check what objects a signature moves
Aptos	32-byte addresses; authentication keys can be rotated; assets are Move resources	Compare full addresses, not just the ends
Starknet	Every account is a smart contract with validate and execute steps	Account software is part of your risk
ZKsync	Native account abstraction with optional paymasters	A gas-free action still needs a signature
Linea	EVM-compatible, with EIP-7702 transactions supported	Be wary of account upgrade prompts
BNB Chain	BNB Smart Chain is fully EVM-compatible	Standard EVM hygiene applies
Bitcoin	A UTXO ledger; no native token distribution	Distributions run on other layers

Fee levels

Fees decide how many experiments you can afford. The official pages we reviewed describe fee structures but, in most cases, no single typical price: Sui gives a formula and example rows, Aptos explains gas and storage fees without a typical amount, Starknet lists fee components paid in STRK, Linea follows an EIP-1559 model with a fixed 0.03 gwei infrastructure cost, and BNB Smart Chain cites a standard gas price of 0.05 gwei. For ZKsync and Bitcoin, fees depend on Ethereum gas and on block-space demand respectively. We do not turn any of that into dollars, because the numbers move. Check your wallet's estimate on the day.

Wallet ecosystems

Each family has its own wallets, explorers and bridges, and impersonation follows whichever family is popular. The network pages list only tools named in official documentation. A listing is a pointer to the official directory, not a security review. Always open wallets and bridges from the network's own docs, and see custodial versus non-custodial for who holds the keys.

What the tracked counts do and do not tell you

The number on each card is the count of projects in our database that list the network among their chains. It is a measure of what we have verified from first-party sources, not of how much activity a network has. A project can appear under more than one network, so the counts overlap, and closed campaigns are included because they are the best evidence of how rules were written and how claims were run.

Read a count of zero carefully. It means we hold no verified record for that network, which is not the same as nothing happening there. It also means any site announcing a "confirmed" drop on that network owes you a link to an official source. Read a high count carefully too: a long list of ended campaigns shows that a network has produced distributions in the past, not that it will produce one again. The ended list is full of reminders that deadlines are real and that unclaimed allocations were not held for latecomers.

Three mistakes people make when they switch networks

Carrying EVM habits to a different model

Assuming that "approve once, revoke later" applies everywhere. On Sui the documentation describes tokens as objects you own, and on Starknet accounts are contracts with their own validation. The risks are different, so the checks are too, and you should read the network page before the first signature.

Trusting a bridge because it is popular

A bridge is a contract holding other people's funds. The official documentation of a network is the place to find the bridge it names, and the bridge's own page is the place to read timings, claim steps and extra fees. Linea's documentation, for example, lists a manual claim step for withdrawals and a 0.001 ETH fee on Ethereum-bound transfers.

Mistaking a points programme for a promise

Points, seasons and incentives appear on most networks. Whether they convert to a token is a decision the project makes later. Our points guide explains how to read the wording, and the network pages describe where documentation states a payout and where it does not.

None of this requires you to follow every network. It requires you to know which one you are on when you sign, and to have a reason for being there. If you are new, begin with an EVM network you already use, read its page here, and treat the first month as practice with small amounts.

Cross-chain safety

Most losses we read about happen at the seams between networks, not inside one. These rules apply everywhere.

• Use a separate wallet per purpose. A campaign wallet should hold only what the campaign needs. The burner wallet guide shows how to set one up.
• Treat bridges as the highest-trust step. You send funds to someone else's contract. Use the bridge named in the network's official documentation, and read the timings and fees before you start, as the Linea page does for its native bridge.
• Match the network before you sign. Check the chain name and chain ID in your wallet. A page that tells you to switch networks is asking you to do the step where mistakes happen.
• Never share a seed phrase. No legitimate claim, bridge or support desk needs it.
• Revoke what you no longer use. On EVM networks, revoking token approvals removes standing permissions.
• Be suspicious of urgency. A real programme states a deadline in its own documentation. Linea, for one, said its 90-day window meant there was no need to rush.

When you are ready to keep notes, the airdrop tracker stores them in your browser only. For the basics, start with what is a crypto airdrop, and browse all guides.