What Are The Top 10 NFT Marketplaces?

Are you looking for the next fiery NFT collectible to make 100x or more on? Well, the fact of the matter is that you must know where to look! In this article, we will give you a rundown of the top 10 NFT marketplaces in the crypto space.

When Trevor McFedries, CEO of Dapper Collectives, said in a Clubhouse room, “The blockchain is the Louvre”, he meant ‌‌blockchain allows us to verify and trust the history and ownership of digital content in the same way that we trust that‌ the Louvre holds the real Mona Lisa.

NFTs are completely revolutionizing entire industries by influencing the way we share and consume almost everything. The budding blockchain ecosystem has been exploding with either new NFT collections popping up left, right, and center or the creation of new NFT marketplaces. 

And, we think, in many ways, that some of these biggest NFT marketplaces are parallel to eBay or Amazon. These NFT marketplaces provide users with a full suite of economic applications for buying and selling NFTs and a venue for seamlessly trading & exchanging these tokens.

What Is The Best NFT Marketplace To Keep An Eye On?

So, considering various factors such as the blockchain behind the NFT marketplace, the gas fees and currency options available on the same, possibly with wallet integrations, and not to mention the type of NFT projects available on the NFT platform, we have enlisted some of the best & most popular NFT marketplaces here.

1. OpenSea

OpenSea is the top contender for the NFT marketplace and an obvious choice to be one of the Ethereum ecosystem’s largest NFT marketplaces. Because of its very useful ranking tool and NFT item activity section to ‌check all the trading history of either a specific NFT or an entire collection, OpenSea comfortably sits at the top compared to other NFT marketplaces. 

There is a wide range of OpenSea NFTs available in the digital space, and they would be an excellent place to start for those who are new to trading NFTs. CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club, Otherdeed from Otherside, Azuki, Doodle, and Mutant Ape Yacht Club are among the most popular and hyped NFTs available on the OpenSea Marketplace.

Some of the attributes of the top NFT marketplace are:

• OpenSea is entirely reliant on smart contract applications to execute transactions that are ‌atomic and can efficiently provide a free way of minting known as “lazy minting”.

• The OpenSea NFT marketplace supports cross-blockchain, including Ethereum, Polygon, Klatyn, and Solana.

• There is no option to purchase NFTs with USD or any other fiat currency on OpenSea, but you can use core currencies such as Ethereum (ETH)/WETH, SOL, USDC, and DAI. 

• Collectors and traders pay the minimal 2.5% fee that OpenSea charges on each transaction. NFT creators can earn royalties of up to 10% in the OpenSea NFT marketplace.

• OpenSea integrates popular crypto wallets such as MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, TrustWallet, Portis, Dapper, Phantom, and Glow, among others.

2. LooksRare

When bringing up the NFT industry’s top marketplace LooksRare, we can’t forget about the iconic vampire attack by it! Probably one of the most notorious vampire attacks by the decentralized and tokenized NFT platform isn’t the only thing about it. 

We have also known the LooksRare NFT marketplace for selling the top-tier, most expensive BAYC for a whopping $2.9 million.

Here are some attributes of one of the leading NFT marketplace:

• The goal for LooksRare was to dethrone OpenSea from the top rank in the NFT market. As a result, LooksRare charges a lesser cost of 2% against 2.5 percent for OpenSea.

• Users can earn LOOKS token rewards by simply trading qualified NFTs, which they then use to stake their LOOKS tokens on the platform to receive over 700% APR in WETH (wrapped Ether), and LOOKS thus prioritizes its users.

• LooksRare pays creators royalties instantly after an NFT is traded along with supporting the EIP-2981 NFT royalty standard. Further, it promises to refund 100% of all platform fees to users who stake LOOKS tokens.

• The LooksRare marketplace supports MetaMask, WalletConnect, and Coinbase wallets and has indexed all NFT collections on the Ethereum blockchain.

