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Despite the instability in the cryptocurrency and NFT sectors, the popularity of Solana (SOL) NFTs continues to grow. Understanding how to choose the best platform for buying, trading, and minting NFTs on Solana is crucial. In 2021, the top marketplaces and platforms reached their highest trading volumes and NFT rates for most collections. However, even during downturns, demand for NFTs and the number of marketplaces have not significantly decreased. Ethereum is the most popular network for creating NFTs, but it is notoriously expensive for developers and users. During NFT minting periods, when users compete by setting higher transaction fees, Ethereum gas fees can become relatively costly. Users aim to outbid each other to mint a specific Ethereum NFT. Solana is much more economical for minting NFTs, which is one of the advantages of the Solana ecosystem. This article will review the top ten best Solana NFT marketplaces to help you choose the right platform.

What is a marketplace?

Consider an NFT marketplace like eBay, but for digital assets (specifically NFTs). NFT marketplaces connect sellers and buyers on their platforms, allowing them to trade digital assets. These sites let users sell, buy, and mint NFTs and other digital assets. Thanks to low transaction costs, Solana has suddenly become a strong competitor to Ethereum.

Why use Solana?

At the time of writing this article, Solana (SOL) was the fastest-growing layer-1 blockchain network for NFTs. It is among the top three blockchains by NFT sales volume (all-time), having sold approximately $2.5 billion in NFTs over the past few years. Why is Solana gaining popularity among NFT enthusiasts? There are several reasons to mention. Firstly, it is one of the fastest places to mint NFTs. Secondly, Solana has very low transaction costs, making it cheaper for artists and creators to mint NFTs here. In short, here are a few reasons why Solana NFT marketplaces should be chosen:

  • Fast transactions.

Solana can process about 65,000 transactions per second, making it incredibly fast for minting and trading NFTs. The blockchain’s speed is due to a unique proof-of-history (PoH) consensus process that complements the already fast proof-of-stake (PoS) algorithm.

  • Low transaction fees.

Solana is one of the most affordable blockchains in terms of gas costs. Transaction fees for NFTs are low, allowing art collectors and creators to buy and mint or buy and sell digital artworks without fearing losing a significant portion of their profits due to gas costs.

  • Variety.

Solana has many more platforms and NFTs, so you can quickly find what you are looking for. The complete Solana NFT marketplace ecosystem includes digital platforms, utility-based platforms, and NFTs.

  • Other factors.

High market liquidity, flexibility, versatility, interoperability, and security are major advantages of choosing Solana over other NFT blockchains. We can agree that Solana is an excellent place for minting, buying, and selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs). While the Solana blockchain is still in its early stages, its NFT ecosystem is huge, with numerous artists, collections, and trading platforms. It’s impossible to single out one site as the best Solana NFT marketplace. There are multiple Solana NFT marketplaces, each with its operational processes, features, and rules. The ideal Solana NFT marketplace meets your requirements. Let us quickly review these markets and learn more about them.

Magic Eden

Magic Eden appears to be the most popular Solana marketplace. It reportedly attracts up to 10 million unique visitors every month. This is not surprising, given that it features some of the most renowned Solana NFT collections like DeGods, Pesky Penguins, and Okay Bears. Another reason Magic Eden is popular among NFT buyers is its ease of use. It supports 13 native Solana wallets and has an outstanding user interface. It also contains enough beneficial properties to make NFT transactions easy and enjoyable. Projects, launches, and collections are well-defined. It is also very fast. Sellers and collectors must register and follow the curating process before listing or minting a collection. This contributes to the high quality of all collections on Magic Eden. The Solana NFT marketplace Magic Eden includes auctions, bids, bid amounts, bid price metrics, filters, and other features. The platform offers Solana NFT games such as Mini Royale and Panzerdogs. SOL wallets that work with Magic Eden include:

  • Ledger.
  • Solong.
  • MathWallet.
  • Solflare.
  • Sollet.
  • Clover.
  • Phantom.
  • Slope.

Advantages of Magic Eden:

  • Outstanding user interface.
  • Several new features.
  • The transaction cost is 2%.
  • Supports 13 Solana wallets.
  • Quick listing.

Disadvantages of Magic Eden:

  • Due to its popularity, numerous copycats have emerged.
  • Cannot identify IP-infringing projects.

