Discover the top 10 NFT projects on Solana Network and learn how to trade NFTs on this blockchain.
The Ethereum (ETH) blockchain has dominated the NFT market since the first CryptoPunk was minted, and even though it’s still the ‘go to’ blockchain, due to its high gas fees, cheaper and faster alternatives are starting to gain traction, and Solana is leading the pack.
Whether you’re a seasoned NFT investor or just looking to get started in this exponentially expanding market, learning about Solana is an excellent way to grow your profit margins.
In this article, we will take a look at the top projects on the Solana networks and explain how and where to trade NFTs on Solana.
Table of Contents
How To Trade Solana NFTs
Solana is a decentralized blockchain designed to be scalable, fast, and secure; one of the significant successes of the project has been the flourishing NFT ecosystem that can be easily accessed even if you’re new to NFTs. Before we dive into the top 10 Solana projects, let’s check out how to buy and sell NFTs on this network.
Solana Wallets
To trade NFTs, the first thing you’ll need is a wallet to hold the blockchain’s native crypto token, which in this case is SOL. You’ll use the wallet to send and receive SOL in return for NFTs. The Solana network is well established and, as a result, has a wide variety of wallets which can make choosing one overwhelming; we recommend using one of the following options:
1. Phantom
The Phantom Wallet is one of the most successful SOL wallets on the market; it offers a high level of security and is supported by almost every Solana NFT marketplace. In addition, the wallet has an internal DEX making it easy to swap tokens with minimal hassle.
2. Solflare
Hot on the heels of Phantom is the Solflare wallet; this non-custodial wallet lets you directly store and trade SOL through an Android and IOS app or a browser extension. In addition, Solfalre is NFT compatible, making it a great palace to store your NFTs, and it has an internal exchange just like Phantom.
3. Clover
Clover is a good wallet choice for you if you’re looking for a multi-chain wallet that can hold SOL, DOT, AVAX, and BSC. Clover can be downloaded as a browser extension and has a good reputation for security; however, it isn’t as popular among SOL users as Phantom and Solfare as its supported by fewer NFT marketplaces.
Solana NFT Marketplace
Once you’ve got a wallet set up and added some SOL to your balance, it’s time to head over to an online marketplace and start buying and selling NFTs. The surge in Solana NFT popularity has been reflected in the growing number of compatible marketplaces. These are three of the leading Solana marketplaces we recommend:
1. Magic Eden
Magic Eden is one of the most popular Solana marketplaces where you can mint, buy and sell NFTs with transactions as low as 2%. The site has processed over $1 billion worth of NFT trades, and it’s compatible with Phantom, Solflare, and Clover wallets.
2. Solsea
Solsea is smaller than Magic Eden in terms of trading volume, but it offers several unique features, including a live NFT drop tracker and a very affordable NFT minting process. Furthermore, if you’re looking to sell NFTs privately, Solsea has you covered with a dedicated private trading link system. Solsea supports Phantom and Solflare but not Clover.
3. Solanart
Solanart is one of the first Solana NFT marketplaces and has an active user base of over 100K, making it one of the most popular places to trade Solana NFTs. Solanart offers a wide variety of collections alongside an easy-to-use interface that’s ideal for first-time NFT traders. Solanart supports Phantom and Solflare.
Now that we covered how to trade Solana NFTs let’s take a look at the top 10 projects on the network.
The Top 10 Solana NFT Projects
The Solana NFT ecosystem is highly diverse; some projects are Profile Picture (PFP) projects with few to no use cases, while other collections offer token holders access to immersive ecosystems and metaverses.
1. Okay Bears
The Okay Bears collection of 10,000 unique NFT bears is the flag-ship Solana project launched in 2022 that’s often compared to Ethereum’s Bored Ape Yacht Club.
The Okay Bears became the most traded NFT collection on the OpenSea marketplace by trading volume marking the first time a Solana project reached the number one spot.
