How to Make a Meme Coin in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide (No Code)
If you have ever wondered how to make a meme coin, it probably started with a headline. A coin named after a dog, a frog or a joke nobody fully gets goes from zero to millions overnight, and the people who launched it were not banks or software companies. They were people with a wallet, an idea and a good sense of timing. Sooner or later the question shows up: could I make one of these myself? Whether you want to start, create or launch a meme coin, the process is the same.
The short answer is yes, and you don’t need to know how to code. On this guide I’ll show you how to make a meme coin from scratch, what it costs on Solana, BNB Chain, Base, Ethereum and Sui, and where the real work starts once the coin exists. So, let’s start.
Prefer to watch? Here is the full process on Pump.fun with a bundler bot, recorded by the Jorge.
What is a meme coin?
A meme coin is a cryptocurrency built around an internet joke, a character or a cultural moment rather than a product. Its value comes almost entirely from attention and community, not from cash flow or technology.
Dogecoin started the category in 2013. Today, most new meme coins are born on Solana launchpads in a few clicks, which is why the hard part is no longer the technology but getting people to care.
How to make a meme coin in 6 steps
Here is the honest truth before you start: creating a meme coin is easy, keeping it alive is hard. The technical part takes minutes. What decides whether your coin lasts a day or a year is everything you do around it.
- Pick a concept. A meme, a name and a ticker people will remember.
- Choose a blockchain. Solana is where most meme coins launch. BNB Chain and Base are the main alternatives.
- Set up a wallet (Phantom for Solana, MetaMask or Rabby for EVM chains) and fund it with the network’s coin.
- Create the coin, either on a launchpad such as Pump.fun or with a token creator if you want your own token.
- Add liquidity so people can trade it. On a launchpad, the bonding curve does this for you.
- Promote it on X, Telegram and DexScreener, and keep the community active after launch.
Steps 1 to 5 can be done in an afternoon. Step 6 never really ends, and it is the one most first-time creators underestimate.
Two ways to make a meme coin
Before you start, decide how your coin will reach the market. Both routes work without code; they differ in cost, control and how liquidity is handled.
| Launchpad (e.g. Pump.fun) | Your own token + liquidity pool | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to create | Free to create. You pay network fees and any first buy | From 0.5 SOL with the Smithii’s token creator on Solana, plus the liquidity you add |
| Liquidity | Bonding curve, no upfront liquidity needed | You create a pool on a DEX and fund it |
| Control | Supply and settings fixed by the launchpad | Full control over supply, decimals, metadata and authorities |
| Best for | Fast, low-budget launches that ride launchpad traffic | Projects with a budget that want their own pool and branding from day one |
Launchpads are by far the most popular option, and for a first coin they are usually the right call: you risk less money and the platform brings you buyers. They also come with trade-offs, from fixed supply to fees you don’t control. Before you commit, read the pros and cons of launchpads to see what you give up.
Route 1: How to make a meme coin on Pump.fun
Pump.fun is the most used meme coin launchpad on Solana. Your coin starts trading on a bonding curve the moment you create it, and once it hits the market cap target it graduates to a regular liquidity pool on PumpSwap.
- Connect your wallet. Open Pump.fun, click Create new coin and connect a Solana wallet such as Phantom. Keep a small amount of SOL in it for fees and your first buy.
- Fill in your coin’s details. Add the name, ticker, description and image, plus your X, Telegram and website links. You can’t change them after launch, so take your time.
- Make the first buy. You can buy part of your own supply in the same transaction that creates the coin. To buy from several wallets in the same block, before sniper bots get in, use a Pump.fun bundler.
- Share it while the curve is filling. The first hours decide whether a launchpad coin graduates or fades, so post the contract address on your socials and get your community trading early.
For the full walkthrough, read how to launch a meme coin on Pump.fun. Pump.fun is not the only option on Solana: Bonk.fun, Moonit, LaunchLab and Jupiter Studio each have their own audience, and our guide to create a meme coin on Solana compares them.
Route 2: Create your own meme coin token and liquidity pool
This route gives you full control: you decide the supply, keep the metadata you want and own the liquidity pool. It costs more up front, but your coin does not depend on a launchpad’s rules.
- Choose the network. Open the meme coin creator and pick the blockchain you want to launch on. Solana is the most used for meme coins, but BNB Chain, Base, Ethereum and Sui work the same way.