Solanart

The platform’s name comes from two words: “Solana Art.” It is another well-known Solana NFT marketplace. The witty name may have contributed to its success. Still, this platform has other appealing aspects, such as the availability of top NFT projects from independent creators, like Degenerate Ape Academy, Monkey Business, Solpunks, etc. According to DappRadar, Solanart.io is a prominent Solana NFT marketplace and exchange platform for Solana NFTs, which has transacted more than $635 million in trade volume since its inception. Users can use the site to purchase, sell, and mint Solana NFTs. It charges a 0.02% listing fee plus a 3% transaction fee. NFT creators can also add their fees to the cost of their NFTs on Solanart. Creators must fill out a Google form on their website to request to sell on Solanart. This helps to guarantee that all collections on the marketplace are of excellent quality. The software provides market information, compilations, and individual NFT trading histories. Solanart also indicates the rarity of each feature for specific NFTs. Solanart, a specialized Solana Art platform, is also one of the markets that provides statistical data on each listed NFT marketplace. Buyers can view statistics such as market capitalization, floor price, bid amount, or even traded volumes. This helps them make better decisions. Solanart is also quite simple to navigate and find interesting art collections. SOL wallets that work with Solanart include:

  • Torus.
  • Ledger.
  • Sollet.
  • MathWallet.
  • Phantom.
  • Slope.
  • Solflare.
  • Clover.

Advantages of Solanart:

  • Wide range of wallet support.
  • Several well-known NFT collections.
  • Launchpad.
  • User-friendly platform.

Disadvantages of Solanart:

  • Higher-than-average transaction cost (3%).
  • Possible extra fees from artists.
  • Exclusively for art NFTs.

SolSea

The first marketplace for NFTs on Solana, SolSea, offers easy platforms for purchasing NFTs and minting for artists. Additionally, SolSea’s First 100 is the world’s first virtual NFT art exhibition showcasing early adopters, collectors, independent creators, and producers. The Solana NFT marketplace issues NFTs with varying rarities that can be acquired using tokens such as SOL, AART, SKULL, BASIS, CHICKS, and DAWG. SolSea’s calendar feature ensures you never miss upcoming assignments. The platform rates the rarity levels of its NFT collections using its built-in NFT minting mechanism, which also automatically embeds licenses. SolSea charges a 2% transaction fee. It is a well-known Solana NFT marketplace that, according to DappRadar, has amassed over $32 million in total trade volume since going live. It also provides an open marketplace where sellers do not have to apply to have their collection featured in the marketplace. This NFT marketplace offers various interesting features, such as NFT collection rarity rank, score and treatment information, and the opportunity to advertise NFTs for open and private sales. SolSea is also an outstanding Solana NFT marketplace from the buyer’s perspective. To begin with, buying here is user-friendly and easy, with a good UI. It also has a useful price calendar feature and price move, allowing dedicated buyers to keep track of new price developments, buy and make acquisitions when NFTs are still fresh in price, and buy when the bid price is hot. SOL wallets that work with Solsea include:

  • Clover.
  • Torus.
  • Ledger.
  • Sollet.
  • Phantom.
  • Slope.
  • Solflare.
  • Coin98.

Advantages of SolSea:

  • Built-in IP capability.
  • More author control, including flexible license options.
  • Payment alternatives in fiat currency.
  • A consistent supply of new NFT collections.

Disadvantages of SolSea:

  • Higher-than-usual transaction charge (3%).
  • NFT auction not supported.

Artz

Artz is Solana’s first decentralized NFT marketplace. The platform is distinct because it does not rely on centralized operating processes. All NFTs stay in the users’ crypto wallets during the listing process. Only once a sale is completed does an NFT leave the user’s wallet. In contrast, centralized Solana NFT marketplaces often require users to deposit NFTs into an auction account. Some supporters of the decentralized trading platform consider Artz the best Solana marketplace for NFTs. The main advantage of Artz.ai is that NFTs never leave the wallet when you buy or sell them. When sellers purchase or sell their NFTs in a marketplace, they are often moved to an auction account for storage. Because Artz.ai solves the issue of not utilizing an auction address, the platform may offer free listings, and you won’t even have to pay listing/delisting costs. Most other markets, including those without listing fees, charge a small transaction fee for using the Solana blockchain to buy, sell, and list NFTs. Artz.ai is mostly a trading platform for art NFTs. They charge a 2% processing fee on successful sales, and creators also mint NFTs and set their unique royalty fees on the platform. Artz is currently a small NFT exchange platform but deserves to be on our list due to its useful decentralized functionality and ease of use. Phantom is SOL’s only wallet that works with Artz.ai.

