Start using pump.fun safely

Step 1: Know what pump.fun is, and the odds

pump.fun is a Solana app where anyone can create a meme coin with no platform fee and anyone can trade it. Each coin starts on a bonding curve, a price formula where buys push the price up, and a few graduate to their own trading pool. Most don't: treat every coin as money you can lose.

Fact Only 0.84% of the 763,350 coins launched in April 2026 graduated (pumpfundata). Solidus Labs found 98.6% showed rug-pull or pump-and-dump traits (May 2025).

What is pump.fun →Is pump.fun safe? →

Step 2: Check you are allowed to use it

You must be 18 or older. pump.fun is closed to the United Kingdom and to sanctioned places (Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Russia, Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk). The US is allowed for buying and selling, but perps (leveraged futures) exclude the US and Ontario. pump.fun's terms ban VPNs or other tricks to get around this.

Fact Terms of Use, 17 October 2026: §2 eligibility, §32 Prohibited Jurisdictions, §30B.2 perps, §21(x) no VPNs.

Country-by-country table →Does it need KYC? →

Step 3: Sign in: email wallet or your own wallet

An email sign-in code creates a self-custodial Solana wallet for you through Privy, a separate company: quickest, but export your key and add a backup login. Connecting your own wallet (Phantom, Solflare) keeps full control and works in any Solana app, but you alone guard the seed phrase. Start from pump.fun typed by hand or the official app.

Fact pump.fun "will never ask you for your private keys, seed or recovery phrases, social-login or email credentials, one-time codes" (Terms §12.2(c)).

Email vs own wallet →Official links →

Step 4: Add a small amount of SOL or USDC

Buy inside the app with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay (a third-party provider runs it and may ask for ID), or send SOL or USDC on the Solana network from an exchange. Send a test amount first, and keep about 0.01–0.02 SOL spare for network fees and token-account rent.

Fact pump.fun charges no deposit fee. Crypto sent on the wrong network may be lost (Terms §8.6).

How to fund your account →

Step 5: Check the coin before you buy

Find the coin by its contract address, not its name: names and tickers are copied constantly, and an address ending in "pump" proves nothing. On standard pump.fun coins nobody can mint more tokens, so the danger is concentrated holders: look at dev holdings, top 10, bundlers and snipers.

Fact All 6 pump.fun curve coins we read on-chain on 4 November 2026 had mint and freeze authority revoked; 1 of the 6 did not end in "pump".

Check a coin →How to spot a rug →Scams to avoid →

Step 6: Make a small first trade, knowing the real cost

Enter an amount, check slippage (how far the price can move before the trade fails), and confirm. The trade settles on Solana in seconds and can't be reversed. In the pump.fun app a bonding-curve buy costs the 1.25% curve fee plus the 0.45% Platform Fee: 1.70%, and the same again when you sell. Every valid referral code gives the same 0.40% Platform Fee; the code only decides which referrer is paid.

Fact pump.fun Fees page, 17 October 2026: curve 1.25%; Platform Fee 0.45%, or 0.40% with a code; app and web only.

How to buy, step by step →Fee calculator →Where else it trades →

Open pump.fun → Our referral link: 0.40% Platform Fee instead of 0.45% on app and web trades.

Step 7: Know how to sell and withdraw

Selling is the same trade in reverse and pays the same fees. To get cash, withdraw SOL or USDC to your exchange's Solana deposit address and sell there; we found no bank cash-out in pump.fun's own pages. Keep a little SOL for fees, reclaim token-account rent when done, and keep records for tax.

Fact Each sale is usually a taxable disposal; pump.fun says taxes are solely your responsibility (Terms §29.16).

Sell and withdraw →pump.fun taxes →