If you’re looking to get into the world of digital assets, chances are your first stop will be an NFT marketplace website. Whether you’re an experienced blockchain user with an overflowing digital wallet or you’re just joining the conversation for the first time, marketplaces are helpful hubs of activity for all things NFT-related. As demand for digital and fractional assets continues to grow, there are more and more marketplaces to choose from. We compiled this guide to eight of the best marketplaces to help you compare your options and decide which is your personal best website to buy NFTs.
Jump to a section…
NFT marketplace websites are the gateway to buying, selling, and trading digital assets. Whether you’re in the market for collectible trading cards, one-of-a-kind art and music, or experimental tech projects, NFT marketplaces are the primary way to conduct business. You can bid in auctions, sell and purchase assets, or just dip your toe into the blockchain community you find most appealing, all from an NFT marketplace website. Most NFT marketplaces have a specific focus, whether that’s based on the type of asset they make available or the kind of artist they support. No matter your niche, chances are there’s a dedicated NFT marketplace out there for you.
As one of the world’s most prominent cryptocurrency exchanges, it’s no surprise that Binance created a winning NFT marketplace. Binance NFT is supported by the well-respected and trusted Binance blockchain, which gives it both impressive clout and incredible reach in the world of digital assets. Visitors can use various crypto tokens to complete transactions on the platform, and can then cash out into fiat currency.
Mintable is a newer player on the NFT marketplace scene, but it’s quickly made a name for itself thanks in no small part to backing from billionaire investor and entrepreneur Mark Cuban. It uses the Ethereum and ImmutableX blockchains, a choice designed to support crypto nerds and newbies alike when it comes to minting, buying, and selling NFTs. Mintable promises to be easy to use without any deep crypto experience, but it also provides an introductory-level NFT education through Mintable University for any collectors who want to brush up on their digital asset knowledge.
NBA Top Shot allows basketball fans to buy, sell, and trade moments, which are essentially video clips of the best and hottest moments in the sport. In addition to flying the official NBA brand flag, Top Shot is backed by the crypto bigwigs at Dapper Labs (who created runaway hit CryptoKitties). Big name investors include a who’s who of basketball greatness, including Michael Jordan and Kevin Durrant. The Top Shot marketplace runs on the Flow blockchain and accepts both various cryptocurrencies and credit card payments so crypto newbies can still own a piece of basketball history.
Nifty Gateway has made headlines multiple times for big ticket NFT sales. CROSSROAD by the infamous Beeple sold for $6.6 million on Nifty Gateway, and The Merge by Pak, the most expensive NFT ever sold, collected $91.8 million on the site. Although it runs on the Ethereum blockchain and the Gemini crypto exchange, Nifty Gateway also accepts fiat currency payments (i.e. credit cards) so buyers who aren’t familiar with cryptocurrency can still get in on the action. In addition to celebrity artist drops, the marketplace also regularly releases unlimited open editions at base prices, which is another great entry point for anyone with a limited budget.
OpenSea is one of the oldest, most established, and therefore best sites to buy NFTs. Instead of focusing on a single type of art or asset, OpenSea hosts a little bit of everything, from art to music and collectibles to digital trading cards. It’s famously easy to use and accepts over 150 different tokens as payment, and also allows users to mint (aka create) NFTs of their own. OpenSea was originally built on the Ethereum blockchain, which charges higher fees than other blockchains, but has since announced that it will offer fee-free trades by supporting the Polygon and Klatyn blockchains too.
Rarible is primarily geared toward artists selling one-of-a-kind works and collections, although it also attracts attention from big name brands and companies. One of the key selling points of Rarible is its emphasis on community ownership and decentralization; the RARI token allows users to vote on platform upgrades, content moderation, and more. It supports the Ethereum, Flow, Solana, Tezos, and Polygon blockchains, which gives both artists and collectors a whole lot of options when it comes to fees and expanded access to a broad and varied community.
SuperRare is both a digital world NFT marketplace and a physical world NFT community. The Ethereum-based marketplace is structured like a high-end art gallery, and it accepts a tiny fraction of the artists that apply to join its ranks. Stringent curation, independent storefronts, and brick-and-mortar pop-up shops in cities like New York, not to mention its own RARE token, all add to SuperRare’s caché. There’s even a digital publication called SuperRare Magazine where experts weigh in on everything from the future of the NFT art market to specific works and collections.
When you’re trying to decide on the best place to buy NFTs (or sell, trade, or mint them), it’s a good idea to start by assessing your goals. Are you searching for an original artwork worth millions of dollars? Are you looking to own a snapshot of sports history? Or are you more interested in shared ownership of a fractionalized collectible? If that last option is calling your name, Dibbs can help.