Launch Fees 2025 Guide: The Real Cost of Launching a Token on Solana
Launching a token involves more than just an initial fee. This 2025 guide breaks down the total cost of ownership across major Solana launchpads, from the upfront launch cost to ongoing revenue splits and post-graduation fees. We compare Spawned, pump.fun, and other platforms to show where your SOL actually goes.
- •Spawned charges 0.1 SOL (~$20) to launch, with 0.30% creator revenue and 0.30% holder rewards per trade.
- •pump.fun has a 0 SOL launch fee but takes 1% of bonding curve sales and offers 0% ongoing creator revenue.
- •Post-graduation, Spawned uses Token-2022 for 1% perpetual fees, while others may impose higher or hidden costs.
Quick Comparison
The 2025 Launch Fee Verdict
Don't just look at the price to launch. Look at the price to succeed.
Choosing a launchpad based solely on the advertised launch fee is a common mistake. The real cost is a combination of the initial fee, the ongoing revenue share you give up, and post-launch fees. For creators focused on long-term project building and community rewards, Spawned offers a more sustainable economic model despite its 0.1 SOL launch cost. Platforms with 'free' launches typically recover costs through higher fees later in the token's lifecycle.
Upfront Launch Cost Comparison (2025)
The entry ticket price varies wildly.
This is the SOL you need to spend to get your token live and trading. It's the most visible fee, but not the most important.
| Launchpad | Launch Fee (SOL) | Approx. USD Cost* | What's Included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spawned | 0.1 SOL | ~$20 | Token creation, initial liquidity, AI website builder, full dashboard. |
| pump.fun | 0 SOL | $0 | Token creation and bonding curve launch. |
| Other Platforms | 0.5 - 2 SOL | ~$100 - $400 | Varies; often just token deployment. |
*Estimated at $200/SOL. The AI website builder alone, included with Spawned, would cost $29-99/month elsewhere.
The Hidden Cost: Ongoing Trading Fees & Revenue
This is where the true financial model becomes clear. Every trade on your token generates a fee. Who gets that money defines the platform's incentives.
- Spawned: Charges a 0.60% total fee per trade. This is split as 0.30% for the creator as ongoing revenue and 0.30% for token holders as automatic rewards. This aligns the platform with creator and community success.
- pump.fun: Charges a 1% fee on sales during the bonding curve phase. After graduation to Raydium, they take 0% ongoing revenue from trades. Your project earns nothing from secondary market activity.
Choosing a platform with 0% creator revenue means you miss out on a sustainable income stream from your own token's volume.
Post-Graduation & Perpetual Fee Structures
After your token 'graduates' from the initial launch phase, fee structures can change. This is critical for long-term planning.
- Spawned (Token-2022): Implements a 1% perpetual transfer fee on all transactions post-graduation. This fee is directed to a configurable destination (e.g., project treasury, burn, rewards) set by the creator, providing continuous funding.
- pump.fun: No specific perpetual fee via the platform post-graduation. The token operates with standard Solana token economics unless the creator manually implements a fee structure, which requires advanced technical skills.
- Legacy Platforms: Many older launchpads charge a significant percentage (2-5%) of the total raise or initial liquidity as a one-time graduation fee, which can be a major unexpected cost.
How to Calculate Your Total Launch Cost in 3 Steps
Budget like a pro. Don't get surprised.
Follow this simple process to move beyond headline launch fees and understand your true financial commitment.
Why the Right Fee Structure Builds Stronger Projects
A platform's fee model signals its priorities. A 'free' launch with no ongoing creator revenue is optimized for high-volume, short-term token churn. A model like Spawned's, with a clear upfront cost and shared ongoing revenue, is built for sustainable projects.
The 0.30% holder reward on every trade directly incentivizes holding and reduces sell pressure. The 0.30% creator revenue provides a budget for marketing, development, and community initiatives without requiring constant token sales. This turns your live token into an asset that funds its own growth. Compare how different platforms support long-term growth.
Launch Your Token with Transparent, Fair Fees
Stop comparing just the launch fee. Start comparing the total project economics. With Spawned, you get a complete launch suite—including an AI-powered website—for a clear 0.1 SOL, and a fee structure designed to fund you and reward your community for the long term.
Ready to launch with full cost clarity?
Launch Your Token on Spawned and start building a sustainable project today.
Related Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the initial token creation and bonding curve launch on pump.fun costs 0 SOL. However, they take a 1% fee on all sales during the bonding curve phase. More importantly, they offer 0% ongoing revenue share to creators after launch, meaning you earn nothing from secondary market trading of your own token, which can be a significant long-term opportunity cost.
The 0.1 SOL fee covers the Solana network costs for deploying your token and initial liquidity pool, plus access to the full Spawned platform. This includes the integrated AI website builder (saving $29-99/month), your project dashboard, analytics, and the setup for the 0.30%/0.30% creator/holder reward fee structure. It's an all-inclusive cost for a professional launch.
On every trade of a token launched on Spawned, a 0.30% fee is automatically distributed proportionally to all current holders of that token. This happens instantly and on-chain. It rewards long-term holders, encourages buying and holding, and helps stabilize the token's price by reducing the incentive for rapid selling.
Token-2022 is an upgraded Solana token standard that allows for built-in features like transfer fees. Post-graduation on Spawned, a 1% perpetual fee is configured on your token using this standard. This fee is mandatory as part of Spawned's sustainable model, but you control where it goes—typically to the project treasury, providing continuous funding for development and operations.
Technically, yes. You could use Solana's command-line tools to deploy a token for just the network gas cost (a fraction of a SOL). However, you would miss out on initial liquidity provisioning, a launch platform's user base, automated reward systems, and tools like website builders. The time, technical expertise, and marketing cost required often far exceed a launchpad's fee.
Budget at least 0.1 - 0.2 SOL for the launch fee itself. Then, allocate 1-2 SOL for initial liquidity to ensure healthy trading from day one. Finally, factor in the ongoing value: if you choose a platform with 0% creator revenue, budget additional SOL for future marketing and development, as your token won't generate its own funding stream.
On Spawned and most transparent launchpads, no. The percentage-based fees (0.30% creator, 0.30% holder) are fixed. This means your earnings scale directly with your token's trading volume—more success means more revenue for you and your holders, creating a positive feedback loop. The 1% Token-2022 fee is also a fixed percentage post-graduation.
Ready to get started?
Try Spawned free today