12 Tezos NFT Marketplaces to Buy and Sell From

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have taken the world by storm, with artists, creators, collectors, and investors all seeking to capitalize on the hype. The Ethereum blockchain has been the go-to platform for minting and trading NFTs so far. However, the exorbitant gas fees on Ethereum make transactions expensive, especially for new artists hoping to mint their first NFTs.

This is where the Tezos blockchain steps in as a more affordable and eco-friendly alternative for NFT creators and collectors. Tezos uses a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism that is more energy-efficient than Ethereum‘s proof-of-work. It also has significantly lower transaction fees, making it easy for anyone to get started with NFTs on Tezos.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the top 12 Tezos NFT marketplaces to help you buy, sell, and trade NFTs on the Tezos blockchain.

What is the Tezos Blockchain?

Tezos is a decentralized, open-source blockchain network designed to evolve over time without the need for hard forks. It was developed by Arthur and Kathleen Breitman and launched in 2018 after one of the most successful ICOs, raising $232 million.

Some key features of the Tezos blockchain include:

Proof-of-Stake: Tezos uses a more energy-efficient PoS consensus mechanism instead of Bitcoin and Ethereum‘s PoW mining. This makes it more eco-friendly.
Self-Amendment: Tezos can upgrade itself with community approval, without needing to fork. This provides better long-term sustainability.
Smart Contracts: Like Ethereum, Tezos supports Turing-complete smart contracts. This allows developers to build decentralized apps and issue NFTs.
On-Chain Governance: All Tezos token holders can participate in governing the network by voting on proposals. This enables a more democratic and decentralized administration.
Formal Verification: Tezos utilizes formal verification for its smart contract language, Michelson, to ensure mathematical correctness. This enhances security.

Overall, these features make Tezos a strong blockchain poised for extensive application development and adoption. The self-amendment capability gives it an edge over rivals in being able to seamlessly modernize over time.

Fungible vs. Non-Fungible Tokens

Before we dive into Tezos NFT marketplaces, it‘s important to distinguish fungible and non-fungible tokens.

Fungible tokens are interchangeable and replaceable. For example, ETH or Bitcoin can be mutually substituted and retain the same value.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), on the other hand, represent unique assets like art, music, videos, or virtual real estate. Each NFT has a distinct value and is not interchangeable with another NFT, even if they are part of the same collection.

While fungible tokens promote uniformity, NFTs celebrate uniqueness and scarcity. This makes NFTs ideal for creating digital shortage and allowing traceable ownership of rare digital items.

Minting, Buying, and Selling NFTs on Tezos

Minting, buying, and selling NFTs on Tezos is similar to other blockchains like Ethereum but with lower fees. Here‘s a quick rundown:

First, you‘ll need a Tezos wallet to hold NFTs as well as XTZ to pay gas fees. Popular options include Temple, Kukai, Galleon, and others.
Next, head to a Tezos NFT marketplace and connect your wallet.
To mint an NFT, you‘ll upload your content (image, video, audio, etc.) and list it for sale by paying a small gas fee in XTZ. This will range from $0.10 to $1 on Tezos.
To buy an NFT, you can browse through different collections on marketplaces and purchase using XTZ in your wallet.
You can then resell your NFTs on secondary markets. When the NFT is sold, you will receive a royalty percentage that you set during minting.

Now let‘s explore some of the top Tezos NFT marketplaces to mint, buy, and trade NFTs.

1. Objkt

Objkt is currently the top NFT marketplace on Tezos in terms of trading volume and activity. It evolved from Hic et Nunc, the first Tezos NFT platform.

Some key features of Objkt include:

A clean, contemporary design and user experience.
Multiple NFT listing options – auctions, fixed price sales, offers, and more.
‘Minter‘ ranks and leaderboards based on trading volume.
Customizable royalties for creators (up to 25%).
Split royalties allowing shared revenue for collaborative NFTs.
A 2.5% service fee on secondary sales.

Objkt also allows cross-listing NFTs from other Tezos marketplaces like Kalamint and FXHash. This has helped fuel its growth to dominate over 50% of the Tezos NFT market share.