3. Rarible

Aside from OpenSea, Rarible offers a variety of options for artists, collectors, and traders to list their artworks via a process known as “lazy minting”. Rarible is a Russian-based NFT marketplace that sells a variety of interesting art collectibles minted as NFTs. Its governance is on track to run as a DAO, with its own native token called RARI.

The popular Italian retail clothing company DIESEL D:VERSE NFT collection was accommodated in the digital auction house Rarible, which also included virtual and in-person exclusive experiences.

Here are some of the attributes of the leading NFT marketplace:

• According to DappRadar, Rarible is one of the top NFT marketplaces, with over 100,000 traders at the time of writing and a total cumulative volume of over $290 million—not bad, right?

• Rarible charges a 2.5% fee on all primary sales in any currency on both ends of the transaction. Customizable ETH, RARI, WETH, DAI, ATRI, and artist royalties to a maximum of 50% on secondary sales.

• Rarible utilizes multi-chain NFT token standards from blockchains such as Ethereum, Polygon, and Klatyn.

• Rarible’s wallet connect options include MetaMask, Rainbow, Coinbase, Fortmatic, Portis, and others.

4. Nifty Gateway

Nifty Gateway is one of the best NFT marketplaces for creators because it collaborates with top creators to release limited NFT drops for the public. Nifty Gateway is a centralized marketplace controlled by the Winklevoss twins and managed by Gemini, the parent company, and a crypto exchange. 

Some of the highest-value ‘Nifties’ (digital collectibles on Nifty Gateway) transactions on Nifty Gateway to date include Beeple’s ‘THE COMPLETE MF COLLECTION’ for $777,777.77 and Steve Aoki’s ‘hairy’ for $888,888.88. 

Billelis, FEWOCiOUS, and J.N. Silva are among the criminally underrated digital creators showcasing their work on the NFT marketplace.

Here are some attributes of one of the leading NFT marketplace:

• Apart from Rarible, Nifty Gateway allows you to instantly buy and sell any crypto collectible using only a credit card. Other payment options include using a Prepaid ETH wallet and a Gemini account in fiat USD, GUSD, or DAI (to be launched soon!).

• To increase demand, Nifty Gateway employs an “open editions” system in which editions are only available for a limited time.

• When a Nifty is sold, the platform keeps 5% of the sale price in fees and taxes, plus 30 cents for transaction fees, and the original artist keeps 10% of the sale price on secondary sales.

• Nifty Gateway, unlike most NFT marketplaces, has a custodial system that allows it to host the “Nifties” it acquires following the ERC-721 standard.

So, Nifty Gateway is known to be one of the top marketplaces for popular creator NFTs, but what about SuperRare? It is, in fact, one of the most popular peer-to-peer NFT marketplaces that make use of the Ethereum blockchain’s power.

5. SuperRare

SuperRare NFT marketplace has commonly been described as a marketplace where “Instagram meets Christie’s”, a description we rather like! 

This is because the US-based marketplace also provides users with Instagram-like posts outlining any noteworthy developments in the industry or any major sales by a major artist. SuperRare has deployed the RARE token in its mission to decentralize the creator economy.

Snoop Dogg, one of the most well-known figures in gangsta rap, made his NFT debut on the SuperRare NFT platform. Recently, award-winning Designer and Creative Director Hexeract introduced the concept of the first-ever robotics AI-based NFT art on SuperRare with his “E Pluribus Unum” NFT. Furthermore, Madonna collaborated with Beeple on her “Mother of Creation” NFT collection for the platform.

Here are some of the attributes of the leading NFT marketplace:

• SuperRare has a strong roster of collectors who have amassed some of the most valuable one-of-one art NFTs in history.

• SuperRare charges a 3% marketplace fee on all sales. SuperRare DAO Community Treasury receives 15% of the proceeds from primary sales and the original artist gets 10% as a royalty on secondary sales.

