Are you well aware of NFTs but haven't had the guts to buy your first one yet? You are not alone. The NFT space can be daunting, with scammer collections spawning left and right, it can be easy to mistakenly buy the wrong item with no undo button or much support on site. Some of these items can cost thousands of dollars, so taking the right steps to ensure you are buying the right thing is highly important.

Many NFT marketplaces work best depending on the type of NFTs you want to buy. Some are great for 1-of-1 pieces from independent artists, video games creators, and popular PFP (profile picture) collections for large communities. Let's go over some of the most popular and safe alternatives in the market, and what they have to offer.

  • Opensea
  • Looksrare
  • x2y2
  • MagicEden
  • CoinbaseNFT
  • Rarible
  • SuperRare
  • Foundation
  • Nifty Gateway
  • Zora
  • Counterparty
  • Sorare
  • Independent Marketplaces

‍Opensea

Launched in December 2017, Opensea become the very first NFT marketplace. What started as a humble startup became the most active NFT marketplace in the market. Registering 1 million wallets in January of 2022, it became the go-to platform for the NFT mania to boom during the last cycle. Commonly known to host large collections with vibrant communities, by far the largest NFT marketplace in Web 3. It now supports Ethereum, Solana, Klaytin, and Polygon NFTs. It also accepts more cryptocurrency options as payment than any other option in the market. One of the few options with a mobile app for iOS and Android at the moment.

Looksrare

Ever since its launch in 2021, the platform has become a solid alternative to Opensea, which has been prone to service interruptions and not-so-stellar customer service. It offers a reward system that allows you to gain $LOOKS token for using the platform, giving its users a legit use-to-earn model. The design could be better, but it undoubtedly has awesome features no other marketplace has to offer, like entire collection bids, and better trait filtering.

x2y2

One of the latest platforms to enter the market, offering its reward token with competitive staking returns. The main differentiator is that the user rewards come from staking the token rather than gaining tokens per transaction. It sports a nice and clean UI, but it has lagged in terms of growing on par with Looksrare.

Magic Eden

The most popular Solana marketplace in Web 3, one that can compete with Opensea in terms of the number of new and active users it hosts. The marketplace has teased it's own token, with a potential airdrop going to its past users. There is no doubt that this is the go-to Solana marketplace and one of the main dapps growing this ecosystem. Similar to Opensea, it recently launched a mobile app for iOS and Android as well.

Coinbase NFT

As one of the leaders in the space, Coinbase is the latest NFT marketplace to enter Web 3. An anticipated launch from the most popular crypto exchange in the United States, offering unique social features to follow other users, add comments, and much more on top of what the typical marketplace has to offer. The platform recently opened its beta access to all, not attracting as many incumbents as expected, but it's still fairly early to say.

Rarible

One of the best when it comes to having a beginner-friendly interface and sleek design. It allows credit card purchases, has its own token ($RARI), and its own DAOs. It tends to attract one-of-one artists and collections, allowing creators to charge royalty fees up to 50%. 

SuperRare

Great when it comes to selling auctions, 1-of-1 art, photography, and high-end pieces from established artists. Creators need to apply and be accepted to sell their art, making it more exclusive. It's best suited for buyers folks transitioning from the physical to the digital art high-end collectible scene. Despite charging a steep 15% platform commission fee on mint sales, royalties are available for both creators and users. 

Foundation

It sports a friendly design, great customer support, and an amazing group of artists pushing some of the best exclusive art collections around. You can also set royalty splits with other artists, making it easy for creator collabs. A favorite of 1-of-1 artists in the notorious Pepe the frog community and Killer Acid, attracting some of the best collectors in the space as well. 

NiftyGateway

Similar to its parent company, Gemini, it's a safe option for newcomers trying to get a feel of the space. It accepts a wide variety of payment options, from crypto to debit/credit. Focused primarily on "high-end" pieces, they curate the artist onboarding the platform, similar to SuperRare. It's one of the few marketplaces that have an exchange as a parent company, shipping best-in-class technology on both ends. 

Zora

One to keep an eye on! Despite its clunky UI, it's one of the only marketplaces with a completely open source protocol and 0% fees when listing or selling NFTs. You can read that again, this marketplace also offers splits and is working on a referral model for sellers as well, a Web 3 affiliate program of some sorts. Easily one of the most forward-thinking platforms in the market.

Counterparty (Xchain)

The home of some of the oldest crypto art around. In addition to its coveted historical inventory, it's also the go-to marketplace for the popular Rare Pepe community. This is one of the few marketplaces that trades on Bitcoin, giving it a unique edge when it comes to offering a decentralized experience; at the end of the day, nothing is as decentralized as Bitcoin. Users create dispensers, similar to folders where the NFTs reside. It still sports clunky UI and it's not the place for noobs to start, but certainly worth a look. 

Sorare

Exclusive to sports, specifically soccer and now baseball, it's a novel mix between a marketplace and a fantasy sports platform. Buy your favorite player's NFT, stack them up into a team, and enter competitions to win prizes. It's a must-try for fantasy sports fans and Web 3 enthusiasts, enabling the beautiful game on a global scale.

Independent Marketplaces

Popular collections like the CryptoPunks, Solana Monke Business (SMB), and Axie Infinity have developed their own marketplaces to buy and sell their own items. These are the fruits of talented teams figuring out ways to build more value to their business and community. These marketplaces often charge smaller fees or even offer rewards for using them, the opportunities are endless. No different from Shopify powering millions of stores worldwide, it would be no surprise if creating your marketplace becomes a common practice.

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It's usually a great place to buy a legitimate NFT straight from the source, but beware, this only applies to vetted and established projects. Remember that once you connect your wallet to a site, it will interact with your wallet and hopefully won't drain your assets. Unless you can read smart contracts before connecting wallets, consider this the least secure option for users. Unless made by one of the best teams in the space, it is safer to opt for a vetted marketplace and transact on the secondary market instead.