WAX continues to be one of the go-to chains for cheap pack-based NFT drops. Flow is powering Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot, NFL ALL DAY, and more. Other blockchains like Cardano, Avalanche, and a series of layer 2 solutions on Ethereum have their own fledgling NFT ecosystems.

And then there’s Tezos. Having launched in 2017, Tezos is one of the oldest smart contract blockchains around. Relative to its long history and the activity in its NFT ecosystem, it’s arguably the least known blockchain outside of the nerdiest NFT community.

In fact, many of the biggest NFT collectors and influencers have no experience with Tezos either. You’ll rarely hear it talked about on the most popular shows and podcasts.

And yet, Tezos is one of my absolute favorite NFT ecosystems. And I’m by no means alone. So what is it that makes Tezos so special? And how do you get started with NFTs on Tezos? Here’s what you need to know.

Why you should care about Tezos

It’s cheap. On Ethereum, you often have to pay hundreds of dollars in fees to buy an NFT. On Tezos, they’re close to zero. This in turn enables artists to sell their work for as cheap as a few dollars — which allows you to go art shopping without breaking the bank!

It’s green. Tezos is also one of the more eco-friendly blockchains. This will be less of a selling point when Ethereum transitions to a greener model later this year but is without a doubt one of the key reasons why many artists and collectors have favored Tezos over the past few years.

It’s artsy. Much of what’s being built on Ethereum and the other blockchains mentioned earlier are “projects”, especially of the profile picture kind. Teams are building AAA games, VC-funded businesses, and utility NFTs with massive ambitions for the metaverse and elaborate roadmaps.

Most of the NFTs you’ll find on Tezos are artworks (here: Objkt.com)

The vast majority of what you’ll find on Tezos is none of that. Rather, it’s almost synonymous with art. And that’s what most collectors on Tezos are drawn to, rather than the prospect of making money.

Tezos has attracted a large community of artists and art collectors alike, and the whole ecosystem has a cool indie artist vibe to it.

On Tezos, new artists can launch their works almost for free and actually have a shot at making it if their art resonates with enough people. Multiple artists have already shown that it’s possible and laid out the path for others to follow. I’ll cover some of these leading artists in an upcoming post.

All of the above has attracted a diehard community of artists and collectors who truly are in it for the art, the experimentation, and the original crypto- and NFT ethos. Tezos NFTs are fun and interesting, just like the people who are leading the way in creating and collecting them.

If that’s got you intrigued, or if you were already sold on the value proposition of Tezos, here’s what you need to get started as a collector.

Currency

When you buy an NFT on the Tezos blockchain, you’re going to pay with the blockchain’s native currency. This currency is commonly referred to simply as tez. However, the official ticker symbol used on crypto exchanges is XTZ.

You can easily acquire the XTZ token on most large exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, Gate.io, and KuCoin, or get it on a decentralized exchange. You can see a full overview of where XTZ is traded on CoinMarketCap.

Wallets

Once you’ve acquired some XTZ, you’ll need to transfer it to a crypto wallet that enables you to buy and store your Tezos NFTs. While there’s one obvious go-to wallet on Ethereum, i.e., MetaMask, you’ve got a few solid options to choose from on Tezos.

Three of the most popular wallets are Galleon, Temple, and Kukai. While Galleon is one of the oldest and most trusted wallets on Tezos, I personally prefer Temple and Kukai for their ease of use in the browser. Temple in particular has a super handy browser plugin.

The browser-based Kukai wallet and Temple’s browser extension

If you’re interested in buying NFTs on a mobile device, AirGap and Naan are two of your best options.

Lastly, note that it’s actually a good idea to use more than one of the wallets mentioned here. Or at least be prepared to do so.

Especially if you’re minting NFTs directly on an artists’ own websites, you’ll sometimes experience a technical issue that prevents you from using one or more of the recommended wallets. That’s actually the main reason why I’m routinely using both Temple and Kukai.

Marketplaces

You’ve got quite a few NFT marketplaces to choose from on Tezos. I’ve covered the most important and my own favorites below. Tezos.art provides a more comprehensive list of the most notable marketplaces if you’re curious.

Objkt.com

Objkt.com is the largest NFT marketplace on Tezos and the go-to option for most creators and collectors. Along with fxhash, which I’ll cover below, it’s well ahead of all the other marketplaces in terms of trading volume.

On the front page of Objkt.com, you’ll find trending collections, live auctions, and the largest recent sales. You can easily connect your wallet, begin buying NFTs and see your collection on your profile page.

Objkt.com is the leading NFT marketplace on the Tezos blockchain

One of the nice features of Objkt.com is the option to browse by different “categories”. These essentially equate to “art styles” and include 3D, Pixel art, Generative art, Glitch art, Monochrome, Street art, and more.

fxhash

fxhash has really been popping off lately and caught up to Objkt.com’s trading volume. This is particularly impressive when you consider that Objkt.com is a general-purpose NFT marketplace while fxhash is made specifically for generative art.

fxhash is also just as much a launchpad as it is a marketplace. Some people refer to it as the Tezos version of Ethereum’s highly successful Art Blocks. Check out my guide to that if you want to learn more. But where everything on Art Blocks is curated, fxhash is open for all artists to publish their works.

fxhash is the most popular launchpad and marketplace for generative art on Tezos

The openness of the platform results in a high quantity of art, but also some works that aren’t necessarily of the highest quality. Most of it is extremely affordable as well though, and you can easily find something you like.

I’d suggest joining the fxhash Discord and starting learning about what the platform and its community are all about.

OneOf

OneOf is a newer marketplace for music- and sports-related NFTs. I don’t yet have a ton of experience with it but I’ve had it on my radar for a while. I suggest you keep it on yours as well.

OneOf is a marketplace for music- and sports-related NFTs

8bidou

8bidou has a very distinct, quirky visual style. It also has a very narrow focus: It’s made only for 8×8 or 24×24 pixel art. If you’re a sucker for this type of nerdy NFT art, like I am, 8bidou is definitely one to bookmark.

Next steps and additional resources

I’ve only covered the essential tools and platforms you need to buy your first NFTs on Tezos in this guide. I will highlight some of my favorite artists, works, and projects in the future. Until then, it’s up to you to do your own research.

Simply browsing some of the marketplaces mentioned above is a great place to begin your journey. What’s trending or fetching the highest valuations will give you a good sense of what to pay attention to.

Lastly, I’d also suggest checking out the following resources and people:

• Tezos.art has a nice overview of the most popular marketplaces, wallets, and other relevant resources.
• Kaloh is one of the leading figures in the Tezos NFT community and a wealth of knowledge on all things fxhash. Check out Kaloh’s Twitter account, newsletter, and the recently launched Blind Gallery.
• MattW.Tez is another great person to follow on Twitter for frequent updates on what’s happening in the Tezos NFT ecosystem.
• Two Bored Apes is one of my favorite NFT podcasts and the hosts cover fxhash in a recurring segment. They recently answered my question about how to get started with Tezos NFTs and actually recommended the two Twitter accounts mentioned above.

And with that, I hope you have fun on your Tezos NFT journey. And fun truly is what this ecosystem is all about.