How LetsBONK.fun Overtook Pump.fun

📘 How LetsBONK.fun Overtook Pump.fun

Subtitle: The launchpad market turns around.

1️⃣ Introduction

In early July 2025, Pump.fun’s long-standing grip on the market began to weaken rapidly. The platform that took its place was LetsBONK.fun.

It pulled ahead of Pump.fun by bringing together token launches, trading volume, revenue, the flow of influential creators, community sentiment and a way to return value to participants. The reversal was the result of several factors working together.

2️⃣ Background: Cracks in the incumbent, preparation by the challenger

Pump.fun’s rise and its emerging weaknesses

After separating from the DEX Raydium, Pump.fun built its own DEX, PumpSwap, and played a central role in the Solana memecoin ecosystem. It expanded its influence by launching large numbers of tokens and attracting trading activity. But frustration over the delayed promised airdrop and a perceived gap between words and actions left users fatigued and distrustful, creating an opening for an alternative.

LetsBONK.fun’s starting point

Raydium, which had worked with Pump.fun for more than a year and a half, felt betrayed and built LaunchLab in about a month. LaunchLab was an open framework that allowed anyone to build their own launchpad on top of it. LetsBONK.fun was quick to do so. That open structure, combined with a creator-focused strategy, helped challenge the incumbent’s closed advantage.

3️⃣ The reversal in numbers

3.1. More token launches

In early July, LetsBONK.fun overtook Pump.fun in issuance, launching more than twice as many memecoins per day. As the trend continued, its share of the overall market rose substantially.

3.2. Revenue also reverses

The shift went beyond activity: revenue changed too. LetsBONK.fun began earning nearly twice as much per day as Pump.fun, taking the lead in revenue generation.

3.3. Market share shifts

Pump.fun’s influence declined rapidly, while LetsBONK.fun significantly increased its market share, moving from challenger to market leader.

4️⃣ Beyond the numbers: People and narratives

4.1. Communication that built trust

Pump.fun’s failure to deliver on some promises left users questioning whether they could trust the platform. LetsBONK.fun, meanwhile, explained developments in real time, with key figures engaging directly with the community and sharing what was happening. That helped build trust over time.

4.2. The influence of key figures

Figures such as Unipcs, known as “Bonk Guy,” brought more than capital. When he backed a token, traders took notice and followed. That influence helped produce runners—rapidly rising coins—and lifted the broader mood.

5️⃣ Different strategies: Why LetsBONK.fun kept gaining ground

5.1. A creator-first model

While Pump.fun focused on attracting users, LetsBONK.fun treated creators as partners whose success was tied to its own.

Cash rewards, fee sharing, exchange listing support, VC connections and hackathons gave creators several reasons to launch tokens. Their activity, in turn, helped the platform grow, creating a self-reinforcing cycle.

5.2. Backing successful tokens

As rapidly rising coins such as USELESS and HOSICO attracted attention on their own, LetsBONK.fun actively supported them, amplifying their momentum. Their success drew users, whose attention then extended to new tokens and creators.

5.3. Making value returned to the community visible

LetsBONK.fun (actually BonkFun) used part of its revenue to buy back and burn BONK, continually signaling that value was returning to the community. The model was designed so participants could benefit as the platform grew. Pump.fun later made similar attempts, but their impact was smaller because momentum had already shifted.

6️⃣ Opportunities Pump.fun missed

6.1. Promises that raised expectations but were slow to materialize

Pump.fun raised user expectations by announcing an IC O and an airdrop, but delays and uncertainty around execution further weakened trust.

6.2. Playing catch-up

Pump.fun tried to respond as its market share fell, but could not move fast enough to match the cycle LetsBONK.fun had built. By then, creators and the community had already rallied around the new platform.

7️⃣ Conclusion: The advantage came from the model

LetsBONK.fun’s victory over Pump.fun was not the result of a single event. Several forces came together:

• Accumulated distrust of the incumbent platform
• A new relationship centered on creators
• Narratives driven by influential figures that others followed
• A self-reinforcing cycle connecting revenue, tokens and users
• A clear demonstration of value returned to participants

Key lessons

1. Treating creators as partners in growth, rather than simply as users, can strengthen a platform.

2. People who shape narratives and communicate in real time can change sentiment and build trust.

3. When promises and actions diverge, even an established position can be vulnerable.

4. Once a self-reinforcing cycle takes hold, it can quickly consolidate a new leader’s position.

For informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Invest at your own risk.