The default chain for meme coins in 2026
How to launch a meme coin on Solana
Solana is where most meme coin activity happens, mainly because fees are negligible and pump.fun made creation a two minute job.
How do you launch a meme coin on Solana?
To launch a meme coin on Solana, fund a wallet such as Phantom or Solflare with a small amount of SOL for network fees, go to a launchpad such as pump.fun, and create the token with a name, ticker, image and description. As of June 2026 pump.fun charges the deployer no creation fee. The token trades on a bonding curve, so no liquidity is needed from you, then migrates to PumpSwap at roughly $69,000 market cap for a 0.015 SOL graduation fee. Trading on the curve carries a 1.25% fee. Alternatively you can create your own Raydium pool, which means supplying the liquidity yourself and controlling the tokenomics completely, and holders will ask within minutes whether the LP is locked or burned. DEX Screener and DEXTools index the token automatically once there is a pool and one trade. Network fees are fractions of a cent, so a failed transaction costs nothing.
Why Solana
- Network fees are fractions of a cent, so a failed transaction costs nothing
- pump.fun removed essentially all friction from creating a token
- The trader audience for meme coins is concentrated here
- Wallet and bot tooling is mature: Phantom, Jupiter, and the buy bots all just work
The steps
- Wallet. Phantom or Solflare. Fund it with a small amount of SOL.
- Create. pump.fun, or another launchpad. Name, ticker, image, description, socials. Two minutes.
- Bonding curve. Your token trades on the curve immediately. No liquidity needed from you.
- Graduation. At roughly $69,000 market cap it migrates to PumpSwap and liquidity is deployed. Graduation fee is 0.015 SOL.
- Charts. DEX Screener and DEXTools index automatically once there is a pool and a trade.
Going standalone instead
If you skip the launchpad and create a Raydium pool yourself, you supply the liquidity and you control the tokenomics completely. It is more work, it costs real money, and holders will immediately ask whether the LP is locked or burned. Have an answer ready before you launch, because the question arrives within minutes.
The branding, which is the part launchpads do not do
Creating the token is the easy half. Every Solana meme coin looks identical at the moment of creation: a name, a ticker and one image. What separates the ones people stay on is a real site, a logo that works at avatar size, stickers in the Telegram and memes ready on day one. That is $1,497 for all of it here, in 48 hours, or $497 for just the site.
Third-party fees on this page were checked on 18 August 2026. They change often, so verify before you rely on them.
Questions people actually ask
Is pump.fun free to use?
For the deployer, yes, since June 2026. The creation fee was folded into the first buyer's purchase. Trading on the curve carries a 1.25% fee and graduation costs 0.015 SOL.
What market cap does a pump.fun token graduate at?
Roughly $69,000, at which point it migrates to PumpSwap and liquidity deploys automatically.
Do I need SOL to launch?
A small amount for network fees. Solana fees are fractions of a cent, so this is not a meaningful cost. Buying some of your own supply at launch is a separate decision.
Should I use pump.fun or make my own Raydium pool?
Launchpad if you want speed and no upfront liquidity, which is most people. Your own pool if you want full control of tokenomics and have the money to seed it properly.
Want this done for you instead?
Full launch branding in 48 hours for $1,497, or just the site for $497.
Design goes up first. You see it before you pay.
