It’s the last month of 2021, and what a year it’s been for NFTs. And within the broader NFT domain, PFP NFTs have pretty much been the shining star. So considering all that, here’s a list of the most popular PFP NFTs that have ruled the market this year.
While the industry waits for Twitter NFT verification and the Metaverse, the most popular PFPs have mostly been used as Twitter or other social media avatars. A small glimpse of how people will start using NFTs as their digital identities.
Most Popular PFP NFTs on Twitter
This relatively new niche in the crypto sphere already made a few millionaires. some of them simply bought and held on to the NFT in while it went up. Others we’re trading and flipping them in a short timeframe.
Out of all the 10k NFT projects that came out this year, it’s difficult to make one list of the best PFPs. We looked at a few things to put together a blog that represents most of the NFT community. Of course, you have to check how many accounts use it as their actual profile picture. And we took into consideration some of the hype, big sales, and volume that these NFT series have.
1] CryptoPunks
CryptoPunks is the frontrunner of the NFT boom, whose significance still remains as one of the most popular PFP NFT on the market. Larva Labs launched this collection in 2017. And since then, it’s been consistently valuable, with sales as high as $11million. Christie’s even sold a bunch of these NFTs for a total price of $17million. So in a way, CryptoPunks are pretty much the gold standard of PFP NFTs.
The Punks inspired other creatures to use the same pixel art style in different NFT collections.
- Floor Price: 72 ETH
- Volume: 729.5K ETH
- Holders: 3.2K
- Collection Size: 10K
2] Bored Apes
Not far behind in terms of popularity is BAYC. Considering ape-themed NFTs, in fact, it’s the most popular and best NFT PFP out there. It even topped our list of the best PFP NFTs with apes.
BAYC too had its big auction house sale—one ape sold at Sotheby’s for $3.4million. Celebrities like Jimmy Fallon, DJ Khaled, and Diplo also hold these apes. Moreover, NBA star Stephen Curry can even be found hanging out in the BAYC Discord. On top of that, brands like Adidas got on board and secured a Bored Ape NFT to use with their brand in the Metaverse.
The Bored Apes and their 2nd most popular collection the Mutant Apes are both often purchased by DAO’s as a long-term investment.
- Floor Price: 49.95 ETH
- Volume: 245.6K ETH
- Holders: 5.9K
- Collection Size: 10K
3] Lazy Lions
The roaring success of Lazy Lions has certainly been a high point of 2021’s NFT craze. And naturally, it too is often classed among the best PFP NFTs to hit the market. As a top-tier NFT, the collection has tremendous figures under its belt, with 99 ETH as the highest recorded sale to date. Some celebrities recently joined like Latin singer Price Royce, and UFC fighter Chuck Liddell.
Lazy Lions also has a great community with a thriving channel on Discord. You can earn some card collectibles from Lazy Lions by referring friends to their discord. To add, as a holder you can look forward to ROARwards, an initiative for rewarding the users’ community.
It’s one of the loudest communities on Twitter and one of the most popular animal NFTs used by people.
- Floor Price: 0.867 ETH
- Volume: 18.8K ETH
- Holders: 4.8K
- Collection Size: 10.1K
4] Humanoids
Humanoids is a collection of unique 3-D art, constituting over 150 traits. Definitely one of the most popular PFP NFTs of 2021, Humanoids is not without its celebrity holders. Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda holds two humanoids. And besides all these, the project donated $20,000 to a charity chosen by its Discord community.
After our blog on Trending NFTs, this one took over Twitter for a while as we saw it used as an avatar across thousands of accounts.
- Floor Price: 0.27 ETH
- Volume: 10.7K ETH
- Holders: 5.3K
- Collection Size: 10K
5] Sappy Seals
Any discussion about the best PFP NFTs cannot ignore Sappy Seals, tremendously popular for their cuteness. Over 27K users celebrate and relate to these adorable seals on Discord. The project’s significance also lies in addressing environmental issues that threaten real seals, through charitable contributions for ocean cleanup.
We got one of these ourselves and added it to our Twitter Banner. It’s a strong community at a lower price range than the previous PFPs mentioned in this blog. We will write a dedicated piece on the Sappy Seals later this month.
- Floor Price: 0.176 ETH
- Volume: 3.6K ETH
- Holders: 3K
- Collection Size: 10K
6] Gutter Cats Gang
Gutter Cats roam a post-apocalyptic world of 2050—a dedicated fan base has emerged around this lore, making Gutter Cats a popular PFP NFT. The collection has different sets, representing different types of community memberships. Gutter Rats, Pigeons, and Dogs represent the Gang’s base-level membership, while Gutter Cat owners are the premium members.
The cat-like PFPs have been quite popular since the summer of 2021. We dedicated an entire article to one of our favorite pets.
- Floor Price: 4.042 ETH
- Volume: 14.9K ETH
- Holders: 1.7K
- Collection Size: 3K
7] Doge Pound
Doge Pound may not be as popular as the other PFP NFTs on this list. But it does imbibe the character and happenings of the broader crypto-community. For one, the collection’s main theme is inspired by the famous dogecoin meme.
Doge Pound holders also have exclusive access to the Doge Pound Puppies art collection.
Unsurprisingly, Dog PFP NFTs are immensely popular amongst NFT collectors. Here’s a full list of the top ones.
- Floor Price: 1.9 ETH
- Volume: 24.2K ETH
- Holders: 5.5K
- Collection Size: 10K
8] Creature World
Created by artist Danny Cole, Creator World is as mysterious as it is illustrious. Per the lore, these Creatures are the guides on this spiritual journey towards love and revelation, which also makes them popular as PFP NFTs.
It’s one of those PFPs that look a bit weird but still intriguing which earned it a spot in our list of next NFTs to watch out for.
- Floor Price: 1.5 ETH
- Volume: 28.2K
- Holders: 5.9K
- Collection Size: 10K
The Mekaverse Goof Up: Hype Is Not All
So far, we discussed some of the best PFP NFTs. But before wrapping up, it’s only fair to be aware of what could go wrong.
Beating up their own drums aloud, Mekaverse became one of the most hyped NFTs of this year. However, its real worth was manifested soon, with serious allegations of insiders buying up the rare mints.
Plus the project’s audacious and absurd claims are sort of funny. After all, who wants a PFP NFT collection with so little variation in traits? Mostly no one.
But anyway we learned a positive lesson from all this. Hype is not everything; to join the league of best PFP NFTs, a collection must have real worth, financially and culturally. And finally, one thing’s for sure—PFP NFTs are here to say, so maybe the best of the best is yet to come. Stay tuned with Airdrop Alert and don’t miss it when it arrives.
Last, but not least. Check out CryptoRut on Youtube on some of the biggest NFT flips of the year.