Exchange.art

Exchange.art is a newcomer to the Solana+ marketplaces but has accomplished much in just over a year. This first Solana NFT marketplace platform is for individual NFT makers rather than seasoned digital artists and collectors. Still, it already boasts a diverse array of those selling excellent NFT materials. Exchange.art offers a variety of distinguishing features that attract the right audience. For example, there are no costs for listing NFTs. There is no curating process either. To top it all off, users may make offers on every NFT on the site, whether or not it is posted for sale. The platform also supports live auctions. Some of the platform’s extra features include placing an offer on every NFT listed or otherwise and live auctions. When users place an offer on an NFT, the money is sent immediately to the seller’s wallet and placed in escrow. If the seller acknowledges the offer, the transaction is quick and simple. SOL wallets that work with Exchange.art include:

  • Torus.
  • Ledger.
  • Blocto.
  • Sollet.
  • Phantom.
  • Solflare.
  • Slope.

Advantages of Exchange.art:

  • Support for various major Solana wallets.
  • Excellent and visually appealing user interface.
  • NFTs are simple to mint and trade, and they include unique NFTs.

Disadvantages of Exchange.art:

  • Not accessible on Android or iOS.
  • Buyer assistance is below average.

DigitalEyes Market

According to DappRadar, DigitalEyes.The.Marketplaces is a renowned Solana NFT marketplace and trading platform with over $127 million in sales volume since its establishment. It is a public Solana NFT marketplace where anyone can purchase, mint, or sell Solana NFTs. The site charges a 2.5% transaction fee on purchases and allows creators to choose their royalties. The DigitalEyes team also validates popular collections and adds a “Verified” checkmark next to their name to boost customer trust. The portal includes a mint calendar, which allows NFT buyers to easily find upcoming projects to mint. DigitalEyes is also developing a seller launchpad experience. Aurora, Degenerate Ape Academy, Galactic Gecko Space Garage, and Frakt are among the top-ranked and most popular NFT collections on DigitalEyes. The following SOL wallets are compatible with DigitalEyes Market:

  • Solong.
  • Slope.
  • Clover.
  • Mathwallet.
  • Phantom.
  • Sollet.
  • Solflare.

Advantages of this platform include:

  • Low fees.
  • Solana Galactic Gecko Space Garage, Frakt, and Pesky Penguins are all major NFT projects.

A disadvantage of the platform is:

  • Listed NFTs may occasionally take longer to update their platform.

Metaplex

Metaplex is an open-source platform created by and for creators to establish their unique, self-hosted, and bespoke NFT stores. Users’ Metaplex Storefront is linked to powerful on-chain decentralized software that mints and sells NFTs, eliminating the need for a middleman and associated fees. Token Metadata, Token Vault, Auction, and Metaplex are four different contracts that connect the data via the Metaplex contract to the data that offer Solana developers the tools and data they need to build and construct NFTs. The Metaplex ecosystem enables an easy and entirely new way to engage with NFTs on Solana and has become the de facto NFT tool on the platform. Users may mint NFTs, bid and run auctions for primary and secondary sales, and conventionally view NFTs using Metaplex. Users can avoid the marketplace’s transaction costs with each successful NFT exchange. Furthermore, Metaplex simplifies the process of creating stores for users. Moreover, the site aims to foster a community of artists collaborating rather than competing. Metaplex Foundation, the platform’s developer, announced the opening of the new NFT marketplace, a project that has received strategic backing from Solana Labs and cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The platform is intended to give the NFT community critical infrastructure so independent creators, collectors, and artists can create personalized collectibles. According to the project creators of the Metaplex Foundation, the new platform allows creators “perpetual royalties to be hard-coded into NFTs,” ensuring on-chain that artists and creators are always paid a portion of secondary sales. The full listing procedure will also take place on-chain. RAC, a Grammy Award-winning singer, creative firm Street Dreams, and CryptoKickers, an NFT-based wearables band, were among the first to support the platform. Advantages include:

  • Connecting creators and consumers without charging a marketplace fee to anyone.
  • This platform has introduced several successful Solana NFT ventures, including Degen Ape Academy, Solana Monkey Business, Genopets, Nyan Heroes, and Oddkey.

