Opensea vs Rarible: Which NFT platform is better?

The world of online marketplaces is ever-changing and ever-growing. In recent years, we've seen the rise of platforms like Etsy and Amazon Handmade, which have allowed makers and artisans to sell their wares to a wider audience than ever before. Now, two new players are on the scene: Opensea and Rarible. Both platforms are geared towards creators and offer unique features that set them apart from the rest. In this blog post, we'll look at both Opensea and Rarible to see what they offer.

What is Opensea?

OpenSea is a decentralized digital asset marketplace built on the Ethereum blockchain? It’s the largest marketplace of its kind and allows anyone to buy, sell, or auction off any type of digital asset. OpenSea was founded in 2017 by Devin Finzer and Alex Atallah. The two had previously co-founded EthHub, one of the leading resources for Ethereum information and education. They saw a need for a better way to buy and sell digital assets, so they set out to build OpenSea.

Today, OpenSea is the go-to place for buying, selling, or digital trading assets. You can find everything from in-game items to crypto art on OpenSea. And because it’s built on the Ethereum blockchain, you can be sure that your transactions are safe and secure.

What is Rarible?

Rarible is a decentralized marketplace for buying and selling digital collectables. Unlike other marketplaces, Rarible allows anyone to create and list their digital collectables, called "Non-fungible tokens" or NFTs. This makes Rarible the perfect place to find unique, one-of-a-kind items that can't be found anywhere else.

What is Opensea NFT?

OpenSea is a decentralized marketplace for buying, selling, and collecting NFTs. It's the largest NFT marketplace in the world, with over 2 million users and tens of thousands of active sellers. Rarible is a decentralized platform for creating, buying, and selling digital collectables. It's the first NFT marketplace to allow anyone to mint their own collectables.

Both OpenSea and Rarible allow you to buy, sell, or trade digital collectibles (NFTs). OpenSea is the larger of the two platforms, with over 2 million users and tens of thousands of active sellers. Rarible is newer but has some unique features, such as the ability to mint your own collectibles. The rapid growth of these platforms highlights the growing demand for specialized NFT development services.

What blockchain does Opensea use?

To ensure that all transactions on the Opensea platform are secure and tamper-proof, we use the Ethereum blockchain. The Ethereum blockchain is a decentralized platform that runs smart contract, which are applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of fraud or third-party interference.

All transactions made on the Opensea platform are stored on the Ethereum blockchain, which provides a permanent and transparent record of all activity on the platform. This record cannot be altered or deleted, ensuring that all transactions are safe and secure.

What wallet to use for Opensea?

With the recent increase in interest in NFTs, a lot of people are wondering which wallet to use for storing and managing their assets. While there are a variety of options out there, we recommend using either Opensea or Rarible.

Both of these wallets offer a variety of features that make them ideal for storing and managing NFTs. For example, both wallets allow you to view your collection in a variety of ways, including by date, type, or even location. Additionally, both wallets offer support for ERC-721 and ERC-1155 tokens, making them compatible with the vast majority of NFTs on the market.

Finally, both Opensea and Rarible offer built-in exchange functionality, allowing you to easily trade your NFTs with other users. This is a great way to eliminate unwanted assets or simply diversify your portfolio.

At a Glance: OpenSea vs. Rarible (2026)

OpenSea: The Liquidity King

OpenSea remains the largest NFT marketplace in the world. If you are looking for the widest audience and the most active buyers, this is your home.

Why Choose OpenSea?

• Massive Exposure: With over 90% of the retail NFT market share, your listings are seen by more eyes.

• Multi-Chain Integration: OpenSea’s support for Layer-2 solutions like Polygon and Base allows for near-zero gas fees.

• Beginner Friendly: The interface is the industry standard—simple, clean, and intuitive for those just starting.

Rarible: The Creator’s Sanctuary

Rarible has carved out a niche as the "indie" alternative that puts the power back into the hands of the community and creators.

Why Choose Rarible?

• High Royalties: While OpenSea has moved toward capping creator earnings to stay competitive, Rarible allows creators to set royalties as high as 50%.

• Zero-Fee Trading: In 2026, Rarible’s "staking" model allows users who lock up $RARI tokens to trade with 0% marketplace fees.

• True Decentralization: Unlike OpenSea, which is a private company, Rarible is governed by its users. Holding $RARI gives you a vote on platform updates and features.

