Short answer — there’s no single “best” NFT platform; the right choice depends on what you make (art, music, gaming items), how much control you want (custom contract vs hosted), what blockchain you prefer (Ethereum vs Polygon, Solana, Tezos, L2s), and whether you need low/zero minting costs. Below are the top platforms creators use in 2025 and when to pick each one.

Top platforms (what they’re good for — quick notes & important facts)

• OpenSea — biggest audience, easiest onboarding, multi‑chain (Ethereum, Polygon, others) and a no‑code creator studio to deploy collections. Good for broad discoverability and flexible minting options. (learn.opensea.io, opensea.io)

• Manifold Studio — creator tools to deploy your own verified smart contract (full provenance/control) without coding; favored by artists who want contract ownership and extensible mint mechanics. No commission on creator sales (tooling-focused). (docs.manifold.xyz)

• Magic Eden — leading Solana marketplace with very low fees and tooling (Launchpad) for collections; great if you want fast, cheap mints and a Solana-native audience. (primarycryptonews.com, nftnewstoday.com)

• SuperRare / Foundation / Nifty Gateway — curated, gallery-style marketplaces (invite or application required). Pick these for high‑end, single‑edition digital art, higher discoverability among collectors, and curated drops — but expect stricter onboarding and higher platform commissions. (finder.com, tgdratings.com)

• Immutable (Immutable X) — zero‑gas minting and L2 tooling focused on gaming and large‑scale drops (carbon‑aware tooling and high throughput). Good for game studios and massive open editions. (immutable.com)

• Magic Eden / Solana ecosystem (again) — if you want very low per‑tx costs and lots of gamer/collector activity, Solana + Magic Eden is a common choice. (primarycryptonews.com)

• Rarible / Zora — protocol- and creator-forward platforms with multi‑chain support, on‑chain-first philosophies and flexible royalties/market mechanics; Zora emphasizes on‑chain permanence and custom mint pages. Good if you want protocol-level portability and creative mint mechanics. (zora.website, coinwars.art)

• Mintable / Minting-first marketplaces — easy, gasless minting options for beginners; useful for creators who need the simplest, cheapest entry point. (web3.loop.fans)

• Tezos marketplaces (Objkt, Teia, fx(hash), Kalamint) — very low fees and a more eco-conscious community; strong for artists who want cheap on‑chain minting and an alternative collector base. (monet-society.gitbook.io, thinkml.ai)

• Music / audio‑first platforms (Sound.xyz, Royal, Catalog, Audius) — built for musicians: pay/royalty flows and music‑specific discovery/utility. Sound.xyz, for example, handles minting fees for creators on its supported L2s and pays artists 100% of primary revenue; platforms differ in how they expose rights/royalties. (help.sound.xyz, en.wikipedia.org)

• Thirdweb / developer toolkits — not marketplaces but essential if you want custom mint pages, gasless relayers, or embeddable drops (build your own storefront + minting UX). Use these when you want full control but don’t want to write contracts from scratch. (thirdweb.com)

Key differences to consider (short checklist)

• Audience & discoverability: OpenSea and Magic Eden have the largest buyer bases. Curated sites get higher‑value collectors but are selective.
• Blockchain & costs: Ethereum = highest gas (unless using L2s); Polygon, Solana, Tezos, Immutable X and many L2s = much lower or zero mint costs.
• Royalties: many major marketplaces honor creator royalties, but enforcement and cross‑market behavior vary — check each marketplace’s royalty policy. (nftnow.com)
• Control vs convenience: hosted marketplaces (OpenSea, Magic Eden) are easiest; deploying your own contract (Manifold, Thirdweb) gives provenance/control but adds complexity.
• Curation & fees: curated platforms often take higher cuts but can provide major promotional and collector advantages. (finder.com, tgdratings.com)

Quick recommendations by use case

• Beginner/low cost: OpenSea on Polygon, Mintable, or a Tezos marketplace (Objkt) to avoid big upfront gas. (learn.opensea.io, web3.loop.fans, monet-society.gitbook.io)
• Fine art / 1‑of‑1s: apply to SuperRare, Foundation, or Nifty Gateway (curated). (finder.com, tgdratings.com)
• Music/Audio: Sound.xyz, Royal, Catalog, or Audius for music‑native features and royalty setups. (help.sound.xyz, en.wikipedia.org)
• Games / big drops / high scale: Immutable X or Solana + Magic Eden (fast, zero/low gas). (immutable.com, primarycryptonews.com)
• Full control / provenance / brand: deploy a creator contract with Manifold or build a mint site with Thirdweb and list on marketplaces you choose. (docs.manifold.xyz, thirdweb.com)

Actionable next steps (simple)

1. Choose the blockchain that fits your budget and audience (Ethereum/L2 for collectors, Solana for low fees, Tezos for eco/low fees).
2. Decide: hosted marketplace (fast) vs your own contract (Manifold/Thirdweb) for control. (docs.manifold.xyz, thirdweb.com)
3. Check each platform’s minting fees, marketplace cut, and royalty policy before committing. (nftnow.com, primarycryptonews.com)
4. Prepare high‑quality metadata, artwork, and a short launch plan (social, Discord, mint page).
5. If you’re a musician, pick a music-native platform that handles audio formats and rights well (Sound.xyz, Royal, Catalog). (help.sound.xyz, en.wikipedia.org)

If you want, I can:

• recommend 2–3 platforms tailored to your specific project (type of art, expected edition sizes, preferred blockchain), or
• outline step‑by‑step how to deploy a Manifold creator contract or build a mint page with Thirdweb.

Which would you prefer?