• The “Features” tab is an important feature of SuperRare for fans of NFTs and crypto art because it allows them to see the best of what it offers.

• SuperRare currently supports three popular Web 3.0 digital wallets—MetaMask, Fortmatic, and Wallet Connect, with all transactions conducted in ether (ETH).

• SuperRare is currently in early access, which means invite-only.

6. Foundation

Foundation, another market leader, also occupies a position in the list of the top NFT marketplaces. One of the leading NFT marketplace, it has recently enabled 3D artwork to be minted as NFTs. 

Foundation is a specialized NFT marketplace designed to bring together digital creators, crypto natives, and collectors in order to advance the NFT culture. 

Every day, NFT creators clamor to join its platform because the Foundation is one of the most respected names in crypto art. 

Take, for example, Büşra, a freelance street and landscape photographer. Her ‘Scenes from Life’ is an NFT collection of two photographs titled ‘Imagine’ and ‘A Love Scene’ that are available on the Foundation marketplace. It was an honor for The Crypto Times to hear and share the creator’s journey into the digital realm.

Some of the attributes of the leading NFT marketplace are:

• The Foundation refers to itself as the “new creator economy”. The Foundation NFT marketplace is primarily concerned with facilitating non-custodial possession of digital artwork NFTs.

• The Foundation NFT marketplace integrates with MetaMask and WalletConnect and is hosted on Ethereum, so users must pay for NFT purchases with ETH.

• The Foundation receives 5% of total primary and secondary sales, and the artist receives 10% of the sales value whenever a collector resells. Additionally,  if the NFT is resold on OpenSea, Foundation has an agreement to receive a 10% royalty on the same.

• The decentralized NFT marketplace is an invite-only NFT platform for creators and collectors that ranks among the best NFT marketplaces for creators.

A LeBron James dunk or a Steph Curry layup video clip as NFTs are now possible. How? Introducing the Basketball League’s very own NFT marketplace!

7. NBA Top Shot

NBA Top Shot was born in June 2020 when the NBA Players Association and Dapper Labs collaborated to create a platform for people new to NFTs using the Flow blockchain. The NBA Top Shot NFT marketplace allows you to filter by series, tier, price, serial number, position, and more, or if you only want moments from specific players.

Consider Steph Curry, Magic Johnson, Klay Thompson, and a plethora of other magical NBA moments and highlights video that reside in your cryptocurrency wallet.

Some of the attributes of the leading NFT marketplace are:

• Only verified users can make purchases of the NBA Top Shot Moment NFTs using Ether, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, DAI and fiat USD Coin. FLOW tokens are only for utility in NBA Top Shot’s beta period until they are widely adopted.

• Unlike other NFT marketplaces that use ERC-721 contracts to standardize NFT, NBA Top Shots uses the Flow NFT standard.

• There is a 5% fee for each sale made through any payment method, whether with a credit or debit card (Visa or Mastercard) or their crypto wallet on the NBA Top Shot NFT marketplace, but there is no fee for listing or delisting an NFT.

• Support for Coinbase wallets on the NFT marketplace allows you to make cryptocurrency payments and connect to other crypto wallets that aren’t on Flow blockchain. Circle offers custodial wallet services and fiat payment rails.

The list of top NFT marketplaces is pretty hefty, but here is a TL; DR on an NFT platform launched by one of the largest and most widely used crypto exchanges!

8. Binance

Because of its top-tier cryptocurrency exchange platform, the NFT marketplace built on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) blockchain has the potential to attract a wide range of users. The Binance NFT Marketplace offers premium and exclusive NFTs created by leading global artists, as well as Mystery Boxes comprising one random NFT.

• The Binance NFT Marketplace is a dual-chain system that leverages both BSC and the Ethereum network.

• Can you create or mint your own NFT on Binance? Alas, this privilege is only available to selected Binance artists and partners.

