Best NFT Marketplaces
For the last couple of years, NFTs have been the focus of attention for both new investors and crypto enthusiasts.
No matter your opinion of NFTs, it’s indisputable that the technology has garnered a lot of attention as an investment opportunity, leading to the emergence of numerous NFT marketplaces.
Today, we'll evaluate and review the market's leading names.
Top NFT Marketplaces of January 2025
Binance
- IGO and gaming NFTs
- Low trading fees
- Multichain support
OpenSea
- Longest-standing NFT market
- Zero gas fees
- Great for artists
Rarible
- Support for up to 20 wallets
- Lazy minting
- DAO marketplace
Nifty Gateway
- Direct fiat currency purchases
- Curated NFT creators
- Part of the Gemini platform
Crypto.com
- Easy to use
- Collaboration with brands and artists
- Support for major payment methods
SuperRare
- DAO
- Community-driven
- Built on Ethereum
Mintable
- Gasless minting
- Analytics
- Store creation
Foundation
- Creator approval process
- Ethereum platform
- Go-to place for top artists
Top 5 NFT Marketplaces - Our Picks for 2025:
- Binance
- OpenSea
- Rarible
- Nifty Gateway
- Crypto.com
Our Guide to Choosing an NFT Marketplace
The cryptocurrency industry is expanding, with its market capitalization growing, and the secondary-market dealing in nonfungible tokens, unsurprisingly, follows the trend.
With so many new players entering the game and competing with older platforms, finding a NFT marketplace to buy, sell, or mint NFTs can be challenging for new users.
We’ll cover what you should pay attention to when looking for this type of platform.
How NFT Marketplaces Work
Platforms for trading NFTs have become quite popular in the sports, art, gaming, and music industries. Various types of files are traded globally, with blockchain facilitating the process as the underlying tech.
Essential features of NFT markets are storefronts, filters, search functions, infrastructure for auctions, and wallet integrations.
If the platform has a method of displaying digital artwork, social-media-like features, or multiple token standards, it’s worth checking out.
Ethereum’s network infrastructure is the most commonly used foundation for nonfungible token development due to the ERC-721 and ERC-1155 standards’ versatility.
The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization also provides access to decentralized exchanges, which are crucial for NFT trading.
ERC-721 vs. ERC-1155
As mentioned, the two most popular Ethereum token standards for NFTs are the ERC-1155 and ERC-721. The first one, created in 2017, is more flexible, as it supports both fungible and nonfungible assets within the same contract.
It was used to develop CryptoKitties, the blockchain game that started the NFT craze.
The ERC-1155 also allows batch transfers, which is not possible with the ERC-721. It’s a solution that combines useful features from the ERC-20 and ERC-721 standards.
The leading marketplaces are likely to support both standards and more than one blockchain, so you won’t have to use multiple platforms if you own several types of NFTs.
Types of NFTs
Online platforms for trading NFTs aren’t just places where you can buy digital images. The technology has a vast array of applications. The most popular NFTs are:
- In-game items
- Domain names
- Online art
- Audio files
- Video files
- Social media posts
- Collectibles
You can find all of these and more on popular websites. NFT markets such as the one operated by Binance allow for initial game offerings, which is a unique type of NFT.
Similar to ICOs (initial coin offerings), IGOs work in a manner whereby players can purchase NFTs during the game’s development and fund it in that way.
IGOs can then be used in the game or traded on third-party marketplaces.
NFTs in games usually take the form of in-game items that can be freely traded outside of the game on secondary markets.
Custodial or Decentralized Platforms
Custodial services are online marketplaces that hold crypto assets in centralized wallets on behalf of their users.
Some of the most prominent platforms operate in this manner, which is completely different from the way noncustodial platforms work. When you use a custodial platform, you don’t own your private keys.
The advantages of custodial platforms are:
- Ease of use
- More payment methods
- Centralized customer support
- Faster transaction times
The main disadvantage is that users don’t have control over their assets. If the platform is hacked or goes bankrupt, users stand to lose everything.
Before deciding on using such a platform, check if it’s insured to cover the losses in case its security is breached and assets stolen.
In contrast, decentralized platforms are community-driven and often run by DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations). The advantages of these platforms are:
- You own your private keys
- More control over your assets
- Lower fees
The main disadvantage is that they can be more complicated to use. If you lose your account credentials, customer support won’t be able to help you recover them.
Payment Methods
A legitimate marketplace will make it easy for you to pay for the digital assets you want to purchase. The most common banking methods are:
- Cryptocurrencies
- Credit/debit cards
- PayPal
- Bank transfers
When looking for a marketplace, make sure it offers a payment method convenient for you.
Those that act as exchanges in addition to being NFT markets will have the most varied options, while DAOs are likely to be limited to ETH or whatever token is used by the NFT market’s blockchain.
Wallet Support
Since the majority of NFTs are stored on the Ethereum blockchain, your marketplace of choice should support commonly used ETH wallets that have the infrastructure for NFTs, such as:
- MetaMask
- Trust Wallet
- Gnosis Safe
- Argent
- MyEtherWallet
FAQ
What is the largest NFT marketplace?
OpenSea is the largest Polygon and Ethereum NFT marketplace: In January 2022, it had a record-breaking trade volume of more than $5 billion.
How do I choose an NFT marketplace?
Consider what type of NFT you’re selling or looking to buy, what payment methods you want to use, and whether you need a custodial or decentralized platform.
For example, if you’re selling art, you might want to use a marketplace that specializes in art NFTs.
If you’re simply looking for the largest marketplace, OpenSea and Binance are good options.