TLDR
The top Solana NFT projects of 2023 include:
- Okay Bears
- DeGods
- Solana Monkey Business
- Famous Fox Federation
- Degenerate Ape Academy
- y00ts
- Blocksmith Labs
- Aurory
- Taiyo Robotics
- Galactic Geckos
Overview
| Rank | Solana NFT Collection | Floor Price (SOL) | Trade Volume (K) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Okay Bears | 38.86 | 125.8 |
| 2 | DeGods | 502 | 289.9 |
| 3 | Solana Monkey Business | 199.7 | 88.4 |
| 4 | Famous Fox Federation | 37 | 59.2 |
| 5 | Degenerate Ape Monkey | 68 | 133.4 |
| 6 | y00ts | 125.1899 | 387.9 |
| 7 | Blocksmith Labs | 118 | 248.9 |
| 8 | Aurory | 76.83 | 188.88 |
| 9 | Taiyo Robotics | 78 | 324.5 |
| 10 | Galactic Geckos | 40.9 | 535 |
Introduction
Solana’s NFT collections are some of the most popular NFT collections in the crypto world today. Unlike Ethereum, the Solana network offers cheaper transaction fees and better speed. Some investors are looking to Solana NFT collections as a new investment opportunity. Solana NFTs are non-fungible tokens developers create on the Solana blockchain.
A Solana NFT drop is a limited release of some digital art in an NFT collection. Solana’s NFT collections are unique digital assets authentic to each person on the Solana blockchain. Solana’s three main NFT marketplaces are OpenSea, Magic Eden, and Solanart. Over the years, there have been several notable NFT projects from Solana.
The top Solana NFT drops of 2023 take various forms, including direct sales and auctions. The Solana blockchain can handle an incredible number of transactions every second, which helps them organize NFT drops regularly. Examples of some of the top Solana NFT projects of 2023 include the Aurory drop, the Degenerate Ape Academy, and Okay Bears.
10 Best Solana NFT Drops of 2023
The ten best Solana NFT projects of 2023 include:
1. Okay Bears
Okay Bears is an NFT collection created by the artist, Beeple. This Solana NFT collection is the most actively traded NFT on the Solana network. The project’s secondary volume is over 1.9 million SOL. This is even higher than the first Solana NFT collections like Degenerate Ape Academy and Solana Monkey Business.
The Okay Bears NFT collection contains many sculptures and well-curated images. This Solana NFT collection is the first to top OpenSea’s 24-hour ranking. The NFT collection reached $18 million in trade volume within short hours of its launch. This achievement surpasses some of Ethereum’s large NFT collections.
This collection attracted well-known ETH influencers like CryptoGodJohn and Nate Rivers to the Solana network. Solana is in partnership with Magic Eden to construct a ‘Bear Market.’ The Bear Market is an NFT marketplace where Okay Bear investors can trade their NFTs with other members. Okay, Bears is the best Solana NFT collection.
2. DeGods
DeGods is also one of the most popular Solana NFT projects. This collection features DeGods, who tag themselves as degenerates and misfits. DeGod’s NFT collection has a wide community of followers on Twitter and other social media platforms.
Some DeGods holders flex tattoos of the NFT collection as a sign of their dedication to the collection’s community. The NFT collection is well-known for its Paper Hand Bitch Tax. For PHBT, the network taxes holders 33.3% if they sell their DeGods NFTs below the 3 SOL mint price. Later on, DeGods added a new project to their collection called DeadGod.
The metadata of DeGods and DeadGods is the same. Hence, the two are part of the same NFT collection but are different versions. Holders can switch between DeGods and DeadGod anytime. You need 1000 $DUST and one DeGod NFT to get one DeadGod NFT. DeGods and Magic Eden are in partnership to enable $DUST minting on their launchpad.
3. Solana Monkey Business
Solana Monkey Business (SMB) is one of the original Solana NFT collections. It is a Solana monkey-inspired PFP NFT project that contains 5000 pieces of digital art. The 5000-piece NFT collection consists of 2D pixel art and is one of the most traded Solana NFT collections. SMB has over 1.1 million SOL in secondary trading volume.
SMB is a project that offers holders access to a community wallet with a future on-chain voting system. Since its launch, this Solana NFT boasts over $107 million SMBs in trade volume. Another great feature of this great NFT collection is that you can get access to the MonkeyDAO if you own an SMB NFT.
The MonkeyDAO allows holders staking features, where you can earn up to 7% on your SOL stake. You can also earn a passive income through the Monkey DAO validator pool. Furthermore, a MonkeyDAO membership grants you access to future Monkeverse NFTs. It also grants holders access to the $MONKE token.
