The 9 Best NFT Marketplaces for Buying and Selling Non-Fungible Tokens in 2023

Everywhere you look, people are talking about NFTs (AKA non-fungible tokens).

Built on blockchain technology (that's also behind crypto), NFT marketplaces have finally made it possible for creators to earn royalties on their digital artwork—and for investors to treat digital assets the same as fine art investments by investing in NFTs. The best NFT marketplaces make it easy for you to get in on the action, too.

NFT marketplaces are like the Etsy or Amazon of NFTs—except with a few distinctions. On NFT marketplaces, the assets can be displayed, stored in a collection, purchased, traded, and sometimes minted (created). They're the main destination for selling NFTs or for NFT creators to share their own.

The popular NFT platform OpenSea is arguably the best NFT marketplace. It features “Notable Collections” and "Trending" sections that highlight top NFT artists and collections. There’s also a seven-day top collections board where you can track the price fluctuations of the best NFTs the same way you would a stock.

How to buy NFTs

You must have a crypto wallet to buy or sell art on an NFT marketplace, with a growing number of exceptions. For instance, Nifty’s NFT marketplace lets you buy digital art with a credit card.

But since NFTs are minted on blockchains, even buyers who use U.S. dollars to buy NFTs must receive them via a wallet that works with whatever blockchain the NFT was minted on. Put differently, most NFT marketplaces only accept cryptos like Ether and not fiat. Suitable wallets include MetaMask, CoinBase, Enjin, AlphaWallet, and others, but newer NFT marketplaces have lessened the need for a DeFi wallet.

From Nouns to Invisible Friends, let's go over the 9 best NFT marketplaces so you can get started buying and trading digital art.

1. Rarible

Rarible is one of the most popular NFT marketplaces, with recent monthly sales exceeding $40 million.

Known as both an NFT marketplace and a minting platform, you can find all forms of art, including images, photography, videos, collectibles, and music NFTs on Rarible—making it one of the best NFT marketplaces if you're looking for variety.

The platform does require that users transact with its native token, RARI. Uniquely, RARI is a governance token, meaning currency holders themselves have voting power. While this is a notable and appealing feature of Rarible, it’s a limitation for anyone wanting to buy NFTs with Bitcoin or Ethereum's Ether (the two most common cryptocurrencies).

Rarible has partnered with some notable companies, including Taco Bell (taco NFTs, anyone?) and Adobe.

2. Fractional

Like its name suggests, Fractional is known for letting NFT art enthusiasts become part-owners of their favorite art. 

If you want to make money off NFTs but can’t afford to trade your favorite pieces, Fractional is one of the best NFT marketplaces to get started.

The Fractional NFT platform stores NFTs in vaults, and vaults get auctioned off for a value agreed upon by owners of the fractional tokens. An auction is a public sale of a vault and its contents that's triggered when someone deposits and offers an amount of ETH greater than or equal to the vault’s reserve price.

The investor offering the highest price wins the buyout when the auction ends. Then, when the auction is over, the NFT will be withdrawn and fractional owners will be able to trade in their tokens for ETH.

3. OpenSea

Perhaps the most popular NFT marketplace, OpenSea lets you buy blockchain-backed goods, including gaming items, domain names, digital art, music, and other collectibles. The OpenSea NFT marketplace has over 200 categories and more than 4 million assets listed, which makes it the top destination for buying and selling NFTs.

OpenSea is decentralized, meaning all trades happen through a smart contract (no central authority). The most popular currency used is Ether, which makes transactions a little expensive these days due to Ethereum's popularity and high gas fees. However, they've also integrated with other top blockchains like Solana and Polygon where transactions are cheaper.

That said, over 150 cryptocurrencies are accepted on OpenSea—just not fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar or the Euro, though you can use some stablecoins. OpenSea also aggregates NFTs from other platforms, acting almost as a gateway to other NFT marketplaces you might not be as familiar with.

4. Magic Eden

Magic Eden is a wonderful place to be if you're looking for an NFT art marketplace that puts creators first. This is one of the top Solana NFT marketplaces, but it also supports Ethereum and other smart contract blockchains.

