Best NFT Platform With Built‑in Royalties and Good Secondary Sales for Indie Creators (2026 Guide)

7Block Labs’ 2026 guide to choosing the right NFT stack for enforced royalties and real secondary-market traction. We compare the current royalty tech across chains and marketplaces and give concrete, ready-to-ship playbooks for indie teams.

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TL;DR (executive summary)

By early 2026, you can actually enforce or strongly guarantee royalties on several stacks: ERC721C on EVM via Limit Break’s Payment Processor (live on Magic Eden EVM), Solana pNFTs with Metaplex rule sets (supported by Tensor and Magic Eden), Immutable zkEVM (protocol-enforced), and RARI Chain (sequencer/node-level enforcement). On Ethereum L1/L2s, ERC‑2981 remains advisory unless you pair it with ERC721C-style transfer controls or list in marketplaces that promise enforcement. For secondary liquidity, OpenSea re-took the lead on EVM volumes in 2025, Magic Eden/Tensor remain the Solana hotspots, and Zora is still unmatched for primary-mint rewards economy with opt-in secondary. (theblock.co)

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What changed since 2023—and why it matters in 2026

• ERC‑2981 is the royalty signaling standard most creators implement on EVM. It is not an enforcement mechanism; marketplaces can ignore it. Treat it as metadata unless paired with enforcement tools. (eips.ethereum.org)
• OpenSea made creator fees optional when it sunset its Operator Filter in 2023; many collections on EVM therefore saw royalties paid only when buyers or sellers opted in. That pushed creators toward stacks that could actually enforce royalties. (theblock.co)
• Enforceable options matured:
  • ERC721C + Payment Processor on EVM (Limit Break) with marketplace integrations (notably Magic Eden EVM).
  • Solana Programmable NFTs (pNFTs) with rule sets from Metaplex; Tensor and Magic Eden support enforced royalties where configured.
  • Immutable zkEVM introduced collection presets and an operator allowlist that enforce royalties across its protocol/orderbook.
  • RARI Chain (Arbitrum L3) embeds royalty checks at sequencer/node level. (github.com)
• Liquidity rotated: The Block reports OpenSea regained EVM market share leadership through 2025, while Solana secondary volume concentrates on Tensor and Magic Eden. Your royalty approach should not isolate you from where trades happen. (theblock.co)

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How royalties can actually be enforced in 2026 (by stack)

• Ethereum/EVM
  • Baseline: Implement ERC‑2981 in your ERC‑721/1155 contract, but understand it’s advisory. (eips.ethereum.org)
  • Enforceable path: Ship ERC721C/1155C with creator-defined transfer security profiles and list on an ERC721C-aware marketplace protocol such as Limit Break’s Payment Processor v4 (integrated by Magic Eden EVM). This design routes secondary proceeds to royalty recipients at settlement. (github.com)
• Solana
  • Use Metaplex programmable NFTs (pNFTs). Attach a Rule Set that gates transfers through royalty-respecting programs. Tensor and Magic Eden treat “enforced” collections accordingly; optional royalties still exist for non-enforced sets. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Immutable zkEVM
  • Mint with Immutable’s ERC‑721/1155 presets and Operator Allowlist; only allow royalty-respecting marketplaces to operate. Royalties settle at the protocol/orderbook layer. (docs.immutable.com)
• RARI Chain (Arbitrum L3)
  • Royalties are guaranteed at the protocol/sequencer level—an uncommon, strong guarantee if you can accept L3 tradeoffs and ecosystem scope. (help.rarible.com)

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Evaluation criteria (decision-makers’ checklist)

• Royalty enforcement model (advisory vs protocol-enforced)
• Secondary-market liquidity (by your target segment and chain)
• Fee/take rates and who pays (maker/taker)
• Compliance knobs (block/allow lists, payment method control)
• Dev ergonomics (SDKs, upgrade paths, registry support)
• Distribution/discovery (aggregators, launchpads, social mints)

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Our 2026 short list (by use case)

1) Need hard enforcement on EVM and decent secondary sales: Magic Eden EVM + ERC721C

Why it’s strong:

• Enforced payouts for ERC721C collections via Limit Break’s Payment Processor; creators can migrate or deploy to ERC721C and preserve preset royalty rates. (help.magiceden.us)
• Backed by a public creator stance and high-profile collabs (e.g., Yuga Labs x Magic Eden’s EVM marketplace launch focused on honoring creator royalties), which concentrates collector behavior within royalty-respecting venues. (theblock.co)

How to ship (practical):

