Grass is a network that pays people for sharing their unused internet bandwidth. That bandwidth is used to fetch public web pages, which companies then use for things like AI training and AI agents.
It is one of the best known “AI plus crypto” projects, with a token called GRASS on Solana. It also raises real questions about privacy, security and the law.
In this guide I explain how Grass works, what the latest updates are, the risks, and how it compares with Bittensor and other AI crypto projects.
- What it is: a DePIN (decentralized physical infrastructure) network that routes public web requests through users’ spare bandwidth.
- Who uses the data: Grass says verified businesses and researchers retrieve public web data through it, including for AI.
- Token: GRASS has a 1 billion cap. The first airdrop of 100 million tokens happened on October 28, 2024.
- Latest: Grass launched a Contents API for AI agents on October 8, 2026.
- Main concern: the FBI warned in March 2026 that bandwidth-sharing apps are one way home IPs end up in proxy networks used by criminals.
What Is Grass?
Grass describes itself as a DePIN node app. You install it on a computer or phone, and it uses the part of your internet connection you are not using to load public web pages for paying customers.
The project is built by a team at Wynd Labs, whose CEO is Andrej Radonjic. The token launched on October 28, 2024, and the network is built as a layer 2 on the Solana blockchain.
Why AI companies care
Modern AI models and AI agents need huge amounts of fresh web data. Many websites block requests from data centre IP addresses, but they usually allow requests from normal home connections.
Grass gives customers access to a large pool of home connections. As of May 2026, Grass reported 8.5 million registered users in 190 countries, according to an OKX explainer.
Note: User numbers are reported by Grass and its partners. I could not find independent figures for active nodes or data volume.
How Bandwidth Sharing Turns Into AI Data
Here is the basic flow, in plain English:
- A customer asks for a page. A verified business requests public web content, such as a product page or news article.
- The request is routed to a node. Grass sends it through a user’s spare bandwidth, so it comes from a home IP address.
- The node fetches the page. Grass says only publicly accessible pages are loaded, never anything behind a login.
- Data is cleaned. The raw page can be turned into structured, model-ready formats.
- The user earns rewards. Uptime and bandwidth earn points or rewards, based on Grass’s rules.
Grass says your own activity gets priority. If you start streaming, downloading or video calling, the app yields bandwidth back to you.
What Grass says it does not touch
According to Grass’s own help article, the app “never accesses personal files, passwords, or browsing history.” It describes your bandwidth as the road and your personal data as cargo that stays locked.
These are the company’s claims. They have not been independently audited in the material I reviewed.
Where you can run it
- Desktop apps: Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Mobile: an Android app on Google Play.
- Browser: a Chrome extension.
- Hardware: a plug-in device called “Grasshopper” was planned, but Grass says it “is not proceeding to rollout at this time”.
Nodes, Routers and Validators
Under the hood, Grass describes a “Sovereign Data Rollup” on Solana. These are its main parts:
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Nodes | User devices that share spare bandwidth and fetch public pages. |
| Routers | Network components that connect nodes to the rest of the system. Community rewards also fund routers. |
| Validators | Check transactions and keep consensus, and are paid in GRASS for preventing fraud. |
| ZK processor | Handles secure data transactions without disclosing sensitive information. |
| Data ledger | An on-chain record that is part of the rollup design. |
For everyday users, only the node part matters. Routers and validators are the more technical roles in the system.
If you want a primer on how these AI crypto networks fit together, see my AI crypto tokens explained guide.
The GRASS Token: Supply and Allocation
The total supply of GRASS is capped at 1 billion tokens. Here is the published allocation:
| Group | Share | Vesting |
|---|---|---|
| Community (airdrops, router rewards, incentives) | 30% | Not stated |
| Early investors | 25.2% | 1-year cliff, then 1-year vesting |
| Foundation and ecosystem growth | 22.8% | Managed by the foundation under DAO governance |
| Contributors | 22% | 1-year cliff, then 3-year vesting |
The first airdrop
On October 28, 2024, Grass distributed 100 million GRASS (10% of supply) to users who had earned points. The Block reported that nearly 1.5 million addresses had claimed within days, calling it the “most distributed” Solana airdrop at the time.
Stage 2 rewards
Grass’s own help page says Stage 2 rewards are “paid in USDC on the Solana blockchain”, and claiming can involve a small Solana network fee. Market trackers report the Season 2 claim window runs from July 22, 2026 to January 22, 2027.
Warning: Fake “Grass airdrop” sites are a common scam. Never connect a wallet or enter a seed phrase on a site you reached from an ad, a DM or a search result. Use only links from Grass’s official channels.
Latest Updates (2026)
I checked the last few weeks of news so you are not missing anything:
- Contents API (Oct 8, 2026): Grass launched an API that “turns any public URL into clean, model-ready HTML, Markdown, or text” for AI agents. Access needs an application and review.
- Vendor benchmark: Grass reported 97% URL retrieval in its own October 1 test, ahead of Firecrawl, Parallel and Exa. This is not independently verified.
- Search API (planned): reports say the CEO named a Search API as the next product, with no date given.
- Mint authority check (Nov 3, 2026): a review reported by CoinMarketCap found the GRASS mint authority sits in a multisig needing 2 approvals, with no minting in the newest 40 transactions.
The Contents API is interesting for developers. It competes with tools that AI agents already use to read web pages, a topic I touched on in my best MCP servers roundup.
Privacy, Security and Legal Concerns
This is the most important section if you are thinking about running a node. Grass may be well run, but the model itself has risks every user should understand.
