Best NFT Marketplace

NFTs are the newest, biggest thing in digital collectibles. But how exactly do you buy one? Find out in this detailed look at the best NFT marketplaces.

Are NFTs the future of art? Or are they just receipts for worthless JPEGs?

At this point, no one really knows the answer.

One thing is for sure: NFTs are hot right now. And if you want to know where to buy them, you've come to the right place. Below, review the best NFT marketplaces to date.

What is an NFT?

NFT stands for non-fungible token. Fungible means that one can be substituted for any other—like a dollar bill. Because NFTs aren't fungible, they're unique. In other words, collectible.

So far, NFTs are mostly a visual medium. Think digital art, social avatars, skins for video games. Ownership of an NFT is recorded on the blockchain. When you buy an NFT, what you're really buying is a public "digital certificate" that confirms you are the owner.

But owning an NFT doesn't prevent other people from seeing it. Just like "owning" the Statue of Liberty wouldn't make it invisible to everyone but you.

Some people would argue that since anyone can see an NFT, ownership is moot. There certainly is a logic to their argument, but there are two strong counters to it.

1. Ownership is simply a matter of general acceptance.
You can't carry a building on your back, but if you have the deed, that entitles you to live in it, work in it, sell it if you want to. You could even call the police if someone moves in without your permission.

2. Owning an NFT may come with rights or abilities that others won't have.
This might include the ability to produce reproductions in physical media and sell them. For example, in video games, NFTs may enable players to buy rare skins, items, and so on.

In this case, the rules of the game itself will enforce the validity of the NFT.

Whether you believe in them or not, it's probably safe to say we're going to be seeing a lot of them in the coming years.

The Best NFT Marketplace

As the world of NFTs is so new, the landscape of the top players in the buying and selling of NFTs is changing rapidly. If you're hoping to get in on the action, these are some of the most widely used NFT marketplaces right now.

1. OpenSea: Best for Beginners

OpenSea is the first and currently the largest NFT marketplace in the world. They offer a wide range of NFT categories, including art, photography, domain names, collectibles, sports, music, trading cards, utility NFTs, and even virtual worlds.

If you're just getting started, they have helpful guides for those new to the NFT space. They'll help you get going whether you're trying to buy, sell, or mint.

It's free to sign up, and they even have a gas-free marketplace via the Polygon blockchain for those who don't want to pay the potentially exorbitant gas fees involved in NFT trading.^[1]

At time of writing, some of the biggest NFT sets being traded on OpenSea were the Mutant Ape Yacht Club, Azuki, Bored Ape Kennel Club, and Azuki Elements.

To use OpenSea you'll need an Ethereum wallet, but they make it easy to set one up.

2. NBA Top Shot: Best for Sports Fans

Ever imagined your favorite player trading card coming to life? Making that perfect pass, shooting clean as the opposing team watches on, unable to do anything to stop him? NBA Top Shot is making that a reality.

Now fans can own epic moments from the careers of their favorite players in an all-new type of sports collectible from the NBA and WNBA.

NFTs on NBA Top Shot are officially licensed and can be purchased in packs like the trading cards you loved as a kid, or traded individually.

Just like trading cards, these NBA NFTs vary in degrees of rarity. Some are common, with runs of 60,000 or more, while others may be one-of-a-kind.

So far basketball is the only sport supported on NBA Top Shot. If it catches on, other sports may be added in the future.

Top Shot runs on the Flow blockchain, which was built by Dapper Labs.^[2]

3. Axie Marketplace: Best NFT Game

For kids who grew up with Pokémon, Axie Infinity and its associated Axie Marketplace are a natural evolution.

Axie Infinity is an NFT-based game built by Sky Mavis, a developer out of Vietnam.

Axies are cute, balloon-shaped creatures that you can battle, adventure with, breed, and trade. If trading cards, fantasy worlds, and cute creatures are your thing, Axie Infinity will be right up your alley.

Axie Infinity Shards, the native tokens used to buy and sell Axies, are built on the Ethereum blockchain, which means you don't have to use the Axie Marketplace exclusively to trade them.^[3] Given the successful history of collectibles aimed at kids, it's easy to see how these could end up making a big splash.