On Magic Eden, you can find a selection of NFT games and a partner project called Psychedelics Anonymous. Plus, it's one of the most exclusive NFT platforms and has a vibrant community of NFT traders and collectors.

If you’re looking to mint your own NFTs, Magic Eden has a Launchpad that only accepts 3% of all mining applications. They also offer a Magic Ticket to participate in the MagicDAO (decentralized autonomous organization) so that you can vote on how the Magic Eden community is run and the rules of its NFT marketplace.

Magic Eden is the best NFT marketplace if you're looking to invest without wasting money on gas fees and creator royalties when you want to offload your NFT collection.

5. Nifty Gateway

The Gemini crypto exchange has its own NFT marketplace called Nifty Gateway. Nifty is famous for being one of the NFT marketplaces where Beeple sells his NFT art (Beeple might be the best NFT artist right now as his Everydays collection is among the most expensive).

Nifty is an all-in-one platform that runs on Ethereum. You can buy, sell, and store digital art, collectibles, and even crypto-game collectibles like CryptoKitties on Nifty Gateway.

There are some features of Nifty Gateway designed to make the NFT platform easier to use but could be a turn-off for DIY blockchain experts. For instance, Nifty Gateway stores your NFTs for you, which makes it a custodial NFT marketplace. That means Nifty Gateway isn’t the best NFT storage platform for maintaining control and flexibility of your assets.

Nifty Gateway also allows buyers to make purchases in U.S. dollars, so it's one of the best NFT marketplaces for crypto newbies preferring a beginner-friendly approach or anyone wanting a more predictable price.

6. SuperRare

SuperRare is a creator-friendly NFT marketplace where you can buy art, videos, and 3D images on Ethereum.

This NFT platform is all about curating the best selections of top NFT artists, with a focus on quality over quantity. Expect this NFT marketplace to have high-definition photography and digital imagery with elevated quality. If you’re interested in stepping up your NFT snobbery (but like, in a fun way), SuperRare might be a good stop on your journey through the top NFT marketplaces.

Transactions occur in Ether (ETH) or with the $RARE token.

7. Foundation

Want to visit a digital NFT auction house? Foundation is your no-frills way to bid on digital art. In under a year, this NFT marketplace has sold more than $100 million in assets, all using Ethereum.

8. Stargaze

Stargaze is a blockchain-based social network that reimagines the traditional social network from a crypto-native perspective. On Stargaze, social tokens, content, and profile avatars are all NFTs, and DAOs are in charge of curation and moderation.

The Stargaze Protocol is built on Cosmos tendermint, giving it the greatest flexibility in terms of protocol design, compatibility, and scalability. It can interface with other blockchains including the Cosmos hub, other Cosmos zones, and, in the future, Ethereum and Ethereum L2 networks.

Stargaze is the perfect platform for those looking to explore the world of NFTs in a fun and lighthearted way. With its unique approach to social networking, Stargaze could be the future of decentralized identity and web3 social networking.

9. Stashh

Stashh is the world's first NFT marketplace with privacy by default. On Stashh, you can collect privately, display publicly, and unlock the hidden secrets inside your collectibles.

Stashh is on the Secret network, but also allows you to link your Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon addresses to your profile, giving you the option to show the world your NFTs in the Cosmos ecosystem as well as your assets on Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon.

Stashh is the perfect platform for those who want to show off their NFTs while still maintaining their privacy. With its unique approach, Stashh is the perfect NFT marketplace for crypto natives who value privacy above all.

10. Mintable

Mintable is an open NFT marketplace operated similarly to OpenSea, and it’s backed by billionaire Mark Cuban.

Mintable is one of the many NFT platforms deployed on Ethereum, so collectors and buyers need to connect their crypto wallet to the platform. Anyone can mint NFT art through the Mintable NFT platform in categories such as music, visual art, videos, and collectibles.

11. Theta Drop

This final NFT marketplace is unique. Theta Drop is an NFT platform built for the decentralized distribution of video and TV on the internet—think YouTube, but decentralized.

