Best NFT Platform With Built-In Royalties and Good Secondary Sales for Indie Creators

Summary: If you need royalties that actually get paid and strong resale liquidity, launch on Solana as a Programmable NFT (pNFT) and list on Magic Eden and Tensor; for Ethereum, use ERC-721C and list on Magic Eden’s ETH marketplace, which contractually enforces royalties. Tezos remains a great niche for generative art via fxhash and objkt, where marketplaces honor royalties by default.

TL;DR (what to pick in 2026)

• Best overall for enforceable royalties + liquidity: Solana pNFTs (Metaplex) with listings on Magic Eden and Tensor. pNFT “rule sets” prevent royalty-bypassing transfers at the token level; both marketplaces transact large chunks of Solana NFT volume and respect enforced royalties. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Best Ethereum path when you must stay EVM: Launch with ERC-721C (Limit Break) and list on Magic Eden’s Ethereum marketplace (built with Yuga Labs) for contractual and on-chain royalty protection; OpenSea also supports 721C but broader EVM enforcement still depends on marketplace adoption. (nftnow.com)
• Best niche for generative artists: Tezos via fxhash for primary drops and objkt/versum for secondary—royalties are honored at the marketplace level and configurable up to 25%. Liquidity is smaller than Solana/Ethereum but culturally aligned with indie creators. (docs.fxhash.xyz)

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Why royalties are hard—and what changed since 2024

• Ethereum’s ERC-2981 standard only exposes “who to pay/how much” via

  royaltyInfo()

  . It cannot force a payment; marketplaces choose whether to honor it. That’s why creator fees became “optional” on many EVM venues. (eips.ethereum.org)
• In August 2023, OpenSea sunset its Operator Filter and made fees optional (fully optional by Feb 29, 2024 for filtered collections), signaling the end of unilateral royalty enforcement across mainstream EVM markets. (theblock.co)
• Blur gained share with a 0.5% minimum approach and tactics that pitted marketplaces’ policies against each other—further reducing guaranteed payouts to creators. (fortune.com)
• In response, two durable solutions emerged:
  1. Token-level enforcement: Solana’s Programmable NFTs (Metaplex) freeze transfers unless they pass a rule set that can deny royalty-bypassing programs. (developers.metaplex.com)
  2. Royalty-enforcing marketplaces: Magic Eden’s ETH marketplace (with Yuga Labs) uses contractual and technical measures to guarantee royalties on Ethereum. Meanwhile, OpenSea added support for ERC-721C to enable on-chain enforcement where integrated. (nftnow.com)

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Decision criteria for indie creators (what we measure)

• Can royalties be enforced at the token or marketplace level?
• Is there proven, current secondary volume?
• Fees and creator take rate (including royalty splits and marketplace fees).
• Tooling maturity (launchpads, SDKs, analytics).
• Community fit (indie art vs. PFPs vs. music vs. gaming).

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Winner: Solana pNFTs + Magic Eden + Tensor

If your priority is “royalties that actually clear” plus ongoing resale demand, Solana’s pNFT standard with rule sets is the most robust stack in 2026.

What “enforced royalties” really means on Solana

• Metaplex’s Token Metadata program introduced Programmable NFTs (Token Standard = ProgrammableNonFungible). pNFT token accounts stay frozen; every transfer must go through the program, which validates a creator-defined rule set. That rule set can deny transfers from programs that don’t pay royalties. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Metaplex maintains an optional “Foundation Rule Set” creators can reuse; creators can also ship a custom allow/deny list and update it if a marketplace stops paying royalties. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Result: bypassing royalties by direct SPL token moves no longer works for pNFTs. Enforcement happens on-chain and at the token level. (developers.metaplex.com)

Liquidity outlook (2024–2026 data points)

• On Solana, Magic Eden and Tensor regularly account for the lion’s share of organic volume; Messari’s Q2 2024 report shows Magic Eden at ~59% and Tensor ~35% after a swing quarter, with both still material sources of demand. (messari.io)
• Across chains, CoinGecko’s 2024 market share analysis placed Magic Eden as the top marketplace by share, with a near 50/50 split versus Tensor on Solana year-to-date. This is the pair you need for secondary sales. (coingecko.com)

Fees and how royalties get paid on Solana

• Tensor: 2% taker fee; royalties are enforced for pNFT collections and paid by the taker. Optional royalties (for non-enforced collections) can be set to none/half/full by the taker. (docs.tensor.trade)
• Magic Eden: historically around 2% trading fee on Solana (varies with programs/rewards). For collections not using pNFT/MIP-1, buyers can choose 0%, 50%, or 100% royalties; with pNFT (MIP-1), enforcement applies. (nft.com)

Launch blueprint (that works)