4. Larva Labs: Best for Viral NFTs

Larva Labs is best known for developing CryptoPunks. If you've seen one, you may be surprised to learn that multiple punks have sold for over $10 million. It just goes to show that in the NFT world, hype beats everything.

Larva Labs is responsible for several other projects, including Meebits. These are procedurally-generated 3D characters similar to the Miis from Nintendo's Wii console.

Larva Labs has also partnered with Google to create Androidified avatars, and built Autoglyphs, a generative art program built on the Ethereum blockchain whose proceeds went to charity.

You can't buy CryptoPunks at Larva Labs anymore, but judging by the success of their previous projects, you can safely say their new work is worth keeping an eye on.

5. Rarible: Best Decentralized Marketplace

If you're looking for another wild, creator-based marketplace, Rarible is worth a peek.

Their homepage is a riot of color and movement, full of sphynx cats, Doodles, Bored Apes, and other collectible art.

They have over 1.6 million users, have created over 405k NFTs, and have a trading volume of over $274 million.^[5]You can access Rarible through the web or through their dedicated mobile app.

NFTs on Rarible run on the Polygon, ETH, and Tezos blockchains.^[6]

6. SuperRare: Best for Fine Art

SuperRare is another option for those interested in collecting digital art.

SuperRare has more of a curated, gallery feel, unlike Rarible and OpenSea. NFTs featured on SuperRare feel like pieces you might find in a fine art gallery built for the digital age.

Each week, SuperRare highlights favorite artists, with curated picks from their staff. You can trade with SuperRare tokens, built on the Ethereum blockchain, and users can sign up for SuperRare's newsletter for up-to-date news on the world of NFTs.

7. Foundation: Best for Artists

Foundation is a slightly more exclusive NFT marketplace—at least for creators.

Anyone can sign up to buy and sell NFTs on Foundation. However, to be a creator and mint your own NFTs, you have to be invited by an existing member. That means it's a smaller, more exclusive crowd than larger platforms like OpenSea.

Creators on Foundation get paid a 10% royalty every time their NFT sells again on the secondary collector's market,^[7][8] in addition to the payment from the original sale, meaning that it's not just the big-time collectors profiting from the art.

To get started as a collector on Foundation, all you need to do is hook up an Ethereum wallet.

8. Nifty Gateway: Best for Buying with Fiat Currency

Nifty Gateway is a part of the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange's ecosystem.

Gemini is one of the few major exchanges to get into the NFT game this early, which may help Nifty emerge as a major NFT marketplace in the future. Nifty NFTs are minted on the Ethereum blockchain.

NFTs bought on Nifty will be stored on the Ethereum blockchain, as well. For those who don't have any crypto to make their NFT purchases, this platform also offers the ability to make purchases using fiat currency like USD.

9. Mintable: Best for Creators

Mintable is another Ethereum-based NFT marketplace, with backing from billionaire Mark Cuban. There's a wide range of NFTs on Mintable, from digital art to photography, videos, music, and more.

On Mintable, creators can mint new NFTs with no fees. With their subscription service Mintable Pro, creators can also get access to advertising, custom stores, and other perks.

For those looking to learn more about NFTs, Mintable Academy offers a range of helpful educational content.

10. Theta Drop: Best for Videos and Music

On Theta Drop, you'll see some familiar faces from TV, music, movies and more.

Theta Drop has partnered with the World Poker Tour and Katy Perry, among others, to release some star-studded NFTs. You can probably expect more recognizable names to show up on the platform in the future.

Transactions on Theta Drop are made with Theta Token, which can be found on a range of cryptocurrency exchanges.

Bottom Line

Whether you're into NFTs for fun, profit, or both, there are plenty of great options for getting your hands on these popular digital collectibles. We've only scratched the surface of what NFTs can be used for, so it's worth keeping an eye on them in the future.

Regardless of your reasons, take the time to browse through the various marketplaces to see which is right for you. Each has its own unique feel and set of offerings, and it's worth seeing what they have to offer before you settle on one to use.

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