Theta Drop debuted in 2021 by streaming the World Poker Tour on its blockchain platform, which also hosts an NFT marketplace for trading digital collectibles.

Users of the Theta Drop NFT marketplace must purchase the THETA token, which can be stored in either a third-party crypto wallet and on Theta’s wallet app.

This NFT marketplace may raise an eyebrow as it definitely is opening minds to how blockchain and intellectual property can be combined to create new norms for the entertainment business.

12. Rally 

Are you looking to get in on the NFT craze but don’t know where to start? Look no further than Rally, the perfect platform for the uninitiated to get in on the NFT craze.

Rally has a unique approach to investing in collectibles, allowing you to create custom diversified portfolios by holding stakes in assets from luxury watches to designer handbags and vintage comic books to dinosaur bones. And don't forget NFTs like Crypto Punks and Bored Apes.

But Rally isn't just about investing. It also offers a limited number of investors the chance to purchase a Rally NFT, a one-of-a-kind digital graphic that's uniquely designed and of varying rarity. The Rally NFTs are procedurally generated, meaning that a purchaser can be assigned a Rally NFT design randomly during the checkout process.

Rally is committed to trust and safety, so they partner with FINRA-registered broker-dealers who confirm investor identities, issue shares, and oversee all transactions. Plus, Rally invests with you on every investment offering, so you can be sure they are incentivized to select great assets and manage them with a focus on long-term returns.

Rally is the perfect platform for those looking to invest in premium quality collectible assets while also having the chance to own a unique and rare NFT. With its unique approach to investing and NFTs, Rally is sure to be a hit with crypto enthusiasts and casual collectors alike.

13. Objkt

Objkt is an NFT marketplace that makes it easy to buy and sell digital art on the Tezos blockchain. It offers two types of auctions: Highest Bid Auctions and Price Drop Auctions. With Highest Bid Auctions, the highest bidder wins the auction, while with Price Drop Auctions, the lowest bidder wins the auction.

Objkt also offers collections, which are “containers” for tokens, and it is not possible to move tokens between collections. The platform charges a 2.5% fee on successful transactions and pays royalties to artists.

What makes Objkt unique is its short profile URL feature. To get a short profile URL, you must buy a Tezos domain and set the reverse record to your address. This makes it easier for people to find and follow your profile.

So if you’re looking for a Tezos-based NFT marketplace with a unique feature, you got to check out Objkt.

14. Ethereum Naming Service

Are you looking to make a name for yourself in the world of NFTs? Then you've got to get an ENS domain. The Ethereum Naming Service is a decentralized platform that makes it easy to register your own unique domain name and use it to show off your web3 identity.

Plus, you can use your domain name instead of a long and complicated Ethereum address to send and receive payments.

It's like GoDaddy, but decentralized and accessible only through your Ethereum crypto wallet. All you have to do is register your NFT domain through the ENS dapp for a certain amount of time and pay for it in ETH. Then you can flaunt your domain name on any NFT marketplace on Ethereum and flip it for a profit.

Plus, you can have a say in how the platform is run by holding the ENS governance token. That means you can help shape the future of the platform and make sure it's running the way you want by holding the ENS token voting on changes to the protocol.

With ENS, domain-name purchases have never been easier. You can get your own domain name in a few clicks, and transfer it instantly to any other Ethereum address.

The web3 space is saturated with places to buy, sell, and trade NFTs, so it's normal to be overwhelmed with the options.  Finding the right NFT market place can be a struggle since most NFT platforms have very similar offerings. So we'll help by breaking down our recommended NFT platforms so you can find one that's the best fit for your needs.

Looking for a decentralized domain name? Explore ENS, Opensea, or Rarible.

Want to invest in NFTs but hate the fees? We suggest Magic Eden, Opensea, or Rally.

Trying to diversify your NFT portfolio? Invest with Fractional or Rally.

Are you a hipster trying to get away from the mainstream? Check out Objkt, Stargaze, SuperRare, or Theta Drop.