4. Famous Fox Federation
The Famous Fox Federation is another great NFT collection on the Solana ecosystem. The collection contains 7777 randomly generated NFTs. The Famous Fox Federation or FFF NFT collection donates some of its proceeds to the less privileged. The project is set to drop over 1,500 SOL to causes voted on its community platform.
Each fox NFT in the collection showcases unique traits and characteristics. The Famous Fox Federation NFT project also has a unique raffle feature that users can earn profit. To participate in the FFF raffle, you need to buy an FFF NFT from the Solana NFT marketplace and stake it. You can then use the rewards in tokens to play the raffle and win prizes.
Some of the prizes from the raffle include allowlist spots and Solana NFTs. The 7777 FFF NFTs in circulation have 3264 owners, and the market cap is $8.9 million.
5. Degenerate Ape Academy
The Degenerate Ape Academy is among the most popular NFT collections in the Solana NFT marketplace. This NFT project is the first Solana blockchain collection to drop. During its release, each Degenerate Ape went for 6 SOL each. The concept behind this NFT project is to rebel against established systems and instigate change.
The Degenerate Ape Academy collection features 10,000 pieces of 3D digital art. The 3D ape NFTs exhibit over 130 different traits. It is the second most traded NFT collection on Solana NFT marketplaces, with over 1.3 million SOL on secondary trading. Anyone who owns a Degen Ape NFT can access the Degen DAOO.
Degen Apes runs a validator and is closely related to another project on the Solana network called Degen Trash Pandas. Degen Trash Pandas features 30,000 NFTs the Solana community minted for 0.1 SOL each. At the time, members of the Solana network rallied to reduce the mint price of the project so that more people could invest.
6. y00ts
The founders of the DeGods NFT project are also the creators of Y00ts Mint Toob. This brought a lot of hype for the release of the NFT project. Originally and till today, some members of the Solana community refer to Y00t as Duppies. There are 15000 Y00ts in the SOL ecosystem, and the mint price for each is $375 DUST.
Unlike other collections, the Y00t NFT drop did not utilize a raffle system to allow buyers. Holders of DeadGod were automatically allowed to buy the drop. Investors without a DeadGod NFT could apply for a scholarship to determine their qualifications. Anyone who passes the test set by the project will be announced on the collection’s Twitter page.
Y00ts has a floor price of 125.1899 and a 3.4 million total trade volume. Y00t has about 6,210 holders and is one of Solana’s most popular NFT collections.
7. Blocksmith Labs
Blocksmith Labs is also one of the best NFT collections on Solana. This NFT project solves the issues associated with allowlisting on the Solana blockchain. Blocksmith Labs features a list management function called ‘Mercury’ that streamlines the selection process. The platform allows users to identify where and how many users are listed.
Holders of this NFT collection can generate a $FORGE token, which they can use to buy spots on the Mercury platform. Blocksmith receives 5% to 15% of the spots on Mercury. The collection organizes raffles to award spots to some members of its community. However, you must hold $FORGE tokens to participate.
People without Blocksmith NFTs can also participate in the raffle, and it provides a calendar for upcoming launch dates and mint prices. The Blocksmith Labs NFT collection also features tools like Bulk Add Roles and Purge User.
8. Aurory
Aurory is a blue-chip NFT collection. The collection has 10,000 pieces of player NFTs. The Aurory project features a Solana blockchain game that gives different perks to players. It is a play-to-earn desktop game that members of the Aurory community can invest in to make money. Aurorians are avatars for the early adopters of the project.
Aurorian NFTs showcase 3D skins that players can use in the single-player game. The project aims to release a multiplayer mode soon. The players on the blue-chip collection travel across the NFT space called Antik and Cryptos. Players will encounter magical creatures called Nefties that they can catch, trade, or use in battles.
The Aurory blockchain game has a dedicated token that you can use in the game called AURY. Users can earn AURY tokens from PvP and PvE modes. You can also earn the token from staking. Animoca Brands, Solana, and Alemeda Reasearch are investors in the Aurory project. This is one of the best NFT collections on the Solana blockchain.
9. Taiyo Robotics
Taiyo Robotics is one of Solana’s most phenomenal NFT collections. Initially, the project’s founders lost interest a few weeks after minting, and the price of TYR NFTs dropped to 2 SOL. However, the collection was revived when SolportTom took over the project. After its revival, Taiyo Robotics is a blue chip collection on Solana.
The floor price of the project has experienced a gradual increase since its takeover. The collection contains 2121 unique NFTs and has over 133,000 SOL in secondary trades. This NFT collection is created to protect the world against giant monsters. The Taiyo Robotics ecosystem utilizes a new token called Graphite. It is a replacement for the old one, $SCRAP.