1. Your IP address is the product
When you share bandwidth, other parties’ requests leave the internet from your home IP address. If a request is abusive, websites may block or flag your IP, not the customer’s.
2. The FBI has warned about bandwidth-sharing apps
On March 12, 2026, the FBI published a public service announcement about residential proxy networks. It lists apps that “promise to pay them for their internet bandwidth” as one way home devices end up in these networks.
The PSA warns that criminal activity can be traced back to your IP address, so you may look responsible. It does not name Grass, and Grass says only verified customers get access. But the general risk is real.
3. Scraping is a legal grey area
- Website terms: many sites forbid automated scraping, even of public pages.
- Copyright: using scraped content to train AI is the subject of ongoing lawsuits around the world.
- Personal data: public pages can still contain personal data, which laws like GDPR protect.
- Your ISP contract: some internet plans ban reselling or sharing your connection. Check yours.
4. Sanctions and eligibility
OKX notes that users in sanctioned or high-risk regions are not eligible for rewards. Setup also asks for an email, username, wallet address and IP address.
Safety Checklist Before Running Any Bandwidth Node
This is not a guide to earning or buying anything. It is a checklist to protect yourself if you decide to try any bandwidth-sharing app.
- Read your ISP terms. Search your plan’s acceptable use policy for words like “resell”, “share” or “proxy”.
- Get the app only from official sources. Use the project’s own site or the official app store listing. Avoid links from ads and DMs.
- Read the network use policy. Look for who the customers are and what traffic is allowed.
- Use a separate device or network if you can. A guest network keeps the app away from your main devices.
- Watch your IP reputation. If you suddenly see many CAPTCHAs or blocks on sites you use, pause the app and check.
- Protect your wallet. Never share a seed phrase. Use a fresh wallet with no other funds for any rewards.
- Know how to uninstall. Remove the app and browser extension fully, and check that no background service remains.
Tip: Treat any “passive income” app like a stranger using your Wi-Fi. If you would not be comfortable explaining the traffic to your ISP, do not run it.
Grass vs Bittensor and Other AI Crypto Projects
“AI crypto” covers very different ideas. Grass supplies data, while others supply models or computing power.
| Project | What it provides | Who contributes | Token basics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grass (GRASS) | Public web data via home bandwidth | Everyday users running nodes | 1 billion cap, on Solana |
| Bittensor (TAO) | A market of AI “subnets” competing to provide useful AI work | Miners, validators and subnet owners | 21 million cap, about 7,200 TAO emitted per day at the start rate |
| Render, Akash, io.net | Decentralized GPU computing | GPU owners and data centres | Varies by project |
| Virtuals Protocol | AI agents with their own tokens | Agent creators | Varies |
Grass vs Bittensor in one line each
- Grass: low barrier, since anyone with an internet connection can contribute, but the value depends on demand for web data.
- Bittensor: high barrier, since miners usually need technical skill and hardware, and each subnet has its own ALPHA token traded against TAO.
Read my full Bittensor TAO explainer and decentralized GPU networks guide for deeper comparisons.
My Take
Grass is one of the clearest examples of a crypto project tied to a real AI need. AI agents really do need fresh web data, and the new Contents API shows the team is building products, not only tokens.
Still, I would not run any bandwidth-sharing app without thinking hard about the trade-off. You are lending your home IP to strangers, and the legal side of large-scale scraping is still being argued in courts.
If you are curious, read the official policies, start with the safety checklist above, and never treat rewards as guaranteed income.
Common Problems and Fixes
- Too many CAPTCHAs after installing: some sites may treat your IP as a proxy. Pause or uninstall the app and see if it clears.
- Slow internet: the app should yield to your traffic. If not, pause it during calls or gaming, or remove it.
- Antivirus warning: OKX notes the desktop app is whitelisted by several antivirus vendors via AppEsteem. A warning on a different file may mean a fake copy, so delete it and use the official download.
- “Not eligible” for rewards: users in sanctioned or high-risk regions cannot get rewards.
- Got a DM about a “missed airdrop”: this is almost certainly a scam. Ignore it and never share your seed phrase.
- Claim fee surprise: on-chain claims can need a small Solana network fee, which Grass says it does not earn.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Grass in simple words?
Grass is an app and network that uses people’s spare internet bandwidth to load public web pages for paying customers. Users get rewards, and the data often goes to AI companies.
Does Grass see my passwords or files?
Grass says it never accesses personal files, passwords or browsing history, and only loads public pages. These are the company’s claims, not an independent audit.
Is running a Grass node legal?
It depends on where you live and your internet contract. Some ISPs ban sharing your connection, and scraping can break website terms or data laws.
What blockchain is Grass on?
Grass is built as a layer 2 network on Solana. Stage 2 rewards are paid in USDC on Solana.
How many GRASS tokens exist?
The supply is capped at 1 billion GRASS. The first airdrop on October 28, 2024 distributed 100 million tokens.
How is Grass different from Bittensor?
Grass supplies web data using everyday users’ bandwidth. Bittensor is a network of AI subnets where miners and validators compete to provide useful AI work.
What is the Grass Contents API?
Launched on October 8, 2026, it turns public URLs into clean HTML, Markdown or text for AI agents. Access requires an application.
Sources
- Grass: What does Grass actually do with your connection?
- Grass: Introducing the Grass Contents API
- FBI IC3: Residential proxy networks PSA (March 2026)
- The Block: GRASS becomes most distributed Solana airdrop
- OKX Learn: What is Grass?
- IQ.wiki: Grass
- CoinMarketCap: Grass latest updates
- Learn Bittensor: TAO tokenomics