• Contract: Inherit ERC721C or ERC1155C; set default royalty receiver and fee in constructor; enable transfer-security profile that whitelists PPv4 and disallows non-compliant exchanges. (github.com)
• Listing: List natively on Magic Eden EVM. If you must aggregate elsewhere, keep in mind ERC721C enforcement depends on the payment processor; advise collectors to buy “native” listings. (help.magiceden.us)
• Migration: If your contract is upgradeable, consider migrating to ERC721C to flip the enforcement bit without re-minting. Magic Eden provides a one-click migration flow for eligible collections. (help.magiceden.io)

Caveats:

• ERC‑2981 alone remains optional offsite; ensure your transfer list blocks non-royalty processors or your enforcement weakens. (eips.ethereum.org)

Who should pick this:

• Indie PFP/art/game vanity drops that must guarantee payout while staying on EVM and tapping EVM-savvy collectors.

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2) Want the most active secondary flow on Solana with enforceable royalties: Tensor (plus Magic Eden) with pNFT Rule Sets

Why it’s strong:

• Solana’s 2024–2025 marketplace activity clustered around Tensor and Magic Eden; both support collections with enforced royalties and expose taker/maker clarity on who pays fees and royalties. (docs.tensor.trade)
• pNFT Rule Sets from Metaplex give you a first-class, on-chain transfer policy. The Metaplex Foundation Rule Set is maintained to track bypass attempts and block them; you can also customize. (developers.metaplex.com)

How to ship (practical):

• Mint pNFTs via Metaplex; attach the Metaplex Foundation Rule Set (mainnet address eBJLFY…z yT9) or your custom rule set; test secondary transfers against Tensor’s enforced-royalty behavior. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Price/fees: Tensor charges 2% taker fee; enforced royalties are always paid by the taker and optional royals can be set to none/half/full by the taker. Communicate this clearly in your community. (docs.tensor.trade)

Caveats:

• If you do not use pNFT enforcement, your royalties become optional on some flows. Publish an official “where to trade” page and point traffic to enforced venues.

Who should pick this:

• Indie creators prioritizing Solana’s low fees and fast settlement, with communities already active on SOL.

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3) Need enterprise-grade enforceability for games and assets: Immutable zkEVM

Why it’s strong:

• Immutable’s presets and Operator Allowlist ensure only royalty-respecting marketplaces can list your assets; settlement contracts automate payouts ecosystem-wide. This removes per-marketplace negotiations. (docs.immutable.com)

How to ship (practical):

• Use Immutable’s ERC‑721/1155 presets, set royalty recipients at mint time, and register with the Operator Allowlist. Collections not implementing allowlist lose distribution and warnings are shown to users. (docs.immutable.com)

Caveats:

• Ecosystem is gaming-led; general art discovery differs from EVM/SOL hubs. Confirm your audience overlap.

Who should pick this:

• Studios and brands shipping game items, where ongoing secondary revenue is strategic and enforceability must be consistent across storefronts.

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4) Want a protocol-native “creator rewards” economy and social distribution: Zora (Base/Ethereum)

Why it’s strong:

• Zora’s Protocol Rewards split a fixed mint fee among creators, referrers, and the protocol; creators earn from free mints, and keep 100% of paid-mint revenue. It’s predictable and great for audience building and social mints. (support.zora.co)
• Current docs show a 0.000111 ETH per-mint fee with an explicit distribution (Creator 0.0000555 ETH on free mints, etc.), and a “Creator keeps 100%” path for paid mints. Secondary market modules exist but are not the main draw for indie liquidity. (support.zora.co)

How to ship (practical):

• Use Zora’s Creator Toolkit; choose “Free + Rewards” for growth or paid mints for revenue. Syndicate via Farcaster/Twitter frames to maximize referrer rewards.

Caveats:

• Secondary royalties depend on where trading occurs; Zora honors ERC‑2981 but can’t force external markets to pay. Treat Zora as a primary mint + community growth machine, and curate your official secondary venue.

Who should pick this:

• Indie artists leaning into social minting on Base/Ethereum and referral-driven discovery over raw floor-liquidity.

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5) Want a chain where royalties are guaranteed by the protocol: RARI Chain (Arbitrum L3) + Rarible

Why it’s strong:

• Royalty logic is embedded at the node/sequencer layer; trades that circumvent creator fees don’t settle. This is as close as it gets to “royalties as a protocol rule” on EVM today. (nftgators.com)

How to ship (practical):

• Mint on RARI Chain or bridge ERC‑2981 collections in; configure royalties per Rarible’s guidance; launch a community marketplace to direct liquidity and preserve your payout policy. (help.rarible.com)

Caveats:

• Ecosystem is earlier-stage than EVM L1/L2; plan distribution and collector onboarding accordingly.

