How to Create an NFT: A Step-by-Step No-Code Guide (2026)

Want to create an NFT but keep hitting walls of code, wallets and jargon? You do not need any of that. This guide shows you how to create an NFT step by step, with no coding and no artist skills, and exactly how each iMintify tool works. By the end you will have gone from an idea to a minted NFT you fully own.

Quick answer: to create an NFT you generate or upload your art, set up your collection, deploy an audited smart contract, and mint it. With iMintify the whole thing takes minutes, and deploying is free.

What you need to create an NFT

Less than you think. You do not need to code, own crypto up front, or hire a designer. You need three things, and iMintify handles the technical side of all of them: an idea or some art, a free wallet like MetaMask or Phantom, and a blockchain to deploy on (you pick at the end).

How to create an NFT in 5 steps

1. Generate or upload your art

Start with the art. iMintify gives you three no-code routes. The AI NFT generator draws your idea from a text prompt, and can produce a single image or a full trait-based collection. The layer generator takes your own trait folders and mixes them into up to 10,000 unique NFTs with rarity control. And image or photo to NFT brings finished art or photography on-chain. Most people start with the AI generator and a single prompt.

1AI generatorDescribe your idea in text, get a single NFT or a full trait-based collection.

2Layer generatorUpload your own trait folders, set rarity, mix into up to 10,000 unique NFTs.

3Photo or art to NFTBring finished artwork or photography on-chain exactly as it is.

2. Set up your collection

Turn one character into a collection. Add trait categories like background, eyes and accessories, then set the rarity for each so some pieces stay rare and valuable. iMintify writes marketplace-ready metadata for every NFT automatically, so there is no JSON to edit, and you can preview the whole set before you spend anything.

3. Deploy an audited smart contract

This is the part people fear, and it is the part iMintify makes trivial. A visual wizard deploys an audited smart contract to your own wallet, with no Solidity. You choose ERC-721 or ERC-1155 on an Ethereum-based chain, or a native Solana collection, set supply, price, royalties, reveal and an allowlist, and pick your route: a public mint site, or marketplace listing on OpenSea, Magic Eden or Tensor. The contract lands in your wallet, so you keep full ownership.

4. Add storage

Your art needs to stay online. Every collection is pinned to IPFS for free, and on Solana you can pay once to store it permanently on Arweave so it never expires.

5. Mint and share

When you deploy, iMintify generates a hosted mint site with a working mint button. Share the link, or embed the button on a site you already have. Buyers can mint with a wallet, or with just an email, so people with zero crypto experience can still collect. That is it, your NFT is live.

How iMintify does the hard parts for you

What makes this fast is that the whole flow lives in one place. The AI and layer generators make the art, the wizard writes and deploys an audited contract, the metadata and IPFS storage are handled automatically, and the mint site is generated on deploy. You never touch code, a command line, or a separate hosting provider, and everything you make deploys to your own wallet.

MinutesIdea to minted NFT

10,000Max collection size

5 chainsSolana, Ethereum, Polygon, Base, BNB

FreeTo deploy, only network fee

How much does it cost to create an NFT?

The traditional route is expensive. Hiring an artist for a full collection plus a developer to write and audit a contract runs into the thousands, and takes weeks. Lazy-minting on a marketplace is cheaper but still charges gas and takes a cut of every sale.

On iMintify, creating and deploying is free. AI generation uses free welcome credits, and the only unavoidable cost is the blockchain's own network fee when you mint. On Solana that is a few cents, so a full drop can go live for almost nothing. There is no subscription. For the full picture, see how much it costs to make an NFT.

The traditional way$2,000 - $10,000+

Hire an artist and a developer, plus a contract audit. Takes weeks.

With iMintifyFree to deploy

Only the blockchain network fee to mint, a few cents on Solana. No subscription.

Which blockchain should you use?

You pick at the deploy step. Solana is the cheapest and fastest, ideal for large drops and first-timers. Ethereum-based chains like Polygon and Base give you the widest marketplace and wallet support. You do not have to decide in the abstract, you pick the chain at the deploy step, and iMintify supports them all. Want a chain-specific walkthrough? See how to create an NFT on Solana, Ethereum, Polygon or Base.

Common mistakes to avoid

Broken metadata or storage. iMintify pins to IPFS and writes metadata for you, which avoids the most common cause of blank NFTs on marketplaces.
Skipping rarity. A collection with no rare traits gives collectors nothing to chase. Set weights per trait.
Choosing the wrong chain. Do not launch a low-price drop on Ethereum mainnet where gas eats the margin. Use Solana or a layer-2.
Launching to no one. A small, engaged community beats a big cold audience. Build before you mint.

Tips for a successful NFT launch

Design rarity on purpose. A few rare traits give collectors something to chase.
Make it easy to buy. A hosted mint site with email checkout beats sending people to a marketplace.
Store it permanently. Arweave storage signals you are in it for the long term.

See what other creators build on our NFT use cases page, or brush up on the basics in what is an NFT.

Create your NFT now

Start with the free NFT generator, or see the pricing. You can go from idea to a minted NFT in minutes, no code required.

FAQ

How do you create an NFT step by step?

Generate or upload your art, set up your collection with traits and metadata, deploy an audited smart contract, and mint it. With iMintify there is no coding at any step.

How much does it cost to create an NFT?

Creating and deploying is free on iMintify. You only pay the blockchain's network fee to mint, which is a few cents on Solana. The old way (artist plus developer) can cost thousands.

Do you need coding to make an NFT?

No. iMintify handles the smart contract, metadata and storage for you, so you never write a line of code.

What is the best blockchain to create an NFT on?

Solana is cheapest and fastest for large drops, Ethereum has the widest reach, and Polygon or Base give cheap EVM mints. You choose at the deploy step.

Mint site or marketplace, which route should I pick?

Choose a mint site when you want buyers to mint from your own page with phases and an allowlist. Choose the marketplace route to deploy and list on OpenSea, Magic Eden or Tensor.

Can you make money creating NFTs?

You can earn from primary sales and from royalties on secondary sales, set in your smart contract. Success depends far more on your art and community than on the tools.