How to Get Free Solana (SOL) in 2025: 7 Proven Methods
Discover legitimate ways to earn free Solana without spending money. From reclaiming locked rent to airdrops and staking rewards.
Table of Contents
1. Reclaim Locked SOL from Empty Accounts (Easiest Method)
Most users can get 0.02-0.20 SOL instantly!
No effort required. Takes 30 seconds.
If you've used Solana before, you likely have free SOL already locked in your wallet. Every empty token account holds ~0.00203928 SOL as rent deposit.
How much can you reclaim?
- • 10 empty accounts = 0.02 SOL (~$2-4)
- • 50 empty accounts = 0.10 SOL (~$10-20)
- • 100 empty accounts = 0.20 SOL (~$20-40)
How to Reclaim:
- Visit SOL Cleaner
- Connect your Phantom or Solflare wallet
- Click "Scan Wallet" to find empty accounts
- Select all and close them
- Receive SOL instantly to your wallet
Why this works: Most Solana users have traded meme coins, received airdrops, or tested tokens. Each creates an account. When emptied, the rent stays locked until you manually close them.
Check Your Free SOL Now →2. Solana Airdrops
Airdrops are free token distributions to active Solana users. Some airdrops are worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Recent Major Airdrops:
- • Jupiter (JUP) - $700+ per user
- • Jito (JTO) - $1,000+ per user
- • Pyth Network - $200+ per user
- • Tensor - $500+ per user
How to Qualify for Airdrops:
- 1. Use Solana DeFi protocols actively:
- Swap tokens on Jupiter, Raydium
- Provide liquidity on Orca
- Trade NFTs on Tensor, Magic Eden
- Stake SOL on Marinade, Jito
- 2. Follow projects on Twitter/X - Many announce airdrop criteria
- 3. Join Discord communities - Early supporters often get rewarded
- 4. Hold NFTs from certain collections - Some projects airdrop to NFT holders
Warning: Airdrop Scams
Never connect your wallet to unknown sites. Never share your seed phrase. Legitimate airdrops are claimed through official project websites only.
Where to Find Legitimate Airdrops:
- • Twitter/X: Follow @SolanaFloor, @SolanaNews
- • Reddit: r/solana community posts
- • Discord: Official Solana and project servers
- • Airdrop trackers: DeFi Llama airdrops section
3. Staking Rewards (5-7% APY)
If you already own SOL, you can earn more by staking. Not exactly "free," but you're earning passive income on assets you already hold.
Staking Returns:
Best Places to Stake SOL:
- Phantom Wallet (Easiest)
- Built-in staking feature
- Choose from top validators
- No minimum amount
- Marinade Finance (Liquid Staking)
- Receive mSOL (tradeable staked SOL)
- Use mSOL in DeFi while earning rewards
- Auto-compounds rewards
- Jito (Maximum Returns)
- Extra MEV rewards on top of staking
- 7-9% total APY
- Receive JitoSOL
Note: Staking has a ~2-3 day unstaking period. Your SOL will be locked during this time.
4. Learn-to-Earn Programs
Some platforms reward you with free crypto (including SOL) for learning about blockchain and completing quizzes.
Platforms Offering Learn-to-Earn:
Coinbase Earn
- • Watch short videos about crypto projects
- • Answer simple quizzes
- • Earn $3-5 per lesson in various cryptos
- • Convert earnings to SOL
- • Total potential: $20-50
Binance Learn & Earn
- • Similar to Coinbase Earn
- • Complete educational modules
- • Earn tokens and convert to SOL
- • New campaigns regularly
Rabbithole
- • Complete on-chain quests
- • Interact with Solana protocols
- • Earn NFT credentials + rewards
- • Requires some starting SOL for gas
5. Solana Faucets (Devnet/Testnet Only)
Important Note
Faucets only provide testnet SOL, which has no real monetary value. It's used for testing dApps and learning development.
If you're a developer or learning Solana development, use these faucets to get free testnet SOL:
- • SolFaucet.com - 1-2 devnet SOL per request
- • Solana CLI - Command:
solana airdrop 2 - • QuickNode Faucet - For developers
Note: There are NO legitimate faucets for mainnet (real) SOL. Any site claiming to give free mainnet SOL is a scam.
6. Trading Competitions & Promotions
Major exchanges and Solana DEXes regularly run trading competitions with SOL prizes.
Where to Find Competitions:
Jupiter Trading Competitions
Regular trading volume contests. Top traders earn SOL rewards.
Binance Solana Promotions
New user bonuses, deposit rewards, trading fee rebates in SOL.
Phantom Wallet Campaigns
Occasional promotional events with SOL giveaways to active users.
NFT Trading Contests
Magic Eden and Tensor run contests for top NFT traders.
Follow official Twitter accounts and Discord servers to stay updated on new promotions.
7. Referral Programs
Earn SOL by referring friends to exchanges and Solana platforms.
Top Referral Programs:
- Binance: Earn 20-40% of trading fees paid by referrals
- Bybit: Up to $1,000+ per referral in rewards
- Jupiter: Earn trading fee share from referrals
- Phantom Wallet: Occasional referral bonuses
How to Maximize Referrals:
- Share referral links on social media
- Create educational content about Solana
- Help beginners get started (genuinely helpful)
- Join crypto communities and contribute value
🚨 How to Avoid Scams
⛔Red Flags - Avoid These:
- ✗Sites asking you to send SOL first to receive more back
- ✗"Double your SOL" or guaranteed returns promises
- ✗Requests for your seed phrase or private keys
- ✗Fake celebrity or project giveaway accounts
- ✗Random DMs offering "exclusive" airdrops
- ✗Sites with suspicious domains (check URL carefully)
✓Safety Rules:
- ✓Only use official websites (check Twitter verified accounts)
- ✓Verify all links before clicking
- ✓Never share your seed phrase with anyone, ever
- ✓Use hardware wallets for large amounts
- ✓If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
Summary: Easiest to Hardest
🟢 EASIEST: Reclaim Locked Rent
Takes 30 seconds. Instant 0.02-0.20 SOL
🔵 EASY: Learn-to-Earn
1-2 hours. Earn $20-50 in crypto
🟡 MEDIUM: Staking
Need existing SOL. Earn 5-7% APY
🟠 MEDIUM-HARD: Airdrops
Use DeFi actively. Potential: $100-1000+
🔴 HARD: Trading Competitions
Requires skill and capital. High rewards
Start with the Easiest Method
Check if you have locked SOL right now. Takes 30 seconds, zero risk.
Scan Your Wallet for Free SOL →Written by SOL Cleaner Team
Helping Solana users maximize their crypto holdings. Discover legitimate ways to earn and reclaim SOL.