Summary: Rarible and SuperRare serve very different needs: Rarible is a multichain, modular marketplace and protocol stack geared to brands and builders, while SuperRare is a curated, Ethereum-native fine art venue governed by the $RARE DAO. This guide compares their fee models, royalty enforcement, governance, and developer surfaces—plus concrete playbooks for startups and enterprises.

Rarible vs SuperRare: Comparing NFT Marketplace Models and Communities

Decision-makers today don’t just “pick an NFT marketplace”—they choose a distribution model, a fee and royalty regime, a chain strategy, a governance surface, and (crucially) a community. In 2025, Rarible and SuperRare have matured into two sharply different options. Here’s a practical, data-backed comparison to shorten due diligence and help you ship.

TL;DR
- Rarible: multichain marketplace + API/SDK/protocol stack, community marketplaces with 0% Rarible fee, and RARI Chain (an Ethereum L3) that embeds royalties at the node level. Best for brands, games, and collections that need custom marketplaces, aggregation, and low-friction mint/trade. (docs.rarible.org)
- SuperRare: curated 1/1 digital art network on Ethereum with a gallery-like fee structure and the $RARE-governed DAO (with Spaces operated by community curators). Best for high-end art programs and brand collaborations requiring strong curatorial signaling. (help.superrare.com)

1) Marketplace model and who each serves

Access and curation
- Rarible: open listings across many chains; additionally, teams can spin up “community marketplaces” where only verified collections appear, aggregating liquidity from major venues (OpenSea, LooksRare, X2Y2, SudoSwap) while preserving royalties. Collections control their own fee for native listings; Rarible’s cut on these community sites is 0%. (rarible.com)
- SuperRare: curated, invite-only minting for artists; collectors can buy via Buy Now, Offers, or Auctions. “Spaces” are independent galleries elected by $RARE holders; they can onboard artists, run auctions, and set their own commission splits within guidelines. (help.superrare.com)
Asset type focus
- Rarible: broad (PFPs, gaming items, open and limited editions, etc.), with infrastructure to power embedded and white-label experiences. (docs.rarible.org)
- SuperRare: single-edition cryptoart heritage with strong “gallery” positioning and collector behavior aligned to fine art. (help.superrare.com)

Why this matters: if you’re shipping a brand collection, loyalty passes, ticketing, or game items, you’ll likely want Rarible’s modular tooling and broader retail reach. For a limited, high-signal art campaign with curatorial partners and PR value, SuperRare’s Spaces and editorial footprint fit better. (docs.rarible.org)

2) Chains, settlement, and payment rails

Rarible is multichain and expanding. The help center lists support for RARI Chain, Ethereum, Polygon, Immutable X, zkSync Era, Base, Arbitrum, and more; the site also exposes “Explore by blockchain.” Practically, this means you can meet users where they are and route orders cross-market. (help.rarible.com)
RARI Chain (Mainnet live since January 2024) is an Ethereum L3 on Arbitrum Orbit/Caldera, designed specifically for creator use cases: near-zero gas, EVM-equivalent, and node-level royalty enforcement. Rarible.com is integrated; checkout can support ETH, USDC, and even USD via card on the chain. (rari.foundation)
SuperRare is Ethereum-native. Some sellers optionally accept $RARE as payment, but the marketplace is anchored to ETH and Ethereum wallets. (help.superrare.com)

Chain reality check: if you need low-cost, high-throughput minting with enforceable royalties, RARI Chain reduces friction without fragmenting liquidity from Rarible’s aggregation. Conversely, if your KPI is “placement in a curated Ethereum art venue,” SuperRare is purpose-built for that. (rarichain.org)

3) Fees and royalties in 2025 (and how they really affect margin)

Rarible.com service fees
- As of late 2025, Rarible’s Help Center describes a regressive fee per side based on USD sale price: 0.5% ($4k+), 1% ($2k–$4k), 2.5% ($400–$2k), 5% ($100–$400), 7.5% (<$100). You can eliminate fees entirely by locking ≥100 $RARI. Note: Rarible has also run 1% per-side promotions, so double-check current rates at go-live. (help.rarible.com)
- Aggregated listings (i.e., orders sourced from other marketplaces) use a sliding scale of 0.5–7.5% on Rarible, and are still subject to the original marketplace’s fees if fulfilled there. (help.rarible.com)
- Community marketplaces built with Rarible’s editor carry 0% Rarible fee; the project may set its own community fee paid to a specified treasury wallet. (help.rarible.com)
Royalties on Rarible and RARI Chain
- Rarible honors royalties from native and aggregated listings using its royalties registry and EIP-2981; for SudoSwap/other cases it uses wrappers to route creator payouts. On RARI Chain, royalties are enforced at the node level—transfers that circumvent set royalties won’t execute. (rarible.com)
SuperRare fee structure
- Primary sales: 85% to artist, 15% to the SuperRare DAO Treasury. Secondary sales: 90% to seller, 10% royalty to original artist. All sales add a 3% marketplace fee to the buyer, also routed to the DAO Treasury (superraredao.eth: 0x860a80d33e85e97888f1f0c75c6e5bbd60b48da9). (help.superrare.com)