Who should pick this:

• IP-driven brands or indie teams that cannot compromise on royalties and value a turnkey community marketplace.

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6) Tezos (objkt, fxhash, Versum) for generative/1-of-1 art with consistent royalty culture

Why it’s strong:

• objkt and Versum explicitly honor creator royalties on their marketplaces; fxhash’s generative art ecosystem continues to route royalties on resales with low fees that appeal to art buyers. (docs.objkt.com)

How to ship (practical):

• Mint FA2 contracts with TZIP‑16/21 metadata; set royalties in your collection; list on objkt/fxhash/Versum. These venues are reliable for indie artists, even if absolute volumes are lower than EVM/SOL. (docs.objkt.com)

Caveats:

• Liquidity is art‑centric; price discovery is steadier but thinner. Great for sustaining creators with patient collector bases.

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Quick decision matrix (2026)

• Must guarantee royalties on EVM and stay on ETH/L2: Magic Eden EVM with ERC721C, or RARI Chain if you can move chains. (help.magiceden.us)
• Solana-native art/PFP with strong retail and pro-trader liquidity: pNFT + Tensor (and Magic Eden). (docs.tensor.trade)
• Web3 gaming and marketplace federation: Immutable zkEVM. (docs.immutable.com)
• Social mints and creator economy flywheel: Zora on Base/Ethereum. (support.zora.co)
• Generative art culture with dependable royalties: Tezos (objkt/fxhash/Versum). (docs.objkt.com)

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Implementation playbooks you can copy

A) “Enforced on EVM” in 48 hours (ERC721C + Magic Eden EVM)

1. Contract

• Inherit ERC721C (or ERC1155C) and BasicRoyalties; set default royalty bps and receiver.
• Enable a transfer-security profile that whitelists Limit Break Payment Processor v4 (Mainnet: 0x009a1dC629242961C9E4f089b437aFD394474cc0). (github.com)

1. Listings

• Create native listings on Magic Eden EVM to ensure enforcement on 100% of your native trades. Communicate your official secondary venue. (help.magiceden.us)

1. Migration (if needed)

• If your current collection is upgradeable, use Magic Eden’s “Migrate Now” flow to move to ERC721C enforcement without re-minting. (help.magiceden.io)

1. Policy page

• Publish a simple rule: “Trades on X are enforced; trades elsewhere may not pay creator fees.”

Expected outcome

• Royalty slippage on your official venue goes to near-zero; off‑venue leakage is minimized via transfer lists and community guidance.

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B) “SOL-first indie” in 48 hours (pNFT + Tensor)

1. Mint as pNFT

• Use Metaplex Token Auth Rules; apply either the Metaplex Foundation Rule Set (mainnet address: eBJLFY…yT9) or a custom rule set tailored to your collection. (developers.metaplex.com)

1. List on Tensor

• Make clear to collectors that enforced royalty collections charge royalties to the taker; optional royalties can be set by takers for non-enforced sets. Set expectations in your Discord and on collection pages. (docs.tensor.trade)

1. Mirror on Magic Eden

• Keep the same rule set so both venues respect enforcement. Remind buyers to use “enforced” toggles where available.

Expected outcome

• Fast, low-cost trades with visible royalty flows and strong Solana-native liquidity.

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C) “Game assets” (Immutable zkEVM)

1. Contract presets

• Use Immutable’s ERC‑721/1155 presets to set royalties at mint. Register Operator Allowlist so only royalty-respecting marketplaces can be approved. (docs.immutable.com)

1. Distribution

• Leverage Immutable’s global orderbook; you get enforced royalties across ecosystem marketplaces using settlement contracts. (docs.immutable.com)

Expected outcome

• Royalty enforcement regardless of front-end, with gamer-friendly UX and Passport support.

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D) “Community-owned storefront” (Rarible + RARI Chain)

1. Chain

• Launch on RARI Chain to gain protocol-level royalties; or deploy a Rarible community marketplace on EVM while steering liquidity to a venue that respects your policy. (help.rarible.com)

1. Aggregation

• Rarible’s aggregation stance has changed over time; verify current behavior if you depend on cross-market orders. Keep native listings primary to guarantee royalties. (rarible.com)

Expected outcome

• End-to-end control of distribution and payouts, with reduced reliance on third-party policy swings.