What wallet to use for Rarible?

There are many wallets that support Rarible, but we recommend using MetaMask.  MetaMask is a browser extension that allows you to interact with decentralized applications (dApps) without running a full node or using a third-party service. MetaMask also provides a secure way to sign transactions and store your private keys. 

What coin does Opensea use?

OpenSea uses a cryptocurrency called Ethereum to buy and sell digital assets. However, you don't need to know anything about cryptocurrency to use OpenSea! When you make a purchase on OpenSea, we automatically convert your fiat currency (like USD) into ETH and send it to the seller. The same goes for when you're selling an asset; we automatically convert the ETH you receive into your chosen fiat currency.

What coin does Rarible use?

Rarible uses the Ethereum blockchain to mint RARI tokens. These tokens represent ownership in the Rarible platform and can be used to vote on platform governance decisions, buy, sell, digital trade assets, or stake RARI to earn rewards. The RARI token is a key element of Rarible's decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) structure, giving control to its community. Building these complex, token-based systems often requires the expertise of a dedicated Blockchain development company.

Difference between Opensea and Rarible

There are two major types of marketplaces for digital art - Opensea and Rarible. Both have their own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to understand their differences before deciding which one to use.

Advantages and disadvantages of Opensea

OpenSea is a decentralized marketplace for buying, selling, and collecting unique digital items. It is the largest marketplace in the world, and it has a number of advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

• The biggest advantage of OpenSea is that it is completely decentralized. This means that there is no central authority controlling the marketplace. This makes it very difficult for anyone to censor or shut down the marketplace.

• Another advantage of OpenSea is that it supports a wide range of digital items. This includes everything from cryptocurrencies to video game items. This makes it one of the most versatile marketplaces in the world.

• Lastly, OpenSea has very low fees. Compared to other marketplaces, OpenSea has some of the lowest transaction fees. This makes it an attractive option for buying or selling digital items.

Disadvantages:

• One disadvantage of OpenSea is that it can be difficult to find specific items that you are looking for. This is due to a large number of items available on the marketplace. However, this problem can be solved by using the search function on the website.

• Another disadvantage of OpenSea is that a few scams have been reported on the marketplace. However, these scams are usually quickly resolved by the platform’s dispute resolution system. Overall, OpenSea is considered to be a very safe place to buy and sell digital items.

Advantages and disadvantages of Rarible

Rarible is a decentralized marketplace for digital collectables. It is built on the Ethereum blockchain and allows anyone to create, buy, or sell digital collectables. The advantages of Rarible include its decentralization, ability to support a wide range of assets, and low fees. The disadvantages of Rarible include its lack of liquidity and its reliance on the Ethereum network. Some other advantages and disadvantages are  

Advantages:

• Decentralized: Rarible is a decentralized marketplace built on the Ethereum blockchain. This means that it is not subject to the whims of central authorities and can be used by anyone in the world.

• Wide range of assets: Rarible supports a wide range of digital assets, including but not limited to art, music, and video. This makes it a versatile platform for collectors and creators alike.

• Low fees: Rarible charges very low fees for transactions, making it an affordable platform for users.

Disadvantages:

• Lack of liquidity: Rarible does not have a large number of users at the moment, which can make it difficult to find buyers or sellers for certain assets.

• Reliance on the Ethereum network: Rarible relies on the Ethereum network for its operation. This means that if the Ethereum network goes down, so does Rarible.

Conclusion

We have come to the end of our exploration of Opensea and Rarible. These are two very different platforms, but both have their own unique benefits. Opensea is great for buying and selling a massive range of digital assets and is the market leader in volume. The platform is easy to use and has a wide range of assets available. Rarible is a good choice for creators of digital content who value community governance via the RARI token. The platform allows you to create your own NFTs and sell them easily.

So, which one should you choose? It depends on what you want to do with your digital assets. If you want to buy and sell a large volume of items, Opensea is a good option. If you want to create and sell your own content and participate in platform governance, then Rarible is worth considering.

For businesses looking to launch their own successful NFT marketplace or integrate blockchain technology, specialized development expertise is crucial. Vegavid can provide the necessary guidance and technical skill to build, secure, and scale custom blockchain solutions, ensuring businesses can effectively leverage the growing world of digital assets.

Schedule a free consultation with Vegavid today!