NFT projects on Solana with functionality and growth potential: a complete ecosystem overview

Over the past four years, Solana has transformed from an ambitious startup into one of the largest blockchain ecosystems in the industry. On March 20, the network for the first time surpassed Ethereum in decentralized exchange volumes, confirming its growing influence. Today, Solana ranks among the leading layer-one blockchains, and its NFT segment is developing exponentially.

As of March 2024, over 110 million NFTs have been created on the Solana blockchain, with more than 14 million wallets holding at least one active token. These figures demonstrate the scale and seriousness of the NFT ecosystem’s development on the platform. The current price of SOL is $122.50 (as of 26.12.2025), reflecting the stable position of the crypto asset in the market.

Why does Solana dominate the NFT segment?

The key to success lies in the platform’s technical characteristics. Solana processes up to 65,000 transactions per second at peak times — four times more than Ethereum with its 15 TPS. Such performance fundamentally changes the user experience.

The cost of creating an NFT on Solana is approximately $0.00011 thanks to state compression technology. This makes the platform accessible to creators with limited budgets and stimulates innovation in NFT design.

Efficiency is achieved through a combination of two mechanisms: Proof of Stake (PoS) and Proof of History (PoH). This approach not only ensures high speed but also minimizes environmental impact, which is critical for the modern digital asset market.

Leading NFT projects with real utility

Okay Bears: from a flip to a long-term investment

Okay Bears set a trading volume record among all NFT collections on Solana. The project received support from major marketplaces, attracting a broad audience under the slogan “It is okay to be okay.”

The collection’s success is based on a community-oriented approach: owners gain benefits from participating in the ecosystem and have a voice in the project’s development.

DeGods: staking and long-term rewards

DeGods stands out with its earning mechanics. Owners can stake their NFTs and receive rewards in the form of the $DUST token. The project also offers transforming regular DeGods into DeadGods — a rare and valuable status that increases earning potential.

This is a classic example of an NFT project with functionality tied to economic incentives for long-term ownership.

Degenerate Ape Academy: pioneering project with global influence

Launched on August 14, 2021, Degenerate Ape Academy consists of 10,000 unique 3D-rendered apes. Each NFT has a set of individual traits: clothing, accessories, background, and facial expression.

The release had a seismic effect. All 10,000 tokens were sold out in eight minutes, generating nearly 96,000 SOL in volume (more than $5.9 million at that time). One of the rarest Apes was sold for 5980 SOL, or $1.1 million — the largest NFT deal on Solana at that time.

The Degeniverse universe, created around the collection, formed a strong community demanding active participation from holders and creating an aura of exclusivity.

Solana Monkey Business (SMB): evolution into DAO economy

The third-largest trading collection on Solana has transformed from a simple PFP project into a full-fledged community of developers and artists. SMB Gen2 includes 5000 pixel NFTs measuring 24x24 pixels, each with a combination of 99 possible traits.

The collection’s metadata is stored on Arweave, ensuring permanence and true decentralization of storage. The project plans a full transition to a DAO model, allowing the community to make key development decisions.

Famous Fox Federation: a multi-level ecosystem

FFF is a collection of 7,777 uniquely generated foxes with over a million possible trait combinations. The project was launched on September 30, 2021, after shifting from Ethereum to Solana — this choice highlighted the platform’s technical advantage.

The central token of the ecosystem $FOXY provides utility: participation in auctions, raffles, internal marketplaces. Holders can stake their NFTs and receive daily rewards.

Subsequent collections (Transdimensional Famous Foxes, Friends & Foes, Dens) expanded engagement opportunities and created a multi-tiered economic model.

Tensorians: tool for active traders

Tensorians includes 10,000 NFT arts directly linked to the leading NFT platform Solana. The project was created to reward dedicated traders, providing them with exclusive drops and special privileges.

The collection reached a record floor price of 124 SOL, with a 24-hour trading volume of about 844.61 SOL. Tensorians is closely integrated with the innovative NFT compression feature (cNFTs), which further reduces creation costs.

Genopets: revolution in Move-to-Earn gameplay

Genopets is positioned as the first Move-to-Earn NFT game, combining GameFi concepts with physical activity. Players start with a digital companion, Genopet, which evolves based on the user’s real movements.

The project attracted $8.3 million from investors such as Pantera Capital, Konvoy Ventures, and Samsung Next. This demonstrates the potential of merging digital and physical worlds to improve users’ health.

Frogana: growth over 14000% after overcoming difficulties

Frogana was launched with an initial volume of 5555 units at a price of 0.069 SOL. The collection survived issues with the original creator, but a team member Tee remained, compensating the affected and fully restoring the project.

The result is impressive: the floor price rose to 14.47 SOL — an increase of 14000%. Each Frogana represents a humanoid frog adapted to a mysterious island environment, with a unique set of traits.

Claynosaurz: bridge between virtual and physical worlds

Claynosaurz was created by a team from a 3D studio with professionals from Sony, Disney, DreamWorks, Ubisoft, Netflix, Warner Bros, Marvel. The project includes 10,000 animated 3D dinosaurs of six species.

Within hours of launch in November 2022, the collection generated a trading volume of 130,000 SOL with a maximum floor price of 96.69 SOL.

The uniqueness of the project lies in expanding beyond digital: limited series of plush toys were launched, creating a tangible connection to the virtual asset. The ecosystem includes Claymakers and Clays with functions for creating items and forging armor.

How to start participating in Solana NFT projects

The entry path is simple and accessible.

Step 1: Create a Solana-based wallet. Phantom is the most convenient option, known for its intuitive interface and reliable security.

Step 2: Fund your wallet with SOL. This can be done through crypto exchanges or directly within the wallet app.

Step 3: Visit the main marketplace. Leading trading platforms dominate Solana NFT volumes and offer a user-friendly interface for beginners.

Step 4: Explore collections, analyze the community, and review project roadmaps before purchasing.

Prospects of the Solana NFT ecosystem

The platform’s development continues to accelerate. Recent implementation of new token extensions allows developers to embed metadata directly into NFTs, increasing flexibility and opening new creative possibilities.

Solana’s scalability and minimal environmental impact create conditions to attract a broader audience. The infrastructure is ready to support complex, community-managed projects with high trading volumes.

NFT compression (cNFTs) has opened doors to entirely new areas: now, not only digital art but a wide range of unique assets can be transferred to the blockchain.

Conclusions

Solana has established itself as a leading platform for NFT innovation, offering speed, efficiency, and eco-friendliness. The ecosystem demonstrates that NFTs are not just collectible objects but tools with real functionality and economic incentives.

Projects with utility — staking, gamification, DAO participation, physical goods — attract serious investors and create long-term value. Joining the Solana NFT community provides access to one of the most dynamic segments of the crypto economy, where innovation happens daily.