Choosing the Right NFT Pallet: A Developer’s Guide to Polkadot’s NFT Stack – Part 2

Choosing the Right NFT Pallet: A Developer’s Guide to Polkadot’s NFT Stack – Part 2

The Core Building Blocks of NFT Development on Polkadot. 

In the first part of ‘NFT Pallets in the Polkadot ecosystem’, we covered the ins and outs of NFT pallets, what they are, why a developer might use them, and the different kinds of NFT pallets that exist in Polkadot. 

This part of the series is designed for the builders. Whether you’re a developer, product designer, or project founder who wants to understand which NFT pallet to choose and why, we’ll break down the technical capabilities, trade-offs, and ideal use cases for each pallet so you can make informed architectural decisions based on your project’s needs.

Dive into Part 2:

NFT Pallet Comparisons: Features, Use Cases, and Developer Benefits

Consider this from the point of view of a developer, or maybe you’re just exploring what’s out there, but you’re not sure where to begin.

Rest assured, we’ve got you covered. Below, you’ll find a comparison of key NFT pallets in the Polkadot ecosystem, their standout features, real-world use cases, and how each one can bring your ideas to life.

Features, Use Case specifics & Developer Benefits

NFT Pallet Comparison Functionality

As you might have noticed, there is no single “official” pallet in the Polkadot ecosystem. The list below outlines the current recommended options for the new dApps coming to use NFTs across the Polkadot ecosystem today.

While the ‘Unique’s Pallet’ is used by many existing parachains and remains stable and well-tested, the newer ‘NFTs Pallet’ is currently recommended for most use cases. It powers the majority of NFT activity across the ecosystem and benefits from broader tooling support and ongoing development.

Note: Later this year, with the introduction of PVM (Polkadot Virtual Machine) on Asset Hub, this will offer another robust and flexible option for extending NFT capabilities through custom contracts. 

Additional information and docs:

How to Choose the Right NFTs Pallet for Your Use Case

Capability What to Ask Yourself Pallets to Consider
Asset Metadata
  • Do you only need minimalistic, immutable fields (name, description)?
  • Will you update attributes on‑chain over time?
  • Do you need to delegate update rights to the user or service?
  • Simple, immutable metadata → any pallet
  • Modifiable, delegable metadata → NFTs Pallet or Unique Network Pallet

Built‑in Marketplace
  • Do you need NFT trading?
  • Do you want your NFTs to be displayed on popular Polkadot NFT Marketplaces?
  • Do you want to build a custom marketplace?
  • Then do you want a fully on‑chain minimalistic trading functionality out of the box, or will you need a more comprehensive one, auction, or royalty logic, for example?
  • Fully customizable marketplace with smart contracts → Unique Network Pallet
  • No sales planned (soulbound NFTs, enterprise cases) → NFTs Pallet or any other
  • Check the selected marketplace and identify which networks it integrates with, then find out what pallet this chain supports.
  • Basic sale support out of the box → Uniques Pallet or NFTs Pallet
Smart Contract Support
  • Do you need to implement custom NFT logic via smart contracts?
  • EVM‑friendly → Unique Network Pallet
  • Note: Soon, the introduction of PVM on AssetHub will offer another robust and flexible option for custom smart contract integration — on par with existing pallets.
Advanced Scenarios & Innovations
  • Will you need advanced NFT functions, like Nested, Fractionalized, Customizable, and Multimedia NFTs?
  • Will users sign transactions themselves and pay gas fees?
  • Should your application cover their gas costs?
  • There are two approaches available. The Unique Network Pallet provides all these out of the box. Alternatively, one can develop own custom smart contracts via EVM or PVM with NFTs and Unique Network Pallets.
  • Full advanced NFT mechanics and native gas sponsorship → Unique Network Pallet
Throughput & Fee Model
  • Are you minting or trading at high volume?
  • What is the structure for on‑chain data storage deposits and transaction fees?
  • Standard fees → Uniques Pallet, NFTs Pallet
  • Optimized for high‑throughput
  • Unique Network showed the strongest performance across both Substrate and EVM (Frontier) envs. On Substrate, it achieved 70,000 tokens/min at just $0.0001 per token → Unique Network Pallet
Tooling Coverage
  • What development stack does your team use, and are they already familiar with Polkadot ecosystem tools (e.g., Polkadot JS, PAPI SDK, Unique Network SDK)?
  • How will you fetch on‑chain NFT data? Which method will you use—ready-to-use REST API, GraphQL, or a custom indexer?
  • Do you expect users to interact with NFTs solely within your application, or will they need to use external wallet UIs (e.g., Subwallet, Nova, Talisman) to view them?
  • Do you plan to expose raw blockchain transaction data via links to the UI explorer?
  • This list is intended to guide technical architecture planning, integration points, and stack decisions.

We hope this helps you! Of course, your priorities may be different; maybe the network itself is more important than which pallet you choose, or you value documentation, support, or rock‑solid stability above all. 

Our goal here is to outline the technical differences between each pallet and where they fit in the Polkadot ecosystem.

How We Can Help You!

With our support, we can help you through your NFT development journey. Our expert team is well-versed in all aspects, from tooling and use cases to marketing campaigns and project ideation.

We focus on advancing technical development (vital for NFTs on Polkadot), alongside providing marketing support, business development, and governance initiatives.

If you’re a small project, we can also assist you and make the right connections with the Fast Grants Bounty – a bounty on Polkadot dedicated to superseeding small to medium projects to get their feet off the ground. 

If you want to be part of this journey, reach out to us: 

Reach out to us

Your story will be told to the masses. 

Final Thoughts

NFTs Pallets are the backbone of Polkadot’s vision for interoperable, next-gen digital assets. With tools like Unique Network’s advanced pallet, developers can move beyond simple NFTs to build scalable, dynamic applications, from gaming to real-world assets. 

For developers, creators, entrepreneurs, and visionaries, this is a call to build boldly; the infrastructure, technology, tools, and support are all here. Now we’re only missing you. 

Missed the first part of NFT Pallets in the Polkadot ecosystem? Check it out here. 
Want your story to be part of the next journal? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us, and we’ll work with you!

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