Disadvantages include:

  • It only accepts Solana tokens as payment.

Solport

This is a Solana NFT exchange platform with features such as rarity filters, user auctions, marketplaces, and notifications of marketplace activity through Discord and Telegram. Solport included important Solana NFT projects like Monkey Business and Realm Kings Mutant on its list. There are no registration or refund fees on the Solport marketplace. Solport charges sellers a 2% fee on all transactions and does not charge listing fees. Sellers are free to set their royalties. Solport aims to create and build a high-quality product rather than overpromising and underdelivering. They intend to develop and build Solport into a complete solution suite that will enable the best Solana NFT marketplaces and vendors to develop and launch their platforms while automating their process of selling and trading. Solport.io is a Solana NFT marketplace that allows buying, selling, and minting. The SolPort marketplace is unique among NFT markets because it intends to “create the best possible service for people to buy and make it easy to find, buy, and use” rather than focusing on money. SolPort is committed to delivering on its promises to its customers. For example, SolPort is currently a reliable Solana NFT platform. However, the site also hopes to give users the resources and tools to do NFT research, mint and list NFTs quickly and efficiently, and automate trading and processes. SolPort customers can access rarity filtering, auctioning, Telegram and Discord alerts, marketplace activities, and buying, selling, and trading NFTs. SolPort intends to stay for the long haul. A closer look into the market reveals they have ambitious future plans. Their plan outlines what they hope to achieve over the next six months. These are some examples:

  • Users will receive limited edition NFT airdrops.
  • Including a reward and lottery system.
  • Create an anti-fraud mechanism to protect users from being scammed.
  • Create an on-site messaging service.
  • Allow users to filter based on qualities.
  • Development of mobile applications.

The wallets supported by this platform include:

  • Phantom.
  • Solflare.

Solible is among the top fifteen Solana NFT marketplaces and the largest. Users often use it to create NFTs linked to real-world physical or digital assets. Moreover, the project creator has complete authority over it. Solible’s initial product was Shiba Inu memes, followed by DOGE and Bitcoin. Users use Solible to create NFTs linked to real-world physical or digital assets. Artists and innovators now have many options, as the Solible Solana NFT marketplaces and exchange platform are transferred to Serum, one of Solana’s major decentralized exchanges. On the Solible Solana NFT marketplaces and marketplace, you can exchange your NFTs for various cryptocurrencies, including USDC, FRONT, and SRM, Serum’s native currency. While Solible has a long way to go before being considered one of the best Solana NFT marketplaces and exchanges, it is a reliable option.

Alpha.art

Alpha.art is a revolutionary Solana NFT marketplace where users can buy and sell Solana-based NFTs. At Alpha.art, there are no listing fees. However, they charge a flat 2% seller fee, collected at the time of the transaction. The Alpha.art marketplace does not enable minting at the time of publication. Solana wallets supported include:

  • Phantom.
  • Slope.
  • Solflare.
  • Ledger.
  • Sollet.

Summary

With so many NFT marketplaces offering fantastic goods, there’s no reason not to participate in the Solana blockchain network. It has quickly established itself as a prominent player in the NFT space with some of the lowest transaction fees currently available. It also backs major projects like the Frakt and Galactic Gecko Space Garage, and its native coin Solana is gaining traction with crypto investors. Solana-based NFT marketplaces are worth checking out if you want to buy or trade NFTs. The Solana NFT exchange platform has grown over time, as evidenced by the NFT marketplaces created on such a network. Moreover, Solana will expand further and become something bigger than Ethereum. Are you considering creating an NFT marketplace now? Don’t even think about it! Follow the crowd and build your own NFT market on Solana. There are several marketplace development firms to help you get started. Get their assistance before starting your enterprise. Build a lucrative career by trading your way into the crypto world. Please remember that several of these platforms are still in their early stages and may require more time to reflect on their platform. Before investing or using any site, conduct your research.

By Taylor David Blockchain in finance