Spawned vs Helius Pricing Guide: Launchpad vs RPC Services
Comparing Spawned and Helius involves understanding two different services for Solana builders. Spawned is an all-in-one token launchpad with an integrated AI website builder for creators. Helius provides developer infrastructure, primarily RPC endpoints and APIs. This guide breaks down the costs, use cases, and which platform serves which purpose.
- •Spawned charges a flat 0.1 SOL (~$20) launch fee plus 0.30% per trade for creator revenue; includes a free AI website builder.
- •Helius uses a tiered subscription model for RPC access, starting at $0/month for limited requests, scaling to $2500+/month for high volume.
- •Spawned is for token creators launching and managing a community; Helius is for developers needing blockchain data and infrastructure.
- •Spawned generates ongoing income via 0.30% trade fees and holder rewards; Helius is a pure infrastructure cost.
- •Choose Spawned to launch a token with a website; choose Helius to build applications that query the Solana blockchain.
Quick Comparison
Different Tools for Different Jobs
First, understand you're comparing apples to oranges—but both are essential fruits in the Solana ecosystem.
The most important distinction is that Spawned and Helius serve fundamentally different users. Spawned is a product for crypto creators and community builders who want to launch a Solana token, create a website, and manage their project's economy. It's an end-user platform. Helius is a developer infrastructure service. It provides the backend tools—like RPC endpoints, webhooks, and APIs—that developers use to build applications on Solana. Comparing their pricing is like comparing the cost of opening a restaurant (Spawned) to the cost of leasing a commercial kitchen (Helius). One is a business launchpad, the other is a utility service.
Spawned Pricing: Launchpad & AI Builder Costs
Spawned uses a simple, transparent fee structure focused on the token launch event and ongoing project sustainability.
Key Internal Link: For a deeper look at how Spawned's model works, see our guide on creator revenue models.
- Launch Fee: 0.1 SOL (approximately $20). This is a one-time fee to create and deploy your token on Solana using Spawned's launchpad.
- Creator Revenue Fee: 0.30% on every trade. This is automatically taken from transactions and sent to the creator's wallet, providing ongoing income.
- Holder Rewards Pool: 0.30% on every trade. A matching 0.30% is distributed to loyal token holders, incentivizing community holding.
- Post-Graduation Fee: After a token 'graduates' from the initial launch phase, a 1% fee on trades is enabled via Solana's Token-2022 program, sustaining the project long-term.
- AI Website Builder: Included at no extra cost. This saves creators $29-$99 per month typically spent on website builders or developer fees. You can build and host your project's site directly on Spawned.
Helius Pricing: RPC & API Service Tiers
Helius operates on a tiered subscription model based on request volume (requests per second or per day). Their pricing is for data access, not for launching consumer products.
Note: Helius pricing is subject to change; always check their official site for the latest.
- Free Tier: Limited requests per day (e.g., 25,000). Suitable for prototyping or very low-traffic personal projects.
- Growth Tiers ($0 - $500/month): These plans offer higher request limits, priority RPC access, and basic webhooks. Aimed at small to medium applications.
- Scale Tiers ($500 - $2500+/month): For applications with high transaction volume. Includes dedicated endpoints, increased rate limits, advanced webhooks, and higher-priority support.
- Enterprise Tier (Custom Pricing): For large institutions and exchanges requiring the highest throughput, SLA guarantees, and custom configurations.
- Key Cost Factor: Your monthly bill scales directly with your application's usage. More users and transactions mean higher Helius costs.
Direct Feature & Cost Comparison
| Feature | Spawned | Helius |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Use | Launch Solana tokens & build project websites | Provide RPC/API infrastructure for developers |
| Upfront Cost | 0.1 SOL (~$20) | $0 (for starter tier) |
| Ongoing Cost | None (platform is free post-launch) | Monthly subscription ($0 to $2500+) |
| Revenue Model | Creator earns 0.30% on all trades | User pays Helius for data services |
| Website Builder | AI-powered builder included | Not provided |
| Holder Incentives | Yes, 0.30% rewards pool | No |
| Best For | Creators, influencers, community leaders | Developers, trading bots, DeFi protocols, NFT projects building custom dApps |
| Output | A live tradable token with a website | Access to blockchain data for your application |
Which Platform Should You Choose?
Still unsure? This simple flowchart makes it clear.
Your choice depends entirely on your goal and technical skill.
Choose Spawned if:
- You are a creator, influencer, or community leader.
- Your main goal is to launch your own Solana token.
- You want a professional website for your project without coding.
- You want a simple path to generate ongoing revenue from your token (0.30% fee).
- You value built-in holder rewards to grow your community.
Choose Helius if:
- You are a developer or technical founder.
- You are building a custom application like a wallet, explorer, trading bot, or DeFi protocol.
- You need reliable, fast access to Solana blockchain data (RPC).
