What are NFT minting platforms?

Written by John Williams

Reviewed by Brady Werkheiser

Published on 2023-03-165 min read

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‍NFT minting platforms are no-code solutions that anyone can use to mint NFTs. There are five types of NFT minting platforms: NFT Marketplace tools, DIY minting tools, curated minting platforms, programmatic NFT miniting APIs, and gaming NFT minting platforms.

Before the creation of NFT minting platforms, users had to write complex code for NFT smart contracts, and make sure they effectively deployed it on the blockchain. This left plenty of room for mistakes, which could compromise an entire NFT project, robbing creators of their hard work and NFT owners of their NFTs.

By the end of this article, you will learn about NFT minting platforms, their benefits, how they work, and be able to choose the best NFT minting platform for your project!

Benefits of Using NFT Minting Platforms

The benefits of using NFT minting platforms include no-code tooling, extremely easy to use, especially for non-developers, there are lots of options, and they have low costs.

1. No-code

The number one reason why most people choose to use NFT minting platforms is that they are no-code solutions, which means users can use the platform without having any prior coding knowledge. 

2. Ease of Use

The nest NFT minting platforms all have super sleek designs, ensuring that you have an intuitive and pleasant NFT minting experience. Most NFT minting platforms will have an in-depth guide on exactly how to create all types of NFTs from scratch. 

3. Versitility

Most NFT minting platforms offer the ability to mint a wide variety of NFTs, such as avatars, one-of-one artworks, collectibles, gamified NFTs, music NFTs, collectibles, and event NFTs. With these premade options, users can forget the hassle of trying to reinvent the wheel; if you want to create a set of NFTs, there’s already an option for that!

Tradeoffs of Using NFT Minting Platforms

Even though it’s easier and sometimes cheaper to mint NFTs using a no-code minting tool, there are some tradeoffs you should consider such as the platform's constraints and lack of customization.

1. Can Be Restrictive

While the preset on most NFT minting platforms will capture most use cases of NFT creators, if you have an idea for the structure of your NFT that doesn’t neatly fall into one of the presets, it can be difficult to create your own preset. 

2. Lack of Customization

The second biggest tradeoff of using low-code minting tools is that, within the presets, there are only so many options that you can customize. For example, you may be able to set the number of NFTs dropped and when, but if you wanted to do a more complex drop, it may be very difficult to match your preferences with the options offered in the platform. 

NFT Minting Platform Example

Easymint is an upcoming NFT minting platform built by Alchemy. Easymint removes all of the needs to interact with the complex technicalities of blockchain infrastructure. For example, it removes the need to set up a blockchain-compatible crypto wallet, creating and deploying a smart contract on the blockchain, and mint NFTs with that smart contract’s address.

Easymint deploys these smart contracts on the creator’s behalf, eliminating the need for users to interact with the blockchain at all. All they have to do is pay for the fees associated with deploying an NFT collection using fiat money. Easymint supports multiple EVM chains, such as Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Optimism. This means that you can choose where you deploy your NFT collection.

How do NFT minting platforms work?

This section will walk you through exactly how to go from start to finish in the no-code NFT minting process.

How to Mint an NFT

Now that we have a clear understanding of how NFT minting platforms work, let’s follow these simple steps to mint your first NFT.

1. Create an Account

Almost all NFT minting platforms will require users to create an account. For many platforms, you will need to connect your wallet to pay for minting fees and sign transactions.

2. Enter your NFT Project

Once you create your account, there will be an option to create a new project. Enter the name of your project to create it. 

3. Import your NFT Project

If you have not yet designed your NFT collection, this is the point where you’ll have to create something to upload onto the blockchain. If you have already created your artwork, collectible, or other media, then continue reading!

At this point, you’ll have to import all of the data for your NFTs, including the NFTs themselves and, as well as their metadata (e.g. rarity, type, etc.). 

4. Complete the NFT Project Details

This stage is where you will be able to customize the specifics of your NFT drop, such as how many rounds of NFT drops you’re planning, what the mint price will be, and how many NFTs you’re planning on dropping. Make sure you fill out this section correctly, because it may not be possible to change this information once your NFT project is deployed. 

5. Deploy Your Project

Once you’ve filled in all of the necessary information on an NFT minting platform, you’re done! Finalize your selection, and sit back and enjoy the NFT collection you just deployed on the blockchain! 

How to Choose an NFT Minting Platform

To save money and time, evaluate these five factors before choosing an NFT minting platform: types of NFTs you can mint (e.g. ERC721, ERC1155, etc.), how easy the tool is to use, the cost to mint the NFTs, and integrations with other tools (e.g. NFT allowlists).

1. Types of NFTs You Can Mint

This one might sound obvious, but make sure that you choose an NFT minting platform that matches the specifications of your project. Most platforms will allow users to mint NFT collections that are images and metadata. However, if you have a more complex NFT project, such as a dynamic NFT, you will need to find a platform that suits your needs.

2. Ease of Use

An important consideration when deciding which NFT minting platform to use is the user experience. If the website is not intuitive, or makes creators complete unnecessary tasks to mint an NFT, or doesn't fully support the specificity of your project (e.g. custom metadata, total number of tokens, etc.) choose another option that meets your needs. 

3. Cost to Mint (Gas Fees)

Cost is typically the single most important factor in choosing an NFT minting platform. If you choose the wrong platform, the minting of your NFT could be prohibitively expensive, possibly even costing you more than you generate in revenue. To spend the least money on gas, make sure you research how much it will cost to mint the same NFT across different platforms.

Some NFT minting platforms may use gas optimized NFT smart contracts like ERC721A which leverages batch minting, or if you're minting NFTs in bulk on Solana, you may want to find a tool that supports compressed NFTs.

4. Integrations with Other Tools

Some NFT minting platforms will integrate other tools into their interface, allowing for a much easier and more customizable experience. For example, integrations with NFT allowlist platforms such as Spearmint allow creators to specify which wallets are allowed to mint NFTs based on their own definitions (e.g. if they hold a specific token, etc.). Other integrations include NFT token gating tools.