2. OneOf

OneOf is an exclusive Tezos NFT marketplace that partners with top music artists and brands. It provides fans access to special NFT drops and auctions.

Some key highlights of OneOf include:

Exclusive branded NFTs thanks to partnerships with Steve Aoki, The Weeknd, Doja Cat, and the Grammy Awards.
Multi-chain support including Tezos, Ethereum, and Polygon.
Fixed price sales, timed auctions, mystery boxes, and tiered rarity NFTs.
An upcoming "Fan Vault" to store NFTs and share fandom socially.
A clean, web3-focused brand and user experience.

While not completely open or community-driven like Objkt, OneOf offers premium licensed NFTs thanks to its brand partnerships. This gives it an advantage in the music NFT space.

3. Kalamint

Kalamint is one of the leading curated Tezos NFT marketplaces. It is not completely open – artists must submit applications before they can officially mint NFTs.

Some key details on Kalamint:

A highly curated gallery of NFT collections, with a focus on quality over quantity.
Fixed price and auction sales. Profit sharing from auctions.
Customizable royalties for creators.
Kalamint awards badges to top artists and collectors on the platform.
No listing or transaction fees, making minting free for approved artists.

The curated approach on Kalamint enables quality control and an aesthetically pleasing marketplace for buyers. It focuses more on supporting artists than mainstream adoption.

4. FXHash

FXHash is one of the most popular open marketplaces for generative art NFTs on Tezos. Anyone can connect their wallet and start minting.

Some FXHash features worth noting:

Completely open and community-focused, with no screening or curation.
Specializes in experimental and algorithmic generative art NFTs.
Minters can test generative art concepts in a sandbox before minting and selling live.
Governance via FXHash Genesis DAO with the nFXH utility token.
Rankings and leaderboards for top-selling generative artists.
A 5% minting fee but no commissions on secondary sales.

For supporters and creators of avant garde generative art, FXHash is undoubtedly the top Tezos NFT marketplace. The sandbox and lack of curation allow unbridled experimentation.

5. Rarible

Rarible is a huge NFT marketplace supporting multiple chains, including Tezos. While not Tezos-exclusive, it does have a substantial Tezos community.

Some notable features on Rarible include:

A wide range of NFT collections spanning art, metaverses, photography, music, domains, and more.
An active social community with user profiles, likes, comments, and more.
Native $RARI tokens issued for active marketplace participation.
Customizable royalties for creators.
Fixed price sales, auctions, and unlockable content NFTs.
Multi-chain NFT minting and trading – Ethereum, Flow, Tezos, and more.

Rarible offers a polished and full-featured NFT marketplace covering multiple blockchains. While Tezos isn‘t its sole focus, the low minting fees make it popular with artists on the Tezos blockchain.

6. Versum

Versum offers a unique NFT discovery experience compared to traditional gallery layouts on other platforms. It utilizes a mosaic-like board of NFTs that you can browse and get a zoomed-out perspective.

Some interesting aspects of Versum include:

An experimental mosaic layout allowing users to overview entire collections easily.
Simple onboarding – connect wallet to start collecting and trading.
$MATTER tokens awarded to active users which can redeem prizes.
Focused on showcasing indie artists and creators.
Minimal fees – free minting and 2.5% transaction fee.

While still relatively niche, Versum provides a novel way to absorb and discover NFTs based on visual appeal rather than rankings and leaderboards. The mosaic view allows serendipitous browsing.

7. ByteBlock

ByteBlock is a Tezos NFT marketplace focused on art from South Asia and Indian subcontinent. It aims to be the go-to platform for India-based crypto artists and collectors.

Some notable aspects of ByteBlock:

A designated "Indiaverse" category highlighting local Indian artists.
The NFT 101 program to support first-time artists in minting their debut NFTs.
Fixed price sales. Auctions coming soon.
Support for IPFS decentralized storage to embed media into NFT metadata.
Minimal fees – zero minting fees and just a 1% transaction fee.

ByteBlock makes NFT adoption accessible in India by prioritizing Indian art and offering free minting and negligible fees. This local focus gives it an advantage in the region.

