pump.fun basics4 of 9
What is a crypto launchpad?
A crypto launchpad is a platform that creates new coins and runs their first sale. Meme coin launchpads, like pump.fun, let anyone create a coin in a minute and sell it from the first second.
- Launch toolPrepares the launch and sends it to the launchpad.notrandom.funCA ready
- LaunchpadCreates the coin and runs its bonding curve.pump.fun100%
- ExchangeWhere the coin trades once it graduates, through a pool.PumpSwapGraduated
- Wallets and appsWhere people hold the coin and place trades.Phantom, pump.fun's appTrading
Two kinds of launchpad
Fundraising launchpads sell a vetted project's tokens to investors before they trade. Meme coin launchpads let anyone launch, and sell from the first trade.
| Fundraising launchpad | Meme coin launchpad | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Binance Launchpad and other exchange-run sales | pump.fun, Raydium's LaunchLab |
| Who can launch | Projects the platform picks | Anyone with a wallet |
| Checks | Reviews of the project, often ID checks for buyers | None |
| How the price is set | A fixed sale price, set in advance | A bonding curve: every buy raises it |
| Who can buy | Often only users who hold or lock up the platform's own token | Anyone, from the first second |
| When trading starts | After the sale ends, on an exchange | Straight away, on the curve |
The stock market version
If you know stocks, a fundraising launchpad works like an IPO. A bank vets the company, sets a price and sells shares to investors before they trade on an exchange. A meme coin launchpad skips all of that. Anyone can list, nobody checks, and a formula sets the price from the first trade. That's why thousands of new coins launch every day, and why most of them never go anywhere.
For the rest of this guide, "launchpad" means the meme coin kind, the kind new pump.fun users meet first.
What a meme coin launchpad does
Here's what pump.fun does for every coin, from the moment you press launch:
- Creates the coin. You give it a name, a ticker and a picture, and pump.fun's program makes it: 1 billion tokens at a brand-new CA. The name, ticker and picture are fixed for good.
- Runs the sale. 793.1 million of those tokens go on a bonding curve that sells them to anyone, the price rising with every buy.
- Holds the money. The SOL buyers pay sits in the curve, run by pump.fun's program. The creator can't withdraw it.
- Pays the creator. 0.30% of every trade on the curve goes to the coin's creator.
- Graduates the coin. When the curve sells out, at about 85 SOL for a coin paired with SOL, pump.fun moves the SOL and the other 206.9 million tokens into a PumpSwap pool, and trading carries on there.
The stack around a coin
New users hear a dozen names in their first week, and most of them aren't launchpads. Each does one job: a launch tool prepares the launch, the launchpad creates the coin and runs its curve, an exchange takes over when it graduates, and wallets and apps are where people hold and trade it.
Sort the stack
Six names you'll meet in your first week. Put each one where it belongs.
- pump.fun A launchpad. It creates coins and sells them on bonding curves.
- notrandom.fun A launch tool. We grind your CA and build the launch you approve; pump.fun creates the coin.
- PumpSwap An exchange. pump.fun's own, where coins trade in pools after they graduate.
- Phantom A wallet. It holds your SOL and coins, and signs what you approve.
- Raydium LaunchLab A launchpad. Raydium's, with bonding curves of its own.
- Binance Launchpad A launchpad, the fundraising kind: picked projects, sold to Binance users before they trade.
Is notrandom.fun a launchpad?
No. notrandom.fun is a launch tool. Your coin launches on pump.fun: pump.fun's program creates it, its bonding curve sells it, and it graduates to PumpSwap like any other pump.fun coin. It has a pump.fun page and a pump.fun chart from its first second.
We make the parts pump.fun's create page doesn't. We grind a CA that starts with your word: we try keys on GPUs until one fits. Then we build one launch transaction with your coin, your own first buy (the dev buy) and your settings. Your browser checks it, and your wallet asks you to approve it once. We add launch options too, like your own creator fee, up to 3%, when you pair your coin with another coin instead of SOL. Here's how to create a coin on pump.fun, on pump.fun's site or ours.
How to judge a launchpad
- Where the money sits during the sale. In a program nobody can withdraw from, or with a person? On pump.fun, it's in the curve.
- What happens when the sale ends. Does the money move to an exchange on its own, and who owns the pool? On pump.fun, the move is automatic, and the creator never owns the pool.
- What it charges. To create, on every trade, and when a coin graduates. pump.fun charges nothing to create, 1.25% a trade on the curve (0.30% of it to the creator), 0.45% more on trades in its own app, and 0.015 SOL at graduation.
- What creators earn, and whether it can change. A cut of every trade is standard. Fee vamps promise that cut to holders, then switch it to themselves.
- Who can launch. No checks means anyone, copycats included. Buyers check the CA, not the name.
Ready to launch on pump.fun with a CA that reads like your coin? Pick your word, set up your coin while we grind, and approve once in your wallet. Before your first trade, read up on trading pairs and slippage.
Questions
What is a crypto launchpad?
A platform that creates new coins and runs their first sale. Fundraising launchpads sell a vetted project's tokens to investors; meme coin launchpads, like pump.fun, let anyone launch a coin that sells on a bonding curve.
Is pump.fun a launchpad?
Yes, a meme coin launchpad on Solana. It creates each coin, sells it on a bonding curve, and moves it to its own exchange, PumpSwap, when the curve fills.
Is notrandom.fun a launchpad?
No. It's a launch tool. We grind a CA that starts with your word and build the launch you approve; pump.fun creates your coin, and it trades on pump.fun.
Does it cost money to launch on pump.fun?
Creating a coin has no platform fee. You pay the Solana network fee and a small deposit for the coin's accounts, plus any dev buy you choose.
What's the difference between a launchpad and an exchange?
A launchpad creates a coin and runs its first sale. An exchange, like PumpSwap, is where the coin trades after that, between buyers and sellers, through a pool.
