A Look at the NFT Standards on Different Blockchains

So, you’ve dived headfirst into the wild world of NFTs. You’ve seen the headlines, the high-profile art sales, and the passionate communities. But once you get past the surface, you start hearing a lot of jargon: ERC-721, Metaplex, BEP-1155. What does it all mean? These aren’t just random letters and numbers; they’re the foundational rulebooks that make NFTs work. Understanding these core NFT standards is like learning the grammar of the blockchain. It’s the difference between just owning a JPEG and truly understanding the technology that gives it value and function. It’s what separates the dabblers from the serious collectors and creators.

Think of it this way: an NFT standard is a shared blueprint. It ensures that an NFT created on one platform can be recognized, traded, and displayed on another platform within the same blockchain ecosystem. Without these standards, the entire market would be a chaotic mess of incompatible digital items. It’s the common language that allows wallets, marketplaces like OpenSea or Magic Eden, and decentralized applications (dApps) to all speak to each other seamlessly. This guide will break down the most important standards across the major blockchains, so you can see what’s happening under the hood.

Key Takeaways

• Standards are Blueprints: NFT standards are open-source smart contract templates that define how non-fungible tokens are created, managed, and traded on a specific blockchain.
• Ethereum Dominates, But Doesn’t Monopolize: ERC-721 (for unique items) and ERC-1155 (for multiple item types) are the most well-known standards, but they are not the only ones.
• Chains Have Their Own Rules: Blockchains like Solana (Metaplex), BNB Smart Chain (BEP-721), and Flow have developed their own standards optimized for speed, cost, or specific use cases.
• The Standard Matters: The choice of standard impacts everything from transaction fees (gas) and minting efficiency to what you can actually do with your NFT, like using it in a game.

So, What Are NFT Standards, Anyway?

Let’s get down to brass tacks. An NFT standard is, at its core, a set of rules embedded in a smart contract. A smart contract is just a piece of code that lives on the blockchain and automatically executes when certain conditions are met. These standards dictate a minimum set of functions an NFT contract must have. Things like:

• `ownerOf(tokenId)`: A function to check who owns a specific NFT.
• `transferFrom(from, to, tokenId)`: A function to transfer ownership from one address to another.
• `balanceOf(owner)`: A function to check how many NFTs a particular address owns from that collection.
• `tokenURI(tokenId)`: A function that points to the NFT’s metadata—the file containing its name, description, image link, and other attributes.

By making these functions universal, the standard ensures interoperability. Any application that knows how to speak “ERC-721” can interact with any ERC-721 token, regardless of who created it or what it represents. It’s a powerful concept that enables a composable digital world, where assets from one game could potentially be used in another. It’s the reason you can see your entire collection, from various artists and projects, all in one place like your MetaMask or Phantom wallet.

The Ethereum Titans: ERC-721 and ERC-1155

When you talk about NFTs, you have to start with Ethereum. It’s where the revolution began, and its standards are the bedrock upon which much of the industry is built. Two names stand out above all others: ERC-721 and ERC-1155.

ERC-721: The Original Gangster of NFTs

This is the one that started it all. Proposed in late 2017 and famously used by CryptoKitties, ERC-721 established the concept of a truly non-fungible token on the blockchain. The key principle here is absolute uniqueness. Each token minted under an ERC-721 contract is a distinct, one-of-a-kind asset with its own unique `tokenId`.

Think of it like this: An ERC-721 contract is like a master deed registry for a collection of unique, numbered art prints. Each print has its own number (the `tokenId`), and the registry tracks exactly who owns which print. You can’t own half a print, and you can’t mistake print #42 for print #99. They are indivisible and entirely unique.

Best for:

• 1-of-1 digital art
• Collectible Profile Picture (PFP) projects like CryptoPunks or Bored Ape Yacht Club
• Virtual land deeds (e.g., Decentraland)
• Any application where every single item must be unique and tracked individually.

The downside? If you wanted to create a collection with thousands of items, each one requires its own distinct smart contract interaction for transfers, which can be inefficient and costly in terms of gas fees. This inefficiency is precisely what led to the next major innovation.

