Raydium Launches ‘LaunchLab’ to Rival Pump.fun in Solana Memecoin Wars

Raydium, the team behind one of Solana’s top automated market makers (AMMs), has officially entered the memecoin launchpad race with its new platform LaunchLab. The move, unveiled on April 16, is a direct response to Pump.fun — the viral memecoin creator which recently cut ties with Raydium to launch its own exchange, PumpSwap.

LaunchLab: A New Player in the Solana Memecoin Launchpad Battle

LaunchLab is Raydium’s bold answer to Pump.fun, providing a zero-fee token creation platform with custom bonding curves, a simple launch process, and an innovative post-launch incentive structure. Unlike Pump.fun, LaunchLab has no migration fees, and once a token raises 85 SOL (around $11,150), it automatically transitions to Raydium’s AMM — offering deeper liquidity and improved trading access.

As of today, more than 10 tokens have already surpassed the 85 SOL threshold, quickly graduating to Raydium’s liquidity pools.

Creator Incentives and RAY Token Buybacks

LaunchLab gives token creators the opportunity to earn 10% of trading fees once their token graduates to the AMM. The protocol itself charges a 1% trading fee, and 25% of that revenue is earmarked for RAY token buybacks, creating a direct feedback loop for ecosystem growth and token appreciation.

This innovation sparked significant interest in Raydium’s native token RAY, which surged 14% to $2.41 just hours after the announcement. The price has since stabilized around $2.21, according to CoinGecko.

Pump.fun and PumpSwap Maintain Momentum

Raydium’s launch comes at a time when PumpSwap is smashing records. The platform has broken its daily volume record five days in a row, peaking at $460 million in 24-hour trading volume on April 17. This slightly outpaced the $454.9 million from the previous day and marked the fourth consecutive day above $400 million in volume.

Since its debut on March 22, PumpSwap has processed a staggering $7.3 billion in volume, according to DefiLlama.

The Memecoin Wars Have Just Begun

Raydium’s LaunchLab and Pump.fun’s PumpSwap are now in direct competition for dominance in the Solana memecoin ecosystem. With innovative token mechanics, zero launch fees, and powerful liquidity integrations, LaunchLab could potentially lure developers and traders looking for a more seamless and rewarding token launch experience.

As competition intensifies, both platforms are shaping up to be core pillars of the next Solana bull run — especially if the memecoin mania continues.