Implication: If your average price point is mid/low, Rarible’s regressive fee can be higher unless you lock $RARI or transact in a community marketplace you control. For high-ticket items, both Rarible (0.5% per side) and SuperRare (3% buyer + 15%/10% split) can be cost-effective, but the perceived value of SuperRare’s curation matters for price realization. (help.rarible.com)

4) Governance and token mechanics (who controls what)

Rarible and the RARI DAO
- $RARI is the governance token for Rarible Protocol and RARI Chain. Locking $RARI converts to veRARI for on-platform perks (including 0% trading fee) and governance. The Rarible Protocol’s shared orderbook aggregates OpenSea, LooksRare, X2Y2, and SudoSwap to boost liquidity for builders. (help.rarible.com)
SuperRare, $RARE, and the DAO
- The SuperRare DAO (treasury multi-sig; see address above) governs fees, Spaces, and grants via SIPs. $RARE underpins governance; the ecosystem also operates Rare Protocol (rare.xyz) with staking and subgraphs for on-chain curation/analytics. In 2025 the DAO approved a strategic investment into Transient Labs to upgrade creator tooling and replace older minting infrastructure. (docs.superrare.com)

Security note: In July 2025, a new $RARE staking contract was exploited (≈11.9M RARE), then fixed; funds were restored and the team committed to stricter post-audit change controls. If you rely on staking-based discovery or rewards, review the latest audits and mitigations. (messari.io)

5) Developer surface area and time-to-value

Rarible for builders
- Rarible API + SDK: multichain indexer, executable market data, orderbook, royalties enforcement, thumbnails/CDN, and full-text search. Use it to embed buying/selling in games, power wallets, or launch custom marketplaces with managed orderbooks and custom fees. API keys are self-serve; thousands of marketplaces are built on it. (rarible.org)
- One-click community marketplace builder on Rarible.com—set your community fee, theme, and aggregation settings; Rarible takes 0% on these. (help.rarible.com)
- For game studios, Rarible’s docs lay out gasless flows, embedded trading, and chain indexing on appchains—useful for Web3 games that need UX parity with Web2. (docs.rarible.org)
SuperRare for builders
- SuperRare is not a general-purpose API platform; it’s a curated marketplace. That said, Rare Protocol exposes subgraphs for staking/curation data; SuperRare’s Bazaar contract and registries are open on Ethereum. Useful for analytics, community dashboards, or DAO tooling around Spaces and staking. (docs.rare.xyz)

Bottom line: If your roadmap includes embedding trading into an app, rolling out a brand-owned marketplace with custom economics, or cross-chain reach, Rarible’s stack reduces engineering lift. If your plan centers on curatorial mechanics and DAO-centric governance (e.g., staking-based discovery, Spaces), you’ll lean on SuperRare/Rare Protocol. (docs.rarible.org)

6) Audience, activity, and market positioning

Rarible: multichain generalist with strong builder tooling and community marketplaces; weekly active wallets often skew higher due to breadth, though volumes vary by cycle and segment. (dappradar.com)
SuperRare: lower user counts but higher average order values, aligned with 1/1 art and curatorial premium; DAO governance adds collector cachet for brand collaborations. (dappradar.com)

Macro context: 2025 has seen transaction counts rebound even as average prices stay modest—optimize for conversion (low friction) or for curation (high willingness to pay) depending on your KPIs. (cryptopotato.com)

7) Practical playbooks (with precise configurations)

Brand or collection launching at scale (retail to mid-price)
- Build a Rarible community marketplace with 0% Rarible fee; set a 1–2.5% community fee to your treasury; enable aggregation from OpenSea/LooksRare/X2Y2 to maximize liquidity; mint natively on RARI Chain for near-zero gas and enforced royalties; enable USD card checkout for mainstream onboarding. (help.rarible.com)
Premium art drop with curatorial halo
- Apply to operate or partner with a SuperRare Space; plan 6–8 weeks for proposal, review, and Space Race voting; model pricing with 15% primary and 3% buyer fee; design a Reserve Auction cadence. Use the DAO’s governance channels and editorial for narrative amplification. (docs.superrare.com)
Web3 game with in-app trading
- Integrate Rarible Execute API + SDK for embedded buy/sell flows; index your appchain or use RARI Chain for low fees and enforceable royalties; set custom marketplace fees to fund ongoing ops without sending users to third-party sites. (rarible.org)

8) Implementation checklists

Rarible rollout checklist
- Choose chain(s): Ethereum/Polygon for reach; RARI Chain for UX and enforced royalties. (help.rarible.com)
- If non-technical: use the Marketplace Builder; set community fee and contributors; connect treasury wallet. (help.rarible.com)
- If technical: request API key, integrate SDK, and configure aggregation/fees; test royalty behavior with EIP-2981 and Rarible registry. (help.rarible.com)
- Consider locking ≥100 $RARI to eliminate Rarible.com trading fees for your ops wallets. (help.rarible.com)
SuperRare rollout checklist
- Define curatorial thesis and partners; submit a Space proposal; plan auctions calendar. (docs.superrare.com)
- Price modeling: factor 15% primary to DAO, 10% royalty on secondary, and 3% buyer fee. Prepare collector comms accordingly. (help.superrare.com)
- Governance engagement: post on forum, align with SIPs, and leverage DAO channels for community buy-in. (docs.superrare.com)