ERC-1155: The Multi-Token Powerhouse

Developed by the team at Enjin, ERC-1155 was a game-changer. It’s a multi-token standard, which means a single smart contract can manage an infinite number of different tokens—both fungible (like gold coins) and non-fungible (like a unique sword).

Imagine a video game. With ERC-721, you’d need a separate contract for your unique “Excalibur” sword, another for your health potions, and another for your gold coins. It’s a mess. With ERC-1155, one single contract can handle it all. The “Excalibur” sword would be an NFT with a supply of 1. Your stack of 500 health potions would be a fungible token managed by the same contract. And your 10,000 gold coins would be another fungible token. It’s incredibly efficient.

One of its biggest advantages is batch transfers. You can send multiple different types of tokens (your sword, 50 potions, and 1,000 gold) to another player in a single transaction. This saves an enormous amount of time and gas fees, making it perfect for complex applications like gaming and large-scale mints.

ERC-1155 isn’t just an upgrade; it’s a completely different way of thinking about digital assets. It blends the concepts of uniqueness and quantity into one elegant, hyper-efficient package.

Beyond Ethereum: A Look at Other NFT Standards

While Ethereum set the stage, high gas fees and network congestion pushed developers to seek alternatives. This led to a Cambrian explosion of other blockchains, each with its own take on NFT standards, optimized for different priorities.

BNB Smart Chain (BSC): BEP-721 & BEP-1155

This is the easy one. BNB Smart Chain is an EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) compatible blockchain. In simple terms, this means it was designed to work very much like Ethereum. As a result, its NFT standards are direct adaptations of Ethereum’s.

• BEP-721: This is the BSC equivalent of ERC-721. It functions in almost the exact same way, defining unique, non-fungible assets.
• BEP-1155: You guessed it. This is BSC’s version of the ERC-1155 multi-token standard.

The primary motivation for using BSC has historically been its lower transaction fees and faster confirmation times compared to Ethereum. For developers and users, the transition is almost seamless, as the underlying logic is identical.

Solana: The Need for Speed with Metaplex

Solana is a different beast entirely. It was not built to be EVM-compatible and uses a completely different architecture focused on massive throughput and near-instant transactions. As such, it needed its own NFT standard from the ground up. Enter the Metaplex Token Standard.

Metaplex isn’t just a token standard; it’s a full suite of tools and on-chain programs that handle the creation, sale, and management of NFTs. On Solana, the metadata (the image, name, attributes) is often stored on-chain or on a permanent decentralized storage solution like Arweave, which is a key difference from Ethereum where it often points to a server or IPFS.

Key features of the Solana/Metaplex approach:

• Low Cost: Minting an NFT on Solana can cost pennies, compared to potentially hundreds of dollars on Ethereum during peak times.
• Speed: Transactions are confirmed in seconds.
• On-Chain Royalties: Creator royalties are enforced at the protocol level, meaning creators are more likely to get their cut from secondary sales, a problem that has plagued Ethereum marketplaces.

This low-cost, high-speed environment has made Solana a hub for high-volume NFT projects and gaming applications.

Flow: Built for the Big Leagues

Flow was created by Dapper Labs, the team behind CryptoKitties. After their own project famously clogged the Ethereum network, they decided to build a blockchain from scratch designed specifically for large-scale consumer applications and games. NBA Top Shot is its flagship success story.

Flow’s programming language is called Cadence, and it takes a very different, resource-oriented approach to digital assets. On Flow, NFTs are treated more like physical objects in the code itself. You can’t accidentally copy them or lose them; they must be explicitly moved from one account’s storage to another. This provides a higher level of security for users. Flow also features upgradeable smart contracts, allowing developers to fix bugs or add features post-launch, something that is incredibly difficult and risky on Ethereum.

