Raydium Launches LaunchLab on April 16 to Rival Pump.fun with New Token Features

By The one

Edited and Translated by Cheryl L.

On April 16, Raydium, an automated market maker (AMM) on the Solana blockchain, unveiled LaunchLab, its proprietary token issuance platform, positioning itself as a direct rival to Pump.fun in the Solana meme coin ecosystem. Recently, Pump.fun launched its own decentralized exchange (DEX), PumpSwap, with the goal of completely displacing Raydium in the on-chain meme coin trading sector. For Solana meme coin enthusiasts, the competitive tension is increasingly evident.

As Solana's established DEX, Raydium has long served as the primary trading venue for meme coins launched through Pump.fun. Tokens that achieve a certain market cap on Pump.fun's internal market would transition to Raydium's liquidity pools for broader trading, generating significant fee revenue. According to Blockworks, Raydium has earned millions annually from this model, with Pump.fun contributing millions in external platform fees. At one point, Pump.fun accounted for 41% of Raydium's transaction fee revenue.

However, Pump.fun sought independence in early 2025 by launching PumpSwap, a DEX that allows its tokens to trade directly without relying on Raydium, offering zero-fee migrations. The move disrupted Raydium's revenue stream, with a significant drop in $RAY's price following PumpSwap's debut. Unwilling to cede ground, Raydium introduced LaunchLab as a direct response, aiming to reclaim its dominance in Solana's meme coin trading landscape.

LaunchLab's Key Features

Raydium describes LaunchLab as an "all-in-one token launchpad, built for creators, developers, and the community," which blend simplicity with flexibility to appeal to both novice and experienced users.

1. "JustSendIt" Mode for Easy Launches LaunchLab's "JustSendIt" mode streamlines token issuance. Users create a token, raise 85 SOL (approximately $11,050 at Solana's current price of $130), and the token's liquidity automatically migrates to Raydium's automated market maker (AMM) without migration fees or intermediaries. Raydium emphasizes a "no gatekeepers" approach, highlighting transparent, on-chain operations.

2. Customizable Options for Developers Beyond the beginner-friendly "JustSendIt" mode, LaunchLab offers advanced features for seasoned developers. Users can customize token supply, fundraising targets, and sales volume on the bonding curve, which dictates how a token's price changes with demand. Options include linear, exponential, or logarithmic curves to suit diverse project needs. Developers can also set vesting schedules with an optional "cliff" (a waiting period before unlocking). A "Burn & Earn" mechanism incentivizes long-term commitment by allowing developers to lock liquidity pools (LP) and earn trading fees, potentially reducing rugs theoritically. This feature can be enabled via the "Post-Migration Fee Share" option during token creation.

   

3. Fee Structure and Referral Incentives LaunchLab charges a 1% trading fee, allocated as follows: 50% to a community pool for rewards like airdrops, 25% for $RAY token buybacks, and 25% for infrastructure and operations. Users inviting others via referral links earn 0.1% of the referred user's trading volume in SOL, encouraging community growth.

4. Infrastructure Focus and Ecosystem Integration Rather than isolating competitors, Raydium positions LaunchLab as infrastructure for broader ecosystem adoption. Third-party platforms can integrate with LaunchLab to issue tokens and migrate them to Raydium's AMM. For example, cook.meme, a leading meme issuance platform, leverages LaunchLab's infrastructure. Its first token, $TIME, is a flagship LaunchLab project with a current market cap of around $5.6 million.

   

     Raydium's partnerships with trading platforms like GMGN further amplify LaunchLab's visibility among on-chain traders.

   

Can LaunchLab Outshine Pump.fun?

For Raydium, LaunchLab is a critical move to recapture meme coin market share and restore investor confidence. Following the announcement, $RAY once surged up to 20%, reflecting market optimism. Unlike a mere Pump.fun clone, LaunchLab's customizable features and third-party integrations aim to transform Raydium from a fee-dependent DEX into a self-sustaining hub for token issuance. By offering infrastructure support, Raydium seeks to attract developers and platforms, positioning itself as a central player in Solana's meme coin economy.

Pump.fun, however, remains formidable. Although LaunchLab may draw developers seeking greater control or long-term project viability, as well as traders chasing new opportunities, especially during the current lull in meme coin trading, Pump.fun's user-friendly platform and established community give it strong inertia. Without sustained trading volume or significant wealth creation, LaunchLab's challenge to Pump.fun may be limited in the short term.

For traders, LaunchLab introduces both opportunities and challenges. New platforms can spark innovative trading experiences and potential profits, but they also fragment liquidity. Meme coins may now face competition not only over branding (e.g., uppercase vs. lowercase tickers) but also over which platform—Pump.fun, Raydium, or even Binance Smart Chain—claims legitimacy. As capital flows to the most profitable venues, traders must stay vigilant and approach new launches cautiously.