With the bold claims some make about Presearch being the "Google Killer" this decentralized search engine really caught my attention as it promises to pay to search.
If I got a dollar for every time someone mentions a search engine or application that will be the “Google killer” of our time, I would be swimming in dollar bills now. It was always going to be a tough ask to go up against the big bad bullies of the internet but such is the boldness of Presearch’s team. Let’s take a look at how they intend to surround google with “yellow tape.”
Presearch is a decentralized search engine that supposedly rewards users for simply searching. The reward comes in the form of the local token called PRE. Blockchain based technology like this typically exist to give internet people a peculiar sense of belonging and worth. Whereas big corporations like Google and Facebook take all the profit for themselves, Decentralization has come a long way in sharing the dividend across the board.
The idea of simply getting rewarded by a decentralized search engine feels a little bit too good to be true, so I felt I’d get a little bit closer to the action. To use Presearch, simply visit presearch.org or use my referral link and get rewarded 25PRE after signing up.
You will be welcomed by an automated tour guide that will guide you through the essentials of using the platform. In summary, you will be introduced to how you can decide where you want to find information.
Using the Presearch tag will redirect you to a glossary with places categorized based on the type of content they focus on. Example: if you’re searching for a song
You will be redirected to a page where you pick the place you want to find what you’re searching for.
Making Money Through Presearch
So technically, it is possible to earn from Presearch. You get rewarded 0.25 PRE every time you search and can receive the reward 32 times per day, amounting to 8 tokens daily, half of which are withdrawable based on your level, so in essence, you can mine a total of 4PRE dailybased on the default level 5 but that rises based on an algorithm that tracks the “naturalness” of your searches. The higher your level, the higher you can potentially earn. Here’s how the reward system works
PRE Level = Tokens eligible for withdrawal
- Level 8–10: 100%
- Level 7: 70%
- Level 6: 60%
- Level 5: 50%
- Level 4: 40%
- Level 3: 30%
- Level 2: 20%
- Level 1: 10%
- Level 0: None
Members will retain their existing tokens and can still search, but will not earn new PRE tokens until their PRE Level rises to Level 1 or above
Members are able to withdraw 1,000 tokens every 90 days.
Organically achieving this target is realistic if you’re heavily reliant on search engines but it is highly unlikely for most. The system only allows withdrawal of eligible tokens when you have a accumulated a total of 1000PRE, so assuming you make 4 elligible PRE tokens daily, you will be able to withdraw after just 500days.
How exciting.
The system has a built in Artificial intelligence that tracks your activity to prevent users from simply “clicking” to con the system. How much are the tokens worth? Presearch Tokens are worth approximately $ 0.031 according to coinmarket cap so in the event that you actually make 32 searches daily, you will earn about 12 cents from ordinary searches.
PRE Tokens can be exchanged to BTC in a couple of crypto trading/exchange platforms. Most notably and mentioned in the opening search page are HitBTC Binance Bitfinex Bittrex Poloniex Kraken GDax and Coinbase.
With a userbase of over 2 million and counting, Presearch is a decent place to run adverts. The tokens that you either buy or mine through searches can be used to pay for advertisement campaigns.
Thoughts
At the current rate, it will take 500 days of consistently making 32 searches or a total of 16,000 individual searches to make about $31. That’s a bummer. It is more focused on the long game and that’s okay. You can technically make money from using Presearch but you’re not going to be buying that Mercedes with your proceeds. Well not unless there is an unprecedented spike in the price of the token. Don’t hold your breath though, it is currently listed at 514 in the ranking at Coinmarketcap and a similar low rank in other platforms.
The Chrome extension is a nifty tool that makes life easier
Activating it means that all your searches will be instantly done with Presearch and your reward sent to your account immediately after every search. You can get it here. This seamless integration means you just go about your regular activities and earn PRE tokens through your PC.
I have so many questions about this system, particularly about the mystery behind this algorithm that supposedly tracks activities to prevent individuals from scamming the system. In the Faceook page, there were some complaints posted about the Reward verification system banning them or preventing them from making use of their account.
I can’t say much about those issues but trying to prevent people from simply making searches through the “click click clicking” is one thing but how about the issue of punishing the innocents who just happen to spend a lot of time making searches maybe because of their type of job or something of that nature. It was always going to be a challenge to come up with something that will murder google, the future is bright.
I’ve been making searches for “free” on google while they’ve been monetizing the information, so getting my own piece of the pie, even though it is only 3 cents per search is absolutely welcomed.