Cardano: Native Assets and CIPs

Cardano’s approach is unique. Unlike Ethereum, where tokens are defined by smart contracts, on Cardano, they can be created as native assets. This means they are treated by the blockchain’s accounting layer in the same way as its native currency, ADA. This has a few huge implications:

• No Smart Contract Needed for Basic Actions: You don’t need to run complex smart contract code just to send a Cardano NFT from one wallet to another. This dramatically reduces transaction fees (no ‘gas’ fee for token logic) and improves security by reducing the attack surface.
• Standardization via CIPs: The community defines standards through Cardano Improvement Proposals (CIPs). CIP-25 is the most widely accepted metadata standard for NFTs, ensuring that wallets and marketplaces know how to display the token’s image, name, and attributes.

This native asset approach is arguably more elegant and secure for basic token functionality, though it relies on off-chain code and applications for more complex logic.

Why Do These Differences Actually Matter to You?

As a creator or collector, the underlying standard has real-world consequences. It’s not just a technical detail for developers.

For Creators:

• Minting Costs: Do you want to pay potentially high gas fees on Ethereum for its massive network effect, or do you prefer the low-cost minting on Solana or Cardano to make your art more accessible?
• Functionality: Is your project a simple 10k PFP collection (ERC-721 is fine), or is it a complex game with multiple items (ERC-1155 or Flow might be better)?
• Royalties: How important is the on-chain enforcement of royalties to your long-term revenue? Solana’s Metaplex standard has a clear advantage here.

For Collectors:

• Gas Fees: Are you prepared for the cost of buying, selling, and transferring on Ethereum? Or are you looking for a more cost-effective ecosystem to trade in?
• Security: Different chains and standards have different security models. Flow’s resource-oriented approach, for example, is designed to be safer for the average user.
• Ecosystem & Liquidity: Ethereum still has the largest and most liquid market. A piece of art on Ethereum might have more potential buyers than one on a smaller chain, but that is changing rapidly.

The Future: Interoperability and Evolving Standards

The blockchain world doesn’t stand still. The current landscape is a collection of walled gardens. Your Ethereum NFT can’t easily move to the Solana blockchain, and vice-versa. The next great frontier is cross-chain interoperability. Protocols like LayerZero and Wormhole are building bridges to allow assets to move between these different ecosystems.

We’re also seeing new standards emerge. ERC-6551, for example, proposes giving every NFT its own smart contract wallet, turning your PFP into a full-blown digital identity that can own other assets and interact with dApps. The standards are constantly evolving to become more efficient, more capable, and more powerful.

Conclusion

NFT standards are the unsung heroes of the digital ownership revolution. They are the essential plumbing that makes everything work, from high-end art marketplaces to sprawling blockchain games. While Ethereum’s ERC-721 and ERC-1155 laid the foundation, a diverse ecosystem of standards has now blossomed across chains like Solana, Flow, and Cardano, each offering unique trade-offs in speed, cost, and functionality. Understanding these fundamental differences is no longer optional for anyone serious about the space. It empowers you to make smarter decisions, whether you’re creating the next blue-chip project or adding a new grail to your collection.

FAQ

What is the most popular NFT standard?

By a significant margin, Ethereum’s ERC-721 is the most popular and widely recognized NFT standard. It was the first major standard for unique digital assets and underpins most of the highest-value and most famous NFT collections, including Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks (after being wrapped), and countless 1-of-1 art pieces.

Can an NFT exist on multiple blockchains at once?

Not directly. An NFT is native to the blockchain it was minted on. However, with the rise of ‘blockchain bridges,’ it’s possible to ‘wrap’ an NFT. This involves locking the original NFT in a smart contract on its home chain and minting a representative version of it on a different chain. This wrapped token can then be traded or used on the new chain. When you want the original back, you ‘burn’ the wrapped version and unlock the original. It’s a complex process, and interoperability is still a major area of development.

Is it better to mint on Ethereum or another blockchain?

It depends entirely on your goals. Ethereum offers the largest audience, the most liquidity, and the highest prestige, but comes with very high gas fees. Solana is excellent for projects that require high volume, low transaction costs, and fast speeds, making it great for gaming and large collections. Flow is tailored for mainstream consumer applications that need to scale massively. Cardano offers low-cost, secure minting through its native asset feature. Creators must weigh the network effect and prestige of Ethereum against the performance and cost benefits of its competitors.