Earning with Nodes: 5 Most Profitable Cases
In this article, we’ll break down the activities that earned early participants tens of thousands of dollars, the costs involved, and how to replicate those results today with xNode.
Operating a node is among the most dependable ways to qualify for an airdrop allocation. Instead of trading, you become an infrastructure participant in the network: you launch a node, maintain uptime, and prove your activity. Below are real testnet examples that delivered substantial rewards.
Aptos
After the testnet, node runners who kept their test nodes online for just two months, as well as participants who verified NFT minting, each received roughly $2,500. The project didn’t split participants by role — about 120,000 wallets received a sizable drop, with costs up to $50.
Avalanche
As part of ITN Denali, participants who maintained stable node operations earned an average of 2,000 AVAX, valued at roughly $6,000 at the time of listing, with costs up to $150. Since then, the asset’s price has increased multiple times.
Lava Network
A decentralized protocol built on the Cosmos SDK, effectively operating as an RPC marketplace. After mainnet launch, a major airdrop took place: in a number of cases, participants received approximately $1,000–$3,000, with costs up to $250.
Taiko
An Ethereum-equivalent ZK-rollup designed to scale Ethereum while maximizing L1 compatibility. During the airdrop, 5% of the initial supply was distributed. At the time of listing, active participants received approximately $2,000–$6,500, with costs up to $200.
Celestia
One of the most successful node-running cases: with total costs of about $240 and roughly six months of stable node operation, participants received around 8,500 TIA, worth approximately $75,000 at the time of the airdrop.
Of course, beyond these leading projectsthere were dozens of activities that didn’t perform as strongly—but in most cases, costs were covered. Today on the xNode website you’ll find the top projects curated by our team. Want to get started quickly without hassle or routine? Setting up a node takes just a few minutes — we’ll handle all the technical work for you!
This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. xNode does not guarantee any rewards; campaign terms are defined by project teams and may change.