9) Royalties: what actually gets enforced

On Rarible community marketplaces, royalties are enforced even for aggregated orders via wrappers and the royalties registry; on SudoSwap AMM listings, Rarible’s wrapper routes creator payments at checkout. On RARI Chain, royalty enforcement is embedded in node logic—attempts to bypass simply fail. (rarible.com)
On SuperRare, royalties are a core design choice: 10% to the original artist on all secondary sales, with the DAO treasury accruing fee income for governance-led initiatives. (help.superrare.com)

Emerging best practice: If you must bridge assets between chains/markets, prefer EIP-2981-compliant contracts and test resale flows across your top channels before launch day. (eips.ethereum.org)

10) Security, compliance, and ops

SuperRare’s 2025 staking-contract incident underscores a key principle: treat staking/governance contracts as critical infrastructure with re-audits after material code changes. If you plan to lean on staking or programmatic rewards (on any network), formal verification and canary deployments are prudent. (messari.io)
Rarible’s non-custodial model plus node-level royalty checks on RARI Chain reduce counterparty risk around payouts, but you must still secure treasury wallets and signers, and verify official endpoints. (rarichain.org)
Always verify official links and contacts—both ecosystems maintain safety pages listing canonical domains and support pathways. (help.superrare.com)

11) Concrete, numbers-first scenarios

Scenario A: 5,000-edition brand collectible at $60 each
- Rarible.com (no $RARI lock): regressive fee 7.5% per side at <$100; choose a community marketplace instead (0% Rarible fee) and set a 2% community fee to fund ops. Mint on RARI Chain to keep gas negligible and guarantee royalties. Net margin improves materially vs listing on a third-party with buyer fees and no fee control. (help.rarible.com)
Scenario B: 1/1 art collaboration priced at 8 ETH
- SuperRare: buyer pays 3%; seller (artist) nets 85% on primary; DAO receives 15%. If sold later at 10 ETH, the artist earns 10% royalty and seller receives 90%. The curatorial context may justify higher initial pricing and media coverage. (help.superrare.com)
Scenario C: Web3 game skins with seasonal drops
- Rarible API inside the game client; managed orderbook; custom taker fee at 1.5% to the studio; RARI Chain for near-zero gas and royalty enforcement; USD checkout for mainstream users. This avoids sending users to external sites and keeps trading within your UX. (docs.rarible.org)

12) Caveats and “gotchas” we see in 2025

Rarible fees have been in flux due to promotions and the introduction of regressive pricing—lock $RARI for 0% if you plan significant volume; otherwise confirm fees in your launch window (they can vary for aggregated orders). (help.rarible.com)
Community marketplaces aggregate external orders; external venue policies (and fees) can still apply on fulfillment—test a sample order path from each source. (help.rarible.com)
SuperRare Spaces are competitive and process-driven; plan lead time and community engagement for the Space Race vote; use DAO channels early to build consensus. (docs.superrare.com)

13) Quick decision grid

Choose Rarible if you need:
- Multichain reach, embedded trading, white-label marketplace, enforceable royalties at chain level (RARI Chain), USD/USDC checkout, and control over community fees. (help.rarible.com)
Choose SuperRare if you need:
- Curated placement, gallery-like economics, DAO-governed curation via Spaces, and a collector base conditioned for premium 1/1 art. (help.superrare.com)

14) What 7Block Labs recommends (emerging best practices)

For brands and enterprises
- Launch on a Rarible community marketplace on RARI Chain, set a modest community fee (1–2.5%) to fund benefits, and run limited SuperRare collaborations for halo drops with Spaces that align to your audience. This barbell approach captures breadth and prestige. (help.rarible.com)
For creative agencies and galleries
- Pursue a SuperRare Space with a clear curatorial thesis; publish a 12-week auction calendar and collaborate with DAO stakeholders; mirror highlights on your Rarible community marketplace to serve non-1/1 formats and widen reach. (docs.superrare.com)
For gaming and consumer apps
- Use Rarible’s SDK and Execute API to keep users in-app; index your assets and enforce royalties; add fiat rails where possible to improve conversion. (rarible.org)

Sources and docs to bookmark

Rarible fees, royalties, community marketplaces, and chains (Help Center and blog). (help.rarible.com)
RARI Chain: L3 architecture, royalties at node level, and payments. (rari.foundation)
Rarible API/SDK and builder docs. (rarible.org)
SuperRare fees, DAO treasury address, and buyer fee policy. (help.superrare.com)
SuperRare Spaces and governance docs. (docs.superrare.com)
Rare Protocol staking/subgraphs and security incident notes. (docs.rare.xyz)

If you’re evaluating build-vs-partner or want a hands-on technical scoping for your use case, 7Block Labs can prototype both paths in parallel: a Rarible-powered community marketplace (with fee and royalty modeling) and a SuperRare collaboration plan (with target Spaces and auction design).