Most people think of cryptocurrency as something you buy to gamble on price swings or use to send money without banks. But Basic Attention Token (BAT) isn’t about that. It’s about getting paid for doing something you already do: browsing the web.
What Exactly Is BAT?
Basic Attention Token, or BAT, is a digital token built on the Ethereum blockchain. It was created in 2017 by Brendan Eich - the same guy who invented JavaScript and helped start Mozilla Firefox. Unlike most crypto coins, BAT wasn’t designed to be a speculative asset. It was built to fix a broken system: online advertising.
Right now, when you visit a website, ads follow you around. Your data gets tracked. Companies pay millions to show you ads you don’t care about. Meanwhile, the websites you actually like? They barely get paid. And you? You get nothing. BAT flips this. It rewards you for paying attention.
How Does BAT Work?
BAT only works inside the Brave browser. That’s the key. Brave is a privacy-focused browser that blocks ads and trackers by default. But here’s the twist: instead of just blocking everything, Brave lets you opt in to see privacy-respecting ads. When you do, you earn BAT.
It’s simple. You open Brave. You turn on Brave Rewards. You choose how many ads you want to see per hour - maybe one or two. When you view an ad, Brave calculates how long you looked at it and how much of it was visible. That’s it. No tracking your search history. No building profiles. Just attention.
On average, users earn between 0.15 and 0.25 BAT per ad. That might sound small, but if you browse normally, you can earn 5-8 BAT a month. At $0.39 per BAT (as of late 2023), that’s $2-$3 a month just for browsing. You can save it, trade it, or use it to tip content creators.
Who Gets Paid?
There are three players in the BAT system: users, advertisers, and creators.
- Users earn BAT for viewing ads.
- Advertisers pay in BAT to reach real people who actually look at their ads. Because Brave uses local ad matching (no cloud tracking), fraud is under 5%. That’s a huge improvement over traditional ads, where up to 30% of spending vanishes to bots.
- Creators - bloggers, YouTubers, podcasters - get tips in BAT from users who like their work. You can tip your favorite site with one click, and they get paid instantly.
Over 2 million creators have signed up to receive BAT tips. Sites like Wikipedia, Medium, and independent artists use it. You don’t need to be a big name. If people like your content, they can support you directly.
Why Is BAT Different From Other Crypto?
Most crypto projects are built on hype. BAT is built on usage.
Brave has over 30 million active users. That’s not a startup number. That’s real adoption. People aren’t holding BAT because they think it’ll hit $10. They’re using it because it gives them something they didn’t have before: control over their attention and a small income from it.
Compare that to other blockchain ad platforms like AdEx or ShareRing. They have maybe 50,000-100,000 users total. Brave has 30 million. That’s 600 times more. BAT isn’t a theory. It’s running right now, with real money flowing.
Also, BAT’s token supply is almost fully in circulation - 1.5 billion tokens, with over 99% already out there. That’s unusual. Most tokens are hoarded by early investors. BAT is meant to be used, not stored.
What Can You Do With BAT?
You can’t buy coffee with BAT at your local café. Not yet. But you can:
- Tip creators on websites that accept it - from indie game devs to news sites.
- Exchange it for other crypto like ETH or BTC on exchanges like Coinbase or Kraken.
- Cash it out to your bank via Gemini or Uphold (you’ll need to verify your identity - it’s required by law).
- Hold it and hope its value rises, though most users treat it like digital change, not an investment.
As of late 2023, Shopify started letting merchants accept BAT as payment. That’s a small but real step toward wider use. It’s still early, but the door is opening.
What Are the Downsides?
BAT isn’t perfect. Here’s what users complain about:
- Slow payouts - sometimes it takes days for BAT to show up after viewing ads.
- Verification required - to withdraw BAT, you need to prove who you are. That’s a hassle for privacy-focused users.
- Limited spending options - you can’t use BAT on Amazon, Netflix, or Uber. It’s still a niche currency.
- Market cap is tiny - compared to Bitcoin or Ethereum, BAT’s value is small. It’s not going to make you rich overnight.
And yes, regulators are watching. The SEC flagged BAT as a possible security in 2022. No action has been taken yet, but it’s a risk.
Who Uses BAT?
Most users are tech-savvy, between 18 and 34, and live in North America or Europe. They care about privacy. They’re tired of being tracked. They like the idea of getting paid for something they were already doing.
Brave’s browser market share is still small - just 0.8% globally. But it’s growing fast. From 0.3% in 2021 to 0.8% in 2023. That’s 63% growth a year. If it keeps up, BAT could become a mainstream tool, not just a crypto curiosity.
Is BAT Worth It?
If you’re looking to get rich quick, no. BAT won’t make you a millionaire.
If you’re tired of being tracked, hate ads, and want to support creators directly - then yes. It’s one of the few crypto projects that actually improves your daily life.
Downloading Brave takes two minutes. Enabling rewards takes another. You don’t need to understand blockchain. You don’t need to trade. You just browse like normal - and get paid for it.
It’s not magic. It’s just fair.
How to Get Started
Here’s how to start earning BAT in under 15 minutes:
- Download the Brave browser (works on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android).
- Open Brave and click the BAT icon in the top right.
- Turn on Brave Rewards.
- Choose how many ads you want to see per hour (start with 1-2).
- Link a wallet like Gemini or Uphold to cash out later.
- Start browsing. Ads will appear occasionally. Earn BAT. Tip creators. Done.
No mining. No staking. No complicated wallets. Just a better way to use the internet.
Is BAT a good investment?
BAT isn’t designed as an investment. It’s a utility token meant to be used. While its price has risen since 2020, its value comes from real usage - not speculation. If you’re looking to make money from crypto price swings, there are better options. But if you want to earn while browsing and support privacy-focused tech, BAT delivers.
Can I use BAT outside the Brave browser?
Not directly. BAT only earns and spends within the Brave ecosystem. But you can transfer it to exchanges like Coinbase or Kraken and trade it for other cryptocurrencies or cash. Some websites, like Shopify stores, now accept BAT as payment, but it’s still rare. Most use cases are tied to Brave.
How much BAT can I earn per month?
Most users earn between 5 and 8 BAT per month by viewing 1-2 ads daily. That’s roughly $2-$3 at current prices. Heavy users who browse for hours might earn up to 15 BAT. Earnings depend on how long you view ads and your location - users in the U.S. and Europe earn more because advertisers pay higher rates there.
Is BAT safe and private?
Yes. Brave doesn’t track your browsing history, search terms, or personal data. Ads are matched on your device - not on a server. No cookies. No fingerprinting. Your attention is measured locally. This makes BAT one of the most privacy-friendly crypto systems available.
Do I need to pay taxes on BAT earnings?
In the U.S. and many other countries, crypto earnings are taxable. If you earn BAT and later sell it for profit, you may owe capital gains tax. If you use it to buy something, that’s also a taxable event. Keep records of your earnings and transactions. Consult a tax professional if you’re unsure.
Why isn’t BAT more popular?
Because most people don’t know about it. Traditional ads still dominate - Google and Meta control over 80% of the market. BAT requires switching browsers and changing habits. It’s not a plug-and-play solution. But for those who care about privacy and fairness, it’s already the best option out there.
Robert Mills
January 28, 2026 AT 18:01