• Most projects use partially on-chain storage: essential metadata (e.g. name, owner, traits) is stored on-chain, while large assets (images, animations) are stored off-chain (e.g. IPFS, Arweave).

• Fully on-chain: Offers maximum decentralization and permanence but is expensive and less scalable.

• Off-chain: Cheap and flexible, but relies on external storage availability and trust.

• The trade-off depends on your priorities:

• Choose on-chain for permanence, composability, and trustlessness.

• Choose off-chain for rich media and lower gas costs.

• Hybrid models often strike the best balance for NFT projects.