8. ArtForge

ArtForge is a newer Tezos NFT marketplace aiming to attract collectors with exclusive content and activations.

Some interesting features offered by ArtForge include:

A unique "Mystery Box" sale format – buyers don‘t know the exact NFT they‘ll get until they purchase.
Special "Reveal" functionality where minters can list an NFT prior to disclosing the media.
Affiliate marketing program to incentivize influencers and promoters.
Rarity tiers, with rare 1/1 NFTs costing more than commun ones.
30% royalty to ArtForge on the initial sale, 2.5% thereafter.

ArtForge tries to differentiate itself with gamified mystery boxes and affiliate promotions. The reveal feature is also unique. However, the high initial fees have deterred some artists.

9. MinterPop

MinterPop focuses exclusively on illustrated NFT art, including pop art, manga art, pixel art, and comics. All creators are handpicked and approved after an application process.

MinterPop‘s niche features include:

Strictly limited to illustrated art NFTs from approved artists. No photos, 3D art, music, etc.
Partner artists like Cliff Chiang (Green Arrow), Colleen Doran (Sandman), and Frank Quitely (Batman).
10% transaction fees shared with creators forever as royalties, not just initial sales.
Multiple wallet support – Temple, Kukai, Coinbase Wallet, Ledger, and more.

The limited scope of illustrated art gives MinterPop a targeted appeal to pop art fans. Partnerships with renowned comic artists also attract collectors. But the application process creates a barrier.

10. tzPunks

tzPunks is a Tezos NFT collection inspired by the highly popular CryptoPunks on Ethereum. There are 10,000 algorithmically generated tzPunks, each unique, with various attributes.

Some noteworthy tzPunk details:

tzPunks follow the collectible avatar formula made popular by CryptoPunks.
New tzPunks are randomly minted by burning 50 XTZ. You don‘t choose your specific punk.
Once 10,000 are minted, no more will be generated forever, making the collection scarce.
tzPunks can only be bought on the marketplace; no more minting.
Holders gain access to exclusive merch, events, and future airdrops.

tzPunks carries the punk collectible aesthetic to Tezos fans. The high 50 XTZ minting cost however is prohibitive for casual traders. But scarcity has led tzPunks to develop a cult following.

11. Typed

Typed offers a text-based approach to Tezos NFTs using typed words, poems, lyrics, phrases, and characters as artwork.

Some unique features of Typed include:

strictly text-based cards, no visual media like images, audio, or video.
Text can include poems, quotes, lyrics, mantras, or anything typed.
Each Typed card data is hashed on the Tezos blockchain to prove uniqueness.
No rankings, stats, or leaderboards. Pure text NFTs.
A completely free experience – no fees for minting or trading.

Typed presents a minimalist, experimental take on NFTs, using text as the artform. For word and language enthusiasts, it offers a novel creative outlet.

12. Xarb

Xarb is a community-driven Tezos NFT marketplace that invites artists to join its evolution and roadmap.

Some key details on Xarb:

Created by artists, for artists. Open to feedback and improvements.
Multi-edition NFT packs allowing up to 100 editions of a single NFT.
camoji standard support – AR NFTs using QR code tech.
Up to 5GB of metadata storage possible per NFT.
Low 2% fees currently. More revenue shares as it scales.

Xarb promises to put artists first and shape its platform based on creative community needs. The large metadata capacity and multi-edition packs appeal to artists wanting to experiment.

Conclusion

The Tezos ecosystem offers one of the most active and diverse NFT marketplaces thanks to low gas fees and strong community support. Objkt currently leads as the top marketplace by volume and collection. However, a wide variety of speciality platforms exist like OneOf for music NFTs, Kalamint for curated art, FXHash for generative art, and MinterPop for illustrated NFTs.

This guide just skims the surface of the many Tezos NFT platforms out there today. We hope it provides you with a helpful starting point to find your niche as a creator or collector in the Tezos NFT space. The affordable fees make Tezos ideal for first-time NFT traders. And for established artists, the Tezos community provides an engaged audience of art appreciators.

So get your Tezos wallet ready and start exploring these marketplaces to begin your NFT journey!