Raydium Launches 'LaunchLab' to Rival Pump.fun as Solana's Token Creation Race Heats Up

Raydium Unveils LaunchLab: A New Era for Token Creation on Solana

In a bold move to solidify its dominance in the Solana ecosystem, decentralized exchange Raydium has officially launched LaunchLab, a new token launchpad designed to go head-to-head with meme coin juggernaut Pump.fun.

Announced last month and now fully live, LaunchLab positions itself as an all-in-one platform for creators, developers, and the broader community. Its debut comes amid rising momentum in Solana’s token economy, with meme coins gaining fresh traction and decentralized finance projects ramping up development.

“Introducing LaunchLab, Raydium’s all-in-one token launchpad. Built for creators, developers, and the community,” Raydium stated. “No migration fee. No gatekeepers.”

While Pump.fun has built its name around rapid meme coin creation and fueled a wave of viral Solana tokens, Raydium’s LaunchLab takes a broader approach. It enables users to launch a wide variety of tokens—not just memes—with built-in integrations that allow instant trading via Raydium’s automated market maker (AMM). This seamless token deployment mechanism, branded as JustSendIt mode, adds new utility and removes friction for new projects entering the market.

Fueling the Competitive Flame

The competition between Raydium and Pump.fun has intensified in recent months. In May, Pump.fun launched Pumpswap, its own decentralized exchange, sparking speculation and strategic responses across Solana’s DeFi landscape. Rumors that Raydium was developing an AMM at that time caused its native RAY token to dip. But sentiment quickly reversed when LaunchLab was officially announced—driving RAY’s price up by nearly 10%.

That optimism may be more than just community hype. Raydium has structured LaunchLab’s tokenomics to benefit both users and the platform’s long-term health. A full 100% of LaunchLab trading fees will be reinvested into the ecosystem:

• 25% will be used to buy back RAY tokens
• 75% will support a Community Pool and fund a Program Fee initiative

LaunchLab also includes built-in incentives: token creators can earn up to 10% of AMM trading fees after launch, and users referring new participants can receive SOL rewards. The goal is to align creators, users, and the protocol in a shared growth strategy.

The Bigger Picture for Solana

The arrival of LaunchLab represents more than just a new tool—it's a clear signal of how fast innovation is accelerating on Solana. As interest in on-chain token creation and decentralized exchanges grows, platforms like Raydium and Pump.fun are defining what’s possible in the next era of Web3 user engagement.

Raydium’s LaunchLab may not mark the end of meme coin mania, but it certainly raises the bar for what creators and communities can expect from a launch experience on Solana.