ERC721/ERC404 vs. ERC20

🧬 ERC721 / ERC404 vs. ERC20 Agents

🧠 Why It Matters

Not all agent tokens are created equal.

Most “agents” today on platforms like Virtuals are launched as ERC20 tokens — fungible and tradeable, but lacking true ownership or programmability. At StrikeBit, we migrate and launch agents as ERC721 or ERC404 tokens, enabling onchain identity, upgradability, and co-ownership.


📊 Comparison Table

Feature
ERC20 Agents
ERC721 Agents (StrikeBit)
ERC404 Agents (Experimental)

Fungibility

Fully fungible

Non-fungible (unique ID)

Fungible + NFT hybrid

Ownership Representation

Balance-based

Token ID ownership

NFT with fractional ownership

Upgradeability

❌ Not native

✅ MAP-compatible modules

⚠️ Experimental module support

Programmable Identity

✅ (Ownable + Upgradable)

✅ (Wrapped logic optional)

Claimable by Wallet

✅ One NFT per holder snapshot

✅ If wrapped & tokenized

Governance Rights

Weight-based votes

NFT-gated logic

Fraction-weighted logic

Visual Identity

❌ Generic

✅ Customizable metadata

✅ Hybrid visuals + token

Marketplace Tradability

On DEX only

On NFT marketplaces

On DEX + NFT marketplace (future)

Integration into UI/UX

Difficult (no metadata)

Easy (image, metadata, logic)

Limited (still evolving)


🔗 Why ERC721?

ERC721 agents unlock:

  • Co-ownership & scarcity — each agent is unique

  • Upgrades — logic can be added or modified via StrikeBit’s Modular Agent Protocol (MAP)

  • Visual presence — metadata, names, avatars

  • Identity across platforms — integrate easily with wallets, games, and Telegram bots

  • Ownership-based access — token-gate tools, chat, or alpha features


🧪 When to Use ERC404?

ERC404 is an experimental standard that blends fungibility and NFT-based identity. On StrikeBit, we use it in very specific cases where:

  • An agent has a massive token supply (e.g., 1B tokens)

  • The agent needs fractional NFT trading

  • Developers want to offer ERC20 liquidity but enable NFT airdrops, skins, or claim logic

⚠️ ERC404 agents are not suited for modular upgrades yet and have higher complexity. They are best used for liquidity-rich, community-massive agents that need both tradability and minimal visual identity.


⚖️ StrikeBit’s Position

We believe ERC721 is the best format for long-term agent ownership — offering modularity, tradability, and NFT-native integration.

ERC404 is supported only for select agents where the hybrid model makes sense (e.g., $HUB or AIXBT), but ERC20-only agents offer no meaningful ownership or composability in our ecosystem.


🔑 Summary

If you want to:

  • Own an agent → Use ERC721

  • Fractionally share a meme-style agent → Consider ERC404

  • Speculate with no ownership → Stay on ERC20

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