• Mint as pNFTs:
  • Use Candy Machine Core (v1+) and choose Token Standard = ProgrammableNonFungible; supply a rule set at initializeV2 to enforce royalties from day one. (developers.metaplex.com)
  • If you lack a custom rule set, start with Metaplex’s Foundation Rule Set; you can migrate to a community or custom set later. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Configure royalties in the metadata’s sellerFeeBasisPoints; your pNFT rule set ensures the marketplace must route payments. (developers.metaplex.com)
• List on Magic Eden and Tensor:
  • Both support enforced royalties for pNFTs; test secondary flows on devnet/mainnet with small supply first, then push to main collection. (docs.tensor.trade)
• Analytics and payout checks:
  • On Tensor, enforced royalty transfers may appear under SOL Balances in explorers; reconcile creator wallet inflows per sale event to confirm take rates. (docs.tensor.trade)

Example numbers (for a 2,000-supply indie collection)

• Assumptions: 5% royalties, 2% marketplace taker fee, 50 SOL average secondary price across 600 secondary trades in month one.
  • Royalty revenue ≈ 600 × 50 SOL × 5% = 1,500 SOL.
  • After fee dynamics, creator net is close to the full 5% because royalties are paid on top by takers when enforced; confirm exact flow per marketplace docs. (docs.tensor.trade)
• Why it matters: on EVM, the same math often collapses to near-zero if trades route through royalty-optional venues; on Solana pNFTs, it’s reliably collected.

Risks and mitigations

• If a new marketplace appears and tries to bypass royalties, update your rule set to deny it (governance you control). (developers.metaplex.com)
• For non-pNFT assets (legacy collections), royalties are optional on some venues; migrate or re-issue as pNFTs with clear messaging to collectors. (developers.metaplex.com)

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Strong EVM alternative: ERC-721C + Magic Eden’s Ethereum marketplace

If you must stay on Ethereum or Base/other EVMs, use ERC-721C for token-level rules and list where those rules are honored.

What ERC-721C does

• ERC-721C (by Limit Break) enables enforceable transfer conditions (like royalties) at the token standard level. OpenSea added support (post-Dencun upgrade) so creators can “enable enforcement” with one click, but sales then route only to OS and marketplaces using Limit Break’s payment processor—so think carefully about distribution. (cointelegraph.com)

Where enforcement is actually honored in practice

• Magic Eden’s Ethereum marketplace—built with Yuga Labs—launched in late Feb 2024 with contractual royalty enforcement and industry creators’ alliance backing. If you deploy with 721C and list here, you retain enforceability plus brand-aligned incentives. (nftnow.com)

Caveat: OpenSea and the broader EVM landscape

• OpenSea made creator fees optional in 2023 (fully optional from Feb 29, 2024 for many collections). While it later added 721C support, universal enforcement across EVM marketplaces still hinges on each venue integrating the standard/payment processor. Don’t assume royalties will propagate platform-agnostically. (theblock.co)

When to prefer this route

• You need EVM composability and brand distribution on Ethereum, and you can concentrate volume on a royalty-enforcing venue (Magic Eden ETH) while still capturing OpenSea users who respect 721C in that environment. (nftnow.com)

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Tezos for generative art: fxhash + objkt/versum

If your work is long-form generative art or indie digital art, Tezos still punches above its weight for creator-first economics.

• fxhash lets artists set 10–25% royalties; secondary royalties are honored automatically; on Tezos, fxhash takes 2.5% primary fee and 2.5% secondary marketplace fee; on Ethereum (fxhash ETH), the fee structure differs (25% of royalties instead of a fixed fee). (docs.fxhash.xyz)
• objkt charges a 5% marketplace fee, honors creator-defined royalties (per TZIP-16/21 metadata), and clearly documents royalty splits and standards; it explicitly states on-chain enforcement isn’t absolute, but the marketplace enforces payment. (docs.objkt.com)
• versum enforces royalties in its own contracts and avoids showing listings from marketplaces that don’t. This reduces leakage for artists who keep trading within the Tezos-native ecosystem. (docs.versum.xyz)

When to choose Tezos:

• You care about a collector base that consistently honors royalties and a culture aligned with indie art, and your success depends more on curation/community than on chain-wide speculative volume.

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Why not “just” OpenSea or Blur?

• OpenSea ended unilateral enforcement (Aug 31, 2023 cutover; full optionality by Feb 29, 2024 for Operator Filter collections). That’s great for traders, not great for indie creator income predictability. (theblock.co)
• Blur enforces only a 0.5% minimum unless creators block OpenSea (a policy battle that fluctuated); it incentivized pro trading more than creator earnings. (fortune.com)

Conclusion: If recurring royalties matter, you need token-level enforcement (Solana pNFTs or ERC-721C) plus a marketplace that respects it by design.

