How to Create an NFT for Free?

The world of crypto is here to stay as it becomes more widely accepted, with even web browsers introducing cryptocurrency wallets. NFTs play a significant role in this environment. Nearly all well-known artists, excellent and not-so-good alike, produce their own NFT pieces.

Therefore, there is no justification for you to remain behind. Let's look at how to quickly mint an NFT for free utilising a new blockchain and methods to avoid minting gas costs (which are used to compensate miners for the computing energy and resources spent to validate transactions and include them in a blockchain).

Is It Possible to Mint an NFT for Free?

Yes, it is definitely possible to mint an NFT for free, but there are only two ways to do so. The first method entails transferring the gas surcharges. It implies that the gas charge for minting is either paid by the purchaser of your NFT or by another party.

Therefore, technically speaking, the gas fee won't be removed here but rather charged to the person attempting to purchase your NFT. Although you won't have to pay to register the NFT on the blockchain, you will still be its original developer.

The use of unconventional blockchains is the alternative. The majority of NFTs are often registered on Ethereum, which has a hefty gas price. But by utilising other more recent blockchains, you can mint your NFT for nothing. Although there won't be any gas fees for you or the buyer of that NFT, your NFT will still have all the distinctive characteristics of an Ethereum NFT. 

Let's examine each of these approaches in more detail. 

Method 1: Using Lazy Minting

Rarible, a well-known cryptocurrency marketplace, provides a function called Lazy Minting. It enables users to mint NFT without having to pay anything upfront. The consumer who purchases your NFT from Rarible bears the gas expenses linked to the minting. It's a rather simple procedure. This is how you do it:

Create a Rarible Account

1. Click the "Create" button in the top right corner of the Rarible homepage.

2. After that, Rarible will ask you to select a cryptocurrency wallet so you may access their website. To proceed, you must have an account with the well-known cryptocurrency wallet MetaMask, thus selecting it will cause it to ask you for your password. Enter your password when prompted, and then click "Unlock."

3. The MetaMask pop-up will then request your login confirmation. Here, you must first choose your account and then click "next." The "connect" button must then be clicked in order to complete the website login process.

Turn Your Art into NFT

1. The website will ask you if you want to create a single NFT or a collection of them after you log in. Select the lone option to do your first NFT.

2. To begin, select "choose file" and upload the media file you wish to use to create an NFT. 

3. Scroll down after inputting the marketplace's details and make sure the "Free Minting" option is enabled by clicking the toggle next to it. You can add more details about your NFT here, such as name, description, desired royalties, and more. To create your NFT, click the "create item" button at the end.

4. The Rarible marketplace will enter into a contract with your wallet to register your NFT. A MetaMask pop-up will display twice as the NFT is being built. To finish the transaction, select the "sign" button on MetaMask whenever the contract appears.

5. When your NFT is finished being generated, Rarible will give you the choice to view it and share it on social media.

Method 2: Using Polygon Blockchain

While it may appear feasible to shift your minting costs to the customer, this does not completely eliminate the cost of your NFT. We need to employ Polygon-Matic blockchain in order to entirely waive the minting fees and make our NFT completely free. Users do not have to pay a transaction fee when registering NFTs on this relatively young blockchain, which operates similarly to Ethereum. 

But first, there are certain changes we need to make to our MetaMask wallet. Our MetaMask wallet operates by default on the Ethereum network. However, we require a wallet on the Polygon blockchain in order to mint an NFT there. So the best course of action is to simply register your wallet on the Polygon Blockchain Network by adding Polygon-Matic Network to your MetaMask Wallet. Now, all we have to do is create NFT for free and locate an NFT marketplace that supports Polygon.

Create an OpenSea Account

The first and biggest NFT marketplace in the world, OpenSea, offers practically every popular NFT. Fortunately, it is also among the first marketplaces to accept NFTs built using polygons. And just like Rarible, creating an account here is fairly straightforward. 

Create Free Polygon NFT

1. OpenSea will invite you to upload your media file once your account is ready. You may post 3D models here, unlike Rarible. To upload a media file, click the empty box next to the upload option.

2. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page after entering these details. Here, choose Polygon from the drop-down menu under the blockchain section rather than Ethereum. Then, to save your NFT, click the "create" button.

3. When the NFT is prepared, list it in the marketplace by clicking the "sell" button in the upper right corner. Do bear in mind that once it goes on sale, you won't be able to change it anymore.

4. You can input the item's price in Ethereum on the listing dashboard. After finishing the remaining entries, select "Complete Listing" from the menu.

5. In order to list the NFT, OpenSea will require you to sign a contract and approve a transaction. You won't have to pay anything for either of these. When the MetaMask pop-up appears, first click the "unlock" button, and then click the "approve" button. In the second step, select the "sign" button on OpenSea and then select it again in the MetaMask pop-up box. Your NFT is now up for sale on OpenSea for the time period and price you chose.

NFTs have the ability to help people from all sections, whether they are businesspeople or artists. You may be able to access a number of opportunities in the future cryptocurrencies if you have the ability to generate NFT for free. With the steadily rising demand for currencies like Shiba Inu, it is safe to believe that cryptocurrencies are here to stay. Remember that while being new, blockchain technology still has a financial focus. So continue exercising caution to prevent any unintended losses.

Written B: Devika Mishra

Edited By: Nidhi Jha