Mutant Ape Yacht Club Review 2026: Yuga Labs' MAYC NFTs

Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) is a collection of up to 20,000 NFTs on Ethereum, created by Yuga Labs as a companion to Bored Ape Yacht Club. The apes were made by exposing an existing Bored Ape to a vial of Mutant Serum, so the artwork and traits resemble the original collection.

Supply and rarity drive much of the interest. Serums came in three tiers: M1 with 7,500 vials, M2 with 2,492 and M3 with only eight. One source says a Mega Mutant serum sold for nearly $5.8 million, which shows how rare items in this ecosystem can be priced. Most Mutant Apes trade at far lower levels.

One price tracker shows a floor of about $2,055 and 19,571 NFTs minted. A news item from April 2026 reports MAYC up 26% on the week and 112% on the month, alongside a broader rally in blue-chip NFTs. Neither number guarantees where prices go next.

The collection is best seen as a collectible and community-access token rather than a financial product. It has no protocol, yield or staking mechanism in the sources we reviewed.

Each Mutant Ape is an ERC-721 token on Ethereum. A token's ownership is recorded on the blockchain, and the artwork and traits are linked to it through metadata. Whoever controls the wallet holding the token owns the NFT.

The collection was designed around Mutant Serum. A Bored Ape holder could expose their ape to a vial, which created a Mutant Ape, and the collection could also be created in other ways, up to 20,000 in total. Serum came in M1, M2 and M3 tiers, and the rarer tiers were far scarcer.

After creation, trading happens on secondary NFT marketplaces. A seller lists a token, a buyer pays in ETH, and the marketplace contract transfers it. Prices are set by supply and demand, influenced by rarity, trait appeal and the strength of the wider BAYC brand.

The project does not publish a fee schedule on a page we could confirm. Holding an NFT has no ongoing fee, but buying or selling means paying the marketplace's fee and the Ethereum network gas cost. Creator royalties may also apply, depending on the marketplace.

The real cost is the purchase price. One tracker shows a floor of about $2,055, but that figure changes constantly. Users see marketplace fees and gas estimates at checkout and in their wallet before confirming.

MAYC is a set of NFTs on Ethereum, so the main risks are wallet security and scams rather than a protocol failing. Holders control their tokens through their own wallet, and no custodian is involved unless you list or store them on a third-party service. The sources we reviewed do not mention a smart-contract audit.

Be careful with fake collections, phishing links and wallet approval requests. Always check the contract and collection verification before buying. Because the project's own site could not be confirmed here, rely on official channels you have independently verified.

NFTs are generally unregulated collectibles, and the projects do not publish a regulatory status in the sources reviewed. Pricing is speculative, so only commit money you can afford to lose.

MAYC suits experienced NFT collectors and Bored Ape fans who want entry into the Yuga Labs ecosystem and understand wallets, gas fees and marketplace risk. It is not suited to anyone seeking steady income, a regulated investment or a low-risk store of value.