Users can get Graphite tokens by staking their Taiyo NFTs. Taiyo Robotics has two other projects named Taiyo Infants and Taiyo Pilots. The Taiyo Infants collection features 1500 pixel-style robot NFTs, and the Taiyo Pilots collection consists of 12500 non-fungible tokens.
10. Galactic Geckos
Galactic Geckos is a famous part of Solana NFT collections. The project is about a social adventure club that features 10,000 NFTs. The NFTs take the form of warrior space-racing geckos. The warrior NFTs use dangerous spaceship races to settle political conflicts. Each NFT racer is divided into four factions Alura, Targari, Martu, and Barada.
There are three different NFT collections on the Galactic Geckos ecosystem; the GGSG Galactic Geckos, GGSG Enigma Crystals, and GGSG Concordians. The floor price for Galactic Geckos is 40.9 SOL with a 535,000 ETH trade volume.
You can buy Galactic Gecko on several platforms like Solonart.io. On Solonart, you can find Gecko NFTs through their traits like armor and body. There is a lot of interest in the Galactic Gecko project, which has over 1.6k watches on Magic Eden. It is one of the popular Solana NFT projects.
What is the Best Marketplace for Solana NFTs?
OpenSea is the world’s largest NFT marketplace. You can find a variety of NFT projects, including Solana NFTs, on OpenSea. The platform is the best marketplace for Solana, Ethereum, Polygon, and other NFT collections. OpenSea’s Solana platform features a wide range of collectibles and NFT artwork. It also has a friendly user interface and seamless wallet integration.
This marketplace features some of the most popular NFT projects in the world, including y00ts, Abracadabra, and DeGods. Since it is the largest and most convenient platform to buy Solana NFTs, OpenSea is the best marketplace for Solana collectors.
More details
OpenSea, celebrated as the largest NFT marketplace, stands out with diverse collections for various enthusiasts and a gas-free operation on Polygon. Noted for its fair fees and easy accessibility, it serves as an attractive hub for creators and collectors alike.
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Competitive service fees.
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No gas fees for most transactions.
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The most extensive collection of NFTs.
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Easy artist account creation.
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10% royalty cap.
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Limited customer service.
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Vulnerable to scams.
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History of insider trading.
Is Solana Better than Ethereum for NFTs?
We cannot say that Solana is better than Ethereum for NFT projects. This is because they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Solana has lower gas fees than Ethereum, and its transactions are faster. The Solana blockchain can process up to 65,000 transactions per second, while Ethereum can only go up to 30 transactions.
Due to its Proof of History feature, Solana has lower gas fees and faster transactions than the Ethereum network. Solana’s proof of history mechanism is more environmentally friendly than Ethereum’s proof of stake mechanism. Solana has several advantages over Ethereum for NFT art, but the Ethereum network is still more popular.
| Feature | Ethereum (ETH) | Solana (SOL) |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction Speed | Processes about 15-20 transactions per second (TPS). | Can handle up to 65,000 TPS. |
| Transaction Cost | High gas fees, can reach over $50 per transaction during peak times. | Low cost, often less than $0.01 per transaction. |
| NFT Marketplaces | High gas fees can reach over $50 per transaction during peak times. | Fewer marketplaces, e.g., Solanart with over 1 million items. |
| Ecosystem and Community | Large ecosystem with thousands of active NFT artists and collectors. | Growing ecosystem with an active community. |
| Environmental Impact | Uses energy-efficient Proof of Stake (PoS) after Ethereum 2.0 upgrade. | Uses energy-efficient Proof of History (PoH) combined with PoS. |
| Security | Well-tested, considered one of the most secure platforms. | Robust security, but less tested due to being newer. |
Conclusion
Solana NFT projects are very popular in the NFT space. Since the launch of the Solana NFT ecosystem, many NFT projects have been featured on the blockchain. Magic Eden, OpenSea, and Solanart are the main marketplaces on the Solana network.
Some of the top Solana NFT projects in 2023 include the Degenerate Ape Academy, Okay Bears, Galactic Geckos, and Aurory collections.
An NFT drop is the release of limited digital artworks in the form of NFTs.
An NFT collection is a set of digital artworks, while an NFT drop is the limited release of the NFTs in the collection.
People have different meanings for a successful project. However, an NFT drop is said to be successful if it has a quick launch sellout.
The largest NFT marketplace on the Solana blockchain is OpenSea.
Julia Zakharchuk
Julia is a professional crypto and blockchain writer known for her insightful YouTube channel "MoneyFest." She showcases her dynamic presentation skills as a host and moderator at blockchain conferences. Julia drives also business development at ChainUp and advises UNITBOX, an innovative NFT renting protocol. With her exceptional expertise, Julia is a highly valued industry contributor and is set to make a lasting impact. We at Coinweb are lucky to have her on board.