Similar to BAYC and CryptoPunks, the Okay Bear’s traits were designed using a generative art algorithm. Some of the luckiest Bears were blessed with very rare qualities: Army Hat, Red Panda fur, and Glowing Eyes.
The rarest Bears have been known to sell for well over $10k, and the average price of the tokens has been increasing steadily since the project launched.
Although the rarity of Okay Bears gives them a level of value, the most exciting aspect of the project is the ecosystem currently being built around the bears.
At the center of the Okay Bear’s ecosystem is the park; this metaverse is designed around the idea moto that “We’re all going to be okay” and is intended to be a place for the community to hang out and relax. The metaverse isn’t designed to further the project’s business objectives; it simply aims to strengthen the community’s social cohesion.
The Boutique brings the Okay Bears off the blockchain and into the real world by creating exclusive merchandise and limited edition collectibles. Some of the bear-branded items will only be available to NFT holders, while some inventory will be sold on the open market, which developers hope will increase the public footprint of the project.
According to the roadmap, the Boutique will partner with big fashion brands in the future to take the project’s merchandising to the next level.
According to the Okay Bear’s official road map, the ‘Bear Market’ is being developed in partnership with the Magic Eden NFT marketplace, and once its launched, Okay Bear holders will be able to trade on the Bear Market with member-only perks. The perks will include access to exclusive Okay Bears merchandise and invitations to rea-life events.
The Workshop is a community-based social responsibility project that aims to leverage guerilla marketing techniques to raise awareness around various social issues while improving the project’s brand outreach.
The Platform is a public-speaking initiative that aims to bring together some of the biggest names in the Solana NFT space for conferences and meetups. Okay Bear holders will be invited to attend the events and contribute to discussions focused on the Solana NFT space. Furthermore, the Platform will be used to distribute grants to start-ups operating in the Solana NFT ecosystem.
Okay Bears Summary
The Okay Bears project has seriously drawn into question the dominance of Ethereum based NFT project. Not only have the Okay Bears succeeded economically, but the developers are also on the path to creating a diverse ecosystem that has as many use cases as any other blue-chip NFT project. The Okay Bears have a bright future and will undoubtedly contribute to the growing popularity of Solana as an NFT trading network.
If you’re looking to keep up with the development of the Okay Bears roadmap, follow the project on Discord and Twitter.
2. Degenerate Ape Academy
The Degenerate Apes launched on the Solana blockchain in 2021 and followed in the footsteps of successful Ape-based NFT projects with an added level of morbidity in their appearance.
The collection of 10,000 uniquely gruesome 3D Apes are generated based on 137 traits and then divided into five categories: common, uncommon, rare, super rare, and mythic.
Degenerate Ape traits are divided into the following categories:
- Headware
- Clothing
- Mouths
- Teeth
- Eyeware
- Backgrounds
- Skins
The rarest mythic Apes have been a hit, with the Solana NFT community regularly fetching over $10k in SOL.
While these macabre Apes do derive some value from their PFP-friendly design, it’s the Degenerate Ape Academy’s ecosystem that makes the collection an attractive long-term investment.
Degeniverse
The Degeniverse is the Degenerate Ape Academy metaverse currently being developed by the project’s developers, who say once it’s finished, it will be like a Marvel universe-style virtual world where the Apes will live alongside the Trash Pandas and other animal-based projects.
The team behind the project plans to implement various projects; however, exact dates haven’t been published on the collection’s official site.
The first part of Degeniverse will be an internal marketplace where Ape holders can trade their tokens and have a percentage of sales fees invested into other Solana projects and a virtual area where the Ape community can hang out and socialize.
Although the Degenerate Apes are still well behind the Okay Bears, and its roadmap isn’t entirely clear, the quality of the Apes and the hype around them means this project has a bright future.
If you’re thinking about getting involved in the Degenerate Ape community, check out their Discord and Twitter.