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Secondary sales reality check (liquidity vs. enforcement)

• EVM: EIP‑2981 is not enough; you need ERC721C + a compliant marketplace for enforcement. Meanwhile, EVM secondary volumes skew toward platforms like OpenSea (as of 2025), so your route-to-liquidity matters as much as your contract. Consider dual strategy: enforced venue for core collectors, broad venue for discovery. (eips.ethereum.org)
• Solana: Tensor and Magic Eden both route meaningful volume; pNFT rule sets provide clean enforcement without splitting your community. (docs.tensor.trade)
• Immutable: Royalties are enforced across ecosystem marketplaces—less fragmentation for studios. (docs.immutable.com)
• Tezos: Culture over hype; objkt/fxhash consistently honor royalties, which is prized by generative artists and collectors. (docs.objkt.com)

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Pitfalls to avoid

• Assuming “EIP‑2981 = enforced.” It isn’t; it’s a signal. Pair it with ERC721C/Payment Processor or protocol-level systems. (eips.ethereum.org)
• Ignoring taker/maker economics. On Tensor, enforced royalties are paid by the taker; price your floors and messaging accordingly. (docs.tensor.trade)
• Letting off-venue liquidity siphon royalties. Publish and pin your “official trading venues,” and use allow/deny lists where your stack supports them. (docs.immutable.com)
• Not planning for migration. If your legacy contract is upgradeable, roadmap an ERC721C move or a bridged collection on a protocol-enforcing chain. (help.magiceden.io)

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Brief, in‑depth details you’ll actually use

• ERC‑2981 interface ID and behavior: Marketplaces call royaltyInfo(tokenId, salePrice); if they choose not to honor, nothing forces payment—design for that reality. (eips.ethereum.org)
• Limit Break Payment Processor v4 addresses (EVM): Mainnet 0x009a1dC629242961C9E4f089b437aFD394474cc0; Polygon 0x009a1Daf6B5b8ADC6B3DB720C58D43caA2fdAc56. Configure transfer whitelists accordingly. (github.com)
• Metaplex Foundation Rule Set (Solana mainnet): eBJLFYPxJmMGKuFwpDWkzxZeUrad92kZRC5BJLpzyT9. Attach to your pNFTs to align with marketplace enforcement. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Tensor fees and royalty payer: 2% taker fee; enforced royalties are always paid by the taker; optional royalties are buyer-configurable. Design your UI copy and FAQs around this. (docs.tensor.trade)
• Immutable Operator Allowlist: non-compliant collections lose marketplace visibility; this is the lever that keeps royalties enforceable across the ecosystem. (docs.immutable.com)
• Zora Protocol Rewards (typical split on free mints): Creator 0.0000555 ETH, plus referral slices; creators keep 100% on paid mints. Great for discovery/retention loops. (support.zora.co)

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Final recommendations

• If you’re EVM-first and royalties are non-negotiable: deploy ERC721C and sell via Magic Eden EVM (or build around RARI Chain if you can move chains). This is the cleanest path to hard enforcement plus real buyers today. (help.magiceden.us)
• If you’re Solana-native: ship pNFTs with Metaplex rule sets and list on Tensor and Magic Eden. You’ll keep royalties while staying plugged into Solana’s most active order flow. (developers.metaplex.com)
• If you’re a game studio: choose Immutable zkEVM for protocol-level enforcement and ecosystem distribution. (docs.immutable.com)
• If you’re optimizing for primary demand and community growth: mint on Zora (Base/Ethereum), then steer secondary volume to an enforced venue. (support.zora.co)
• If your brand requires hard guarantees above all: RARI Chain’s node-level enforcement is purpose-built for you. (help.rarible.com)

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Sources and standards worth bookmarking

• ERC‑2981 (royalty signaling standard; not enforcement). (eips.ethereum.org)
• OpenSea’s 2023 switch to optional royalties (context for EVM policy volatility). (theblock.co)
• Magic Eden + Yuga Labs: royalty-protecting EVM marketplace rollout. (theblock.co)
• ERC721C + Limit Break Payment Processor docs and addresses. (github.com)
• Metaplex pNFT Rule Sets (Solana) and Tensor fee/royalty mechanics. (developers.metaplex.com)
• Immutable zkEVM royalty enforcement and Operator Allowlist. (docs.immutable.com)
• Zora Protocol Rewards and fee splits. (support.zora.co)

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7Block Labs helps startups and enterprises ship creator-friendly NFT products with enforceable royalties, without sacrificing secondary-market reach. If you want an implementation plan tailored to your stack and audience, we’re happy to help.