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Implementation checklist (copy/paste)

• Strategy
  • Decide chain: Solana (pNFT), Ethereum (721C), or Tezos (fxhash/objkt).
  • Pick royalty rate and splits (5–7.5% is a sweet spot for active resale without suppressing secondary demand).
• Solana build
  • Use Candy Machine Core (initializeV2) to mint as pNFTs; attach Metaplex Foundation Rule Set or your custom rule set. (developers.metaplex.com)
  • QA transfers against allowed programs only; verify enforced royalties by simulating a buy on Magic Eden/Tensor and reconciling creator wallet. (docs.tensor.trade)
• Ethereum build
  • Deploy ERC-721C; test with Limit Break’s processor; list on Magic Eden ETH; optionally mirror on OpenSea with 721C enforcement. (cointelegraph.com)
• Tezos build
  • For generative art, publish on fxhash; set royalties and splits; ensure objkt/versum indexing and confirm fee math. (docs.fxhash.xyz)
• Distribution
  • Concentrate initial secondary liquidity where royalties are actually enforced (ME/Tensor on SOL; ME ETH for EVM; objkt/versum on Tezos).
• Analytics
  • Track realized royalties per sale event; on Tensor, check SOL Balances; on Tezos, verify payouts per transaction logs; on EVM 721C, ensure sales route through compatible processors. (docs.tensor.trade)

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Emerging best practices we’re deploying for clients

• Use rule sets that can be updated. If a marketplace stops paying, append a new revision denying its program ID. This is a practical governance lever with pNFTs. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Incentivize trading where royalties are respected:
  • Gate perks (airdrops, allowlists, trait unlocks) only to wallets that bought through royalty-enforcing rails.
  • Publish a clear “royalty-respecting marketplaces” list post-mint to steer collectors.
• On Ethereum, don’t assume ERC-2981 is enough. If you need recurring revenue, ship ERC-721C and list on Magic Eden’s ETH marketplace; point your community there. (cointelegraph.com)
• If you’re a generative artist, Tezos still optimizes creator take-home with straightforward fee math and community norms that honor royalties—use fxhash for primary and objkt for liquid secondary. (docs.fxhash.xyz)

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Brief, concrete examples

• Indie PFP on Solana (2.5k supply):
  • Mint as pNFT via Candy Machine; 6% royalty; list on ME/Tensor.
  • At 1,000 secondary trades averaging 20 SOL, creator earns ~1,200 SOL in royalties month one—enforced by token-level rules. (developers.metaplex.com)
• On-chain music editions on Ethereum:
  • Deploy ERC-721C; distribute on Magic Eden ETH; OpenSea backup with 721C support.
  • Royalties hold on marketplaces wired to Limit Break’s processor; communicate that ME ETH is the canonical resale venue. (cointelegraph.com)
• Generative art series (Tezos):
  • Drop on fxhash with 15% royalties; secondary on objkt/versum. Royalties honored automatically on those venues; fee stack stays predictable for collectors. (docs.fxhash.xyz)

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Market context you can share with stakeholders

• Optional royalties on mainstream EVM venues since late 2023 materially reduced creator revenue; Rarible publicly stopped aggregating orders from venues that don’t enforce fees, signaling a split in marketplace philosophies. (theblock.co)
• Yuga Labs pushed the ecosystem toward enforcement by partnering with Magic Eden to launch an ETH marketplace with contractual royalties in Feb 2024, a strong signal for brands. (nftnow.com)
• On Solana, marketplace leadership has see-sawed between Tensor and Magic Eden, but both remain deep-liquidity venues—key for post-mint price discovery with enforced royalties via pNFTs. (messari.io)

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Our recommendation (7Block Labs)

• If recurring royalties are a core KPI, go Solana pNFT + ME/Tensor.
• If you must be on Ethereum, use ERC-721C and prioritize Magic Eden ETH distribution.
• For generative artists, Tezos via fxhash + objkt remains the most creator-aligned option.

Need help shipping this stack? 7Block Labs has reference implementations for pNFT rule sets, ERC-721C deployments, and marketplace listing pipelines, plus dashboards to verify realized royalties across chains.

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Sources

• ERC-2981 standard (royalties are informational, not enforced). (eips.ethereum.org)
• OpenSea sunsets Operator Filter and makes royalties optional (Aug 2023; full optionality by Feb 29, 2024). (theblock.co)
• Blur’s minimum-royalty dynamics and marketplace policy battles. (fortune.com)
• Metaplex Programmable NFTs and rule sets; Candy Machine pNFT support. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Solana marketplace share: Messari Q2 2024; CoinGecko 2024. (messari.io)
• Tensor fees and enforced royalties behavior. (docs.tensor.trade)
• Magic Eden optional/enforced royalties context (MIP-1). (help.magiceden.io)
• Magic Eden x Yuga ETH marketplace (contractual enforcement). (nftnow.com)
• OpenSea adds ERC-721C support (post-Dencun). (cointelegraph.com)
• Tezos royalties on fxhash, objkt, versum. (docs.fxhash.xyz)

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