zkSync Airdrop Guide: 4x Times Bigger Than Arbitrum?

ZkSync has raised over $458 million (roughly 4x more than Arbitrum) and have hinted that they will launch a native token in the future. There is speculation that people who make transactions on the zkSync Era Mainnet and old zkSync Lite may get an airdrop when the token drops. 

In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know on how to claim this potentially massive airdrop which could be one of the biggest in 2023 or 2024.

What is zkSync?

ZkSync is a layer-2 scaling solution designed to dramatically speed up transactions and lower fees on Ethereum. It uses zk-rollup technology and essentially bundles transactions with multiple users to reduce fees. As of this writing, the ecosystem has over $100M in total value locked and hundreds of projects building on top of it. Since 2020, they have raised a massive $458 million from investors like Blockchain Capital and Andreessen Horowitz.

Is The zkSync Airdrop Confirmed?

Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that zkSync will do an airdrop or launch a token. The team has hinted at dropping a token and they have raised $458 million in funding. However, like most airdrop rumors, everything is just speculation.

Overview: How to Receive the zkSync Airdrop

To maximize your odds of getting in the snapshot, you should bridge funds to the mainnet and then interact with popular projects in the zkSync ecosystem. There are a variety of DEXs, NFT platforms, and protocols you can interact with to boost your eligibility. 

1. Setup a MetaMask wallet and fund it with some ETH
2. Add the zkSync Era Mainnet network to MetaMask
3. Bridge ETH mainnet funds using the zkSync bridge
4. Bridge funds using Orbiter.Finance
5. Swap tokens on SyncSwap
6. Swap tokens on the ZigZag DEX
7. Mint, buy and sell an NFT on MintSquare
8. Swap tokens and add liquidity on Mute.io 
9. Do a small bridge on Rhino.fi
10. Add a tiny amount of liquidity to Era Land
11. Interact with other zkSync Era projects
12. Bridge funds back using Orbiter.Finance or zkSync Portal
13. Bridge funds to zkSync Lite (the old version)
14. Swap tokens on ZigZag exchange

1. Setup a MetaMask Wallet and Fund It With ETH

First, you will need a MetaMask wallet with some Ethereum to use in the later steps. After you have a MetaMask wallet with funds, you need to add the zkSync Era network to MetaMask. Click "Add Network" on MetaMask and input the following:

• Network Name: zkSync Era Mainnet
• New RPC URL: https://mainnet.era.zksync.io
• Chain ID: 324
• Currency Symbol: ETH
• Block Explorer URL: https://explorer.zksync.io/

While we're on the topic, you should also check out the potential MetaMask airdrop which we wrote a guide on as well.

URL: https://metamask.io

2. Bridge Funds to zkSync Era Mainnet

The official zkSync Era bridge allows you to easily transfer funds between Ethereum Mainnet and the zkSync Era network. Interacting with the official bridge could help you qualify for the airdrop, which is what we are looking for. Note, Ethereum is the only chain available right now so the gas fee will be high.

First, connect your MetaMask wallet on the website and then send some Ethereum to the zkSync Era Mainnet. According to the website, it should take about 5 minutes to arrive.

URL: https://bridge.zksync.io/

3. Bridge Funds Using Orbiter.Finance

You can also do a small bridge using Orbiter Finance. It's a decentralized cross-rollup bridge for Ethereum native assets. Unlike the zkSync Era bridge in step 2, Orbiter Finance also supports Arbitrum, Optimism, BNB chain, and many other networks. This means low gas fees.

By using this dapp, you can also target the potential Orbiter Finance airdrop as they have a confirmed token rolling out in the future.

URL: https://orbiter.finance

4. Use The SyncSwap DEX

SyncSwap is a DEX that is live on zkSync Era Mainnet. To interact with the protocol, you swap some tokens. You can also add and remove liquidity from one of the pools.

And just like Orbiter Finance, SyncSwap might have their own airdrop as they have confirmed a native token called $SYNC. 

URL: https://syncswap.xyz

5. Use Other Top Applications

There are a variety of DEXs, NFT marketplaces, and protocols where you can make transactions in the zkSync ecosystem. If we look to past airdrops like Arbitrum, then interacting with popular Era projects will be a good eligibility criteria.

Here are some protocols that we picked, but you can also find others to interact with:

6. Bridge Ether to zkSync Lite

All of the steps above were using zkSync Era (version 2.0). However, zkSync Lite (previously named zkSync 1.0) is the older version that has been running since 2020. Interacting with the old version could also qualify you as an early adopter for the airdrop, which is what we're looking for.

You can visit lite.zksync.io, connect your wallet and transfer some Ether from Ethereum mainnet to zkSync Lite. On the same website, you can also mint an NFT. Alternatively, if you want to use the funds you bridged earlier, you can visit Orbiter.Finance again, and transfer from zkSync Era to ZkSync Lite and vice versa.

URLs: https://lite.zksync.io/ or https://www.orbiter.finance/

7. Swap Tokens on ZigZag

After bridging funds to zkSync Lite, you can use the ZigZag exchange to make some transactions.

Make sure your wallet is connected to the zkSync 1.0 network and not Arbitrum (look in the top right corner). Then make 1 or 2 transactions which can be any small amount. 

Once you're done, you can bridge your funds back to Ethereum Mainnet using the ZigZag bridge or one of the bridges from step 6. 

URL: https://zigzag.exchange/

Other Tips to Maximize Your Airdrop