- You require advanced features like webhooks to listen for on-chain events.
- Your project's core is an app, not a single token with a front-end site.
They can be used together: A developer could use Helius RPCs to build a custom dashboard for a token community that was launched on Spawned.
Real-World Cost Scenarios
Scenario 1: A creator launches 'CreatorCoin' on Spawned.
- Day 1 Cost: 0.1 SOL ($20) launch fee.
- Ongoing: $0 monthly fee to Spawned. The AI website is live.
- If Trading Volume is $100,000: Creator earns 0.30% = $300 in revenue. Holders earn $300 in rewards.
- Total Platform Cost After 1 Year: Still just the initial $20.
Scenario 2: A developer builds a NFT analytics tool using Helius.
- Months 1-2 (Prototyping): $0 on Free tier.
- Month 3 (Launch, low traffic): Moves to $99/month 'Growth' tier.
- Month 6 (Viral growth, high queries): Upgrades to $1200/month 'Scale' tier.
- Total Platform Cost After 1 Year: ~$3,500 (and scaling with usage).
This shows Spawned's cost is fixed and can become a revenue source, while Helius is a variable operational expense.
Final Verdict: Spawned vs Helius Pricing
For the target audience of crypto creators looking to launch a token, Spawned is the clear and only relevant choice. Helius is not a competing product; it's a complementary infrastructure service for a different user (developers).
Spawned provides an integrated, cost-effective solution: for a $20 launch fee, you receive a launched Solana token and a built website, with a clear path to creator revenue. Helius, while excellent for its purpose, would require you to still build everything from scratch—the token, the website, the economic model—and then pay them monthly for data access.
Bottom Line: If you want to launch your token and community site this week, use Spawned. If you are a developer building a complex dApp that needs robust blockchain data, you will need a service like Helius (or compare other RPC providers). For creators, Spawned's all-in-one model offers vastly better time-to-market and cost certainty.
Ready to Launch Your Token?
Stop comparing infrastructure tools and start building your community. Spawned gives you everything you need to go from idea to launched token with a live website in one platform.
Launch your token today for 0.1 SOL. You'll get:
- Your Solana token deployed and ready to trade.
- Your AI-generated project website, hosted for free.
- Your automated 0.30% creator revenue stream.
- Your built-in 0.30% holder rewards system.
Related Topics
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Helius does not offer a token launchpad service. It provides the backend APIs (RPC endpoints) that a developer could use *while building* a custom launchpad or dApp. To actually create and launch a token with a simple interface and a website, you need a platform like Spawned, pump.fun, or others. Helius is the plumbing; Spawned is the fully-built house.
Yes. The AI-powered website builder is included at no extra cost with your token launch on Spawned. There is no monthly hosting or builder fee. This is a direct savings compared to using separate services like Webflow, Wix, or Framer, which typically charge $29 to $99 per month. Your project site is hosted on Spawned indefinitely.
Almost certainly not. Spawned handles all the blockchain interactions and infrastructure for your token's launchpad phase and website. As a creator, you interact with Spawned's user-friendly dashboard, not with raw RPCs. Only if you decided to build a highly custom, separate application for your community (like a special staking dashboard) would you, as a developer, potentially need an RPC service like Helius.
They are opposites. Spawned's 0.30% fee is **revenue for you**—money flowing *into* your wallet from secondary market trades. Helius's subscription is a **cost for you**—money flowing *out* of your wallet to pay for infrastructure. With Spawned, the platform's success is tied to your success. With Helius, you pay them regardless of your project's trading volume or success.
After graduation, your token moves to a permanent, sustainable model using Solana's Token-2022 program. A 1% fee is applied to trades, which funds ongoing project development, marketing, and community initiatives. This is separate from the initial launchpad phase fees. This long-term model is a key advantage over pure infrastructure like Helius, which doesn't provide any post-launch economic framework.
They are not interchangeable, so there's no 'switch.' If you are a developer paying for Helius RPCs to run a bot, you cannot replace that with Spawned. If you are a creator who launched on Spawned, you are not using Helius by default. However, a project *could* start on Spawned for its token and website, and later, its development team might use Helius to build additional custom tools, using both services for different purposes.
Spawned is designed for beginners. The process is guided: connect wallet, name your token, use the AI to generate your website, and launch. No code, no configuration of RPC endpoints, no monthly subscriptions to manage. Helius requires developer knowledge to integrate its APIs into your codebase. For a beginner wanting their own token, Spawned is the only viable option of the two.
Spawned's fees are clearly stated: 0.1 SOL launch fee, 0.30% creator/rewewards fees during launchpad phase, and the post-graduation 1% fee. You also pay standard Solana network gas fees for transactions. Helius's fees are based on your usage tier; exceeding your plan's limits can lead to overage charges or throttling, so you must monitor your usage. Both are transparent, but your costs with Helius are variable based on your app's traffic.
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