3. Solana Monkey Business
The Solana Monkey Business (SMB) collection of pixelated monkeys launched in 2021, and it has since become one of the most valuable NFT collections on the Solana network.
The collection is divided into two Generations:
Gen1 Monkeys
There are 205 Gen1 Solana Monkeys that were first minted in June 2021 and are divided into four space-themed categories with varying rarity:
1. Monkanician: Supply 116
2. AstroMonkey: Supply 37
3. Monkos: Supply 27
4. Monkalien: Supply 25
Gen1 Monkey holders with a token from each category were given exclusive access to the Solana Monkey Business discord server and early access to the SMB and Audius blockchain music streaming service.
Gen2 Monkeys
The 5,000 24×24 pixelated Gen2 Monkeys were first minted in August 2021 following the success of their Gen1 brothers.
The rarity of the pixelated monkeys is determined by randomly assigned features such as hats, shirts, and backgrounds.
The Gen2 Monkeys make great profile pictures, which is why the world-renowned U.S. comedian Steve Harvey and YouTube celebrity KSI changed their Twitter profile pictures to a Solana Monkey.
The use cases of this project are very impressive:
SMB Marketplace is a platform where Monkeys can be traded for reasonable royalties, and buyers will see their Monkey appear in their Solana wallet straight after the transaction is completed.
The MonkeDAO is a decentralized autonomous organization that decides the project’s development based on input from NFT holders.
A project like SMB has a lot of potential thanks to its celebrity recognition and robust community. To keep up to date with its progress, check out the SMB Twitter page.
4. DeGods
DeGods is a deflationary NFT collection of 10,000 Solana-based Gods who are designed with eye-catching colors and fantastic levels of detail.
The collection has become one of the most successful projects on Solana, with a weekly trading volume that regularly exceeds $5 million because Gods rarely sell for less than $20k.
Like many blue-chip collections on Ethereum, DeGods is developing an internal marketplace where the tokens are traded in a native cryptocurrency token called $DUST.
The project received a boost in popularity when the NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal purchased a DeGod.
In terms of use cases, DeGods holders can use their characters as profile pictures and earn $DUST by staking their tokens. Furthermore, as a deflationary asset, the community is very hopeful that, in the long run, DeGods will make a solid investment.
To keep up with DeGods updates, follow the project’s official Twitter.
5. Bold Badgers Squad
The Bold Badgers Squad is a collection of 10,000 randomly generated badgers that launched on the Solana blockchain in August 2021.
The Badgers have over 170 hand-drawn traits that determine the rarity and, therefore, the value of the Badgers.
At first glance, the Badgers in this project are very eye-catching with their powerful, bold color schemes and varied accessories, but this collection is more than just a PFP project.
NFT holders are given exclusive commercial rights to their Badger, allowing them to create either their own merchandise and show off their badger on social media, and the future of the project is highly community-focused, with token holders deciding the development of the Squad.
An interesting additional use case for this collection is the ability to stake your Badger in exchange for discounts on Solanart trading fees; considering the floor price of the project has rarely been above 100$, the discount program is very generous.
According to the project’s roadmap, future developments are being decided by the community as we speak; if you want to keep an eye on the collection, follow the official Twitter.
6. Boryoku Dragonz
In late 2021 the Solana Blockchain became home to a collection of 1,111 pixelated Dragonz with an intriguing backstory and interesting breeding mechanic.
According to the Boryoku Dragonz tale, the pixelated monsters inherited the earth after the fall of the human race in the year 4269, and in order to breed, they require a special elixir known as BOKU.
BOKU is the NFT collections native cryptocurrency token that’s airdropped to Dragonz owners, who can then use it for breeding two Dragonz in exchange for an egg.
The BOKU use case can be used to turn a profit by either selling the token or by breeding rare Dragonz.
In addition to the BOKU ecosystem, NFT holders can get their hands on exclusive Boryoku Dragonz merchandise, and the Dragonz make perfect profile pictures.