• The Binance NFT Marketplace accepts BNB, BUSD, and ETH cryptocurrencies via your MetaMask Wallet or WalletConnect, as well as fiat currencies via spot wallet, i.e. credit/debit card or bank transfer.

• If you’re looking for an NFT marketplace with low fees—a flat 1% trading fee for all NFT sellers and creators, plus a 1% royalty fee to the creator—Binance could be your best pick.

9. KnownOrigin

KnownOrigin, the veteran among NFT marketplaces, is designed for digital artists, as opposed to mixed NFT trading platforms such as OpenSea and Rarible, which capture a wide range of NFTs, from still digital art and photographs to GIFs and video clips.

One of the most intriguing NFT of this top marketplace is KnownOrigin’s NFT presentation layout. NFTs based on moods, mediums, artists, and even motifs can be found under the “Collections” tab. Pixel art, generative art, video game art, GAN art, and 3-D art are all available from creators all over the world.

Here are some attributes of the leading veteran NFT marketplace:

• KnownOrigin is a selective platform that offers high royalties and is one of the top ETH NFT marketplaces for creators. 

• Becoming a creator on the KnownOrigin NFT marketplace is not a piece of cake because you must apply beforehand and wait a month for the results.

• KnownOrigin supports crypto wallets such as MetaMask, WalletConnect, Fortmatic, Portis, and Coinbase Wallet, and they conduct all transactions in ether (ETH).

• The KnownOrigin NFT marketplace charges a 15% commission fee on all primary sales, and artists receive a 12.5% royalty on all future sales of their ERC-721 artwork.

“Greater utility gives NFTs greater value.”

-Anonymous.

10. Async Art

Async Art is a platform that tags itself as “Art that changes over time” and is known for “programmable art”, where each work of art is made up of Master and Layers, and because everything is “tokenized”, artists can own different layers. It also launched Blueprints, which allows artists to create generative projects.

NFT artists and their collections like Le Anime Phase 2 by toomuchlag, Mehak Jain’s artwork “रणभूमि” or Micah Johnson’s NFT artwork ˈsä-v(ə-)rən-tē are all testimonials of how nicely programmed Async Art is for creators from all walks of life.

Here are some attributes of the leading NFT marketplace:

• NFTs in the “Art” and “Music” categories are available on the Ethereum blockchain network and the Pinata Cloud-powered NFT marketplace.

• Asynchronous Art charges a 20% commission fee on Blueprints and a 10% commission fee on standard NFT primary sales. Blueprint creators receive a 7.5% royalty, while standard artwork secondary sales receive a 10% royalty.

• The Async Art NFT marketplace launched the first-ever programmable artwork—First Supper, a collaborative piece featuring the work of 13 different artists.

• We can purchase NFTs on the Async Art marketplace using an ETH wallet, as it currently supports Metamask, Coinbase Wallet, and WalletConnect.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is lazy minting on OpenSea & Rarible?

Lazy minting is a process in which the responsibility of minting an NFT falls on the buyer rather than the NFT creator. It enables artists and NFT creators to create non-fungible tokens at no cost because it does not occur until ‌purchase. It avoids the use of unnecessary computational power from unsold NFTs.

2. What are the factors to consider while choosing an NFT marketplace?

Consider the following factors when deciding which NFT marketplace is best for you:

• Different platforms use different NFT standards, such as ERC 1155 and ERC-721.
• Some marketplaces accept both fiat (USD) and cryptocurrency (ETH, M0ATIC, WAXP, BSC), while others only accept cryptocurrency.
• The fees for transacting on each NFT marketplace vary slightly.
• The NFT marketplace’s verification process keeps unscrupulous creators at bay. 
• The NFT platform is compatible with a variety of wallets, credit cards, and bank transfers.

3. Can you mint NFTs for free on NFT marketplaces?

Yes, there are several NFT marketplaces that offer free minting options to its users. They are OpenSea, Rarible, Binance NFT, Nifty Gateway, and Async Art.