7. Aurory
Aurory is a play-to-earn NFT-based desktop game where players explore a diverse virtual world full of mystical creatures that can be captured and traded by 10,000 characters known as Aurorians, who are themselves NFTs.
The Aurory project is backed by the Solana Foundation and has drawn talent from engineers and designers with experience in some of the biggest gaming studios, such as Ubisoft and EA.
The play-to-earn game has its own flourishing economy where players trade using the network’s native $AURY token.
The project is still in the early stages of development, and anyone who buys an Aurory now will be granted exclusive early adopter bonuses such as the ability to play the game before it goes public and airdrop priority.
In the future project’s development is expected to eventually be handed over to the community by utilizing the $AURY token for governance.
Aurory is a very promising project, and as the blockchain gaming market is expected to continue growing exponentially, this is a Solana project well worth keeping up to date with through Discord and Twitter.
8. Galactic Gecko Space Garage
The Galactic Gecko Space Garage collection of 10,000 NFT geckos on the Solana blockchain is a thriving community built on an enthralling galactic tale of space geckos.
The project’s home page explains that Galactic Geckons are divided into four factions, Targari, Barada, Martu, and Alura, who spent their time participating in intergalactic spaceship racing.
When someone buys a Galactic Gecko, the NFT will not only be generated with unique features but it will also be placed into one of the four factions, bringing the user into the outer-space competition that dominates the Gecko Space Garage.
In addition to an interesting storyline and the PFP utility of the Geckos, the project promises to launch several NFT drops to its community in the future.
To keep up with future NFT drops and information about the development of the Geck Space Garage, follow the project on Twitter.
9. SolPunks
Before SolPunks, the Solana network has always lacked a direct competitor to the now legendary Ethereum-based CryptoPunks collection. The SolPunks collection is made up of 10,000 generative-art generated pixelated characters that are either Alien (0.09%), Ape (0.24%), Zombie (0.88%), Female (38.4%) or Male (60.9%).
The SolPunk make perfect profile pictures just like their Ethereum cousins, and acquiring your own SolPunk won’t break the bank as the project’s floor price is around 90% lower than the CryptoPunks.
Although the SolPunks developers aren’t planning on adding any use cases to the Punks beyond PFPs, the community is thriving, especially on Twitter and Discord, where token holders are helping build the project’s popularity.
The reason SolPunk holders are so active is that, unlike other NFT projects, SolPunks doesn’t leverage extensive marketing campaigns; instead, its popularity is built from the ground up by people who have a direct stake in the collection’s success.
People are buying SolPunks as a long-term investment, and they believe that the flourishing community and the low price tag of the CryptoPunks will drive NFT enthusiasts into the arms of the SolPunks.
10. Thugbirdz
The ThugBirdz are a collection of 3,333 unique Birdz with various features such as Shades, Chains, and Tattoos.
The ThugBirdz pride themselves on their ‘tough’ image, which has appealed to several well-known rappers, including Wiz Khalifa and Waka Flocka, who are both ThugBirdz holders.
The collection has a strong affiliation with the Hip-Hop scene, and famous rapper look-a-like Birdz has been created for Jay-Z, 2-Pac, and half a dozen other hall of fame rappers.
The ThugBirdz collection doesn’t have many use cases beyond its PFP compatibility and community of like-minded rap enthusiasts, but an 8-bit ThugBirdz game is believed to be in development.
If you’re a Hip-Hop head or simply think that the Birdz has carved out a strong position in a niche NFT market, check out their Twitter before investing some SOL into a ThugBirdz token.
The Final Word on The Top 10 NFT Projects On Solana
Solana NFTs have been growing in popularity since last year, and they offer a welcome alternative to the increasingly expensive blue-chip collections on Ethereum. Many of the most popular Solana projects offer numerous use cases and focus heavily on community-based development.
The future of Solana as a network for NFTs is bright, thanks to its lower fees, fast transactions, and a growing community that has learned from the success and failures of Ethereum projects.