- Fill in your token’s details: name, symbol, total supply, decimals, logo and social links. This is what buyers will see in their wallets and on DexScreener.
- Select Create a Liquidity Pool in the advanced options. The pool is created together with the token, so people can trade your coin from the moment it exists.
- Add extra features if you want them, such as revoking the mint and freeze authorities so nobody can print more tokens or freeze wallets. Buyers check this before they buy.
- Confirm the creation transactions in your wallet. In a couple of minutes your token and its pool are live.
Once it is live, lock or burn the LP tokens to show you can’t pull the liquidity, which is the first thing rug checkers look for. Your coin will appear on DexScreener as soon as there is trading, and paying for enhanced token info on DexScreener adds your logo and links.
Not sure how much to put in the pool? Too little liquidity makes every trade move the price; our guide on how much liquidity to add to your token helps you size it.
Which blockchain should you make your meme coin on?
The network you pick decides your audience, your fees and which launchpads you can use. Each creator below works without code and takes about a minute.
| Network | Why creators pick it | Cost | Create it | Step-by-step guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solana | The most meme coin activity, several launchpads, very low fees | 0.5 SOL | Solana token creator | Meme coin on Solana |
| BNB Chain | Large retail audience, Four.meme and PancakeSwap | 0.19 BNB | BNB Chain token creator | Meme coin on BNB Chain |
| Base | Coinbase’s Layer 2, low fees and a growing meme scene | 0.03 ETH | Base token creator | Meme coin on Base |
| Ethereum | The deepest liquidity, but the highest gas fees | 0.03 ETH + gas | Ethereum token creator | Meme coin on Ethereum |
| Sui | Smaller but growing ecosystem with fast, cheap transactions | 100 SUI | Sui token creator | – |
| Arbitrum | Ethereum security with Layer 2 fees | 0.03 ETH | Arbitrum token creator | Meme coin on Arbitrum |
| Polygon | Low fees and a long-standing EVM community | 900 POL | Polygon token creator | Meme coin on Polygon |
| Avalanche | Fast finality on the C-Chain and an active DeFi scene | 10 AVAX | Avalanche token creator | Meme coin on Avalanche |
| Robinhood Chain | New Arbitrum-based chain with its own launchpads | 0.03 ETH | Robinhood Chain token creator | Meme coin on Robinhood Chain |
| Hyperliquid | HyperEVM tokens next to one of the biggest perp DEXs | 0.9 HYPE | Hyperliquid token creator | – |
| Monad | High-throughput EVM chain with a young ecosystem | 2725 MON | Monad token creator | – |
| Arc | Circle’s Layer 1, gas paid in USDC | 75 USDC | Arc token creator | – |
| Tron | Low fees and a huge stablecoin user base | 220 TRX | Tron token creator | – |
Want more detail before you decide? Read how to choose the right blockchain for your meme coin.
Before you launch: name, branding and community
Most meme coins die in their first week, and rarely because of the code. They die because nobody remembers them. Get these right before launch day:
- Name and ticker: short, easy to type and tied to the meme.
- Art: a recognizable image or character works better than a logo.
- Story: one sentence that explains why the coin exists and why it’s funny.
- Socials ready: X account, Telegram group and a simple website before launch day.
- Tokenomics: decide the supply and whether the team keeps any tokens. Our guide on how to make tokenomics covers the basics.
How to promote your meme coin
If nobody knows the coin exists, nobody buys it. Post memes daily, run giveaways, work with small creators in your niche and keep holders talking in Telegram.
Launching on a Solana launchpad other than Pump.fun? The Solana bundler lets you buy from several wallets at launch on seven launchpads from a single form, so your first holders aren’t snipers. For the rest of the playbook, see our meme coin marketing guide.
Is it legal to make a meme coin?
In most countries, creating a meme coin is legal. What gets creators in trouble is misleading buyers: rug pulls, false promises of returns or coordinated pump-and-dumps.
Rules change from country to country, so check whether it’s legal to create a meme coin where you live before you launch.
FAQ: How to make a meme coin
How much does it cost to make a meme coin?
On a launchpad like Pump.fun, creating the coin is free: you only pay network fees and whatever first buy you make. Creating your own token with Smithii costs 0.5 SOL on Solana, 0.19 BNB on BNB Chain or 0.03 ETH on Base and Ethereum, plus the liquidity you add. See the full breakdown in how much it costs to create a meme coin.
Can you make a meme coin for free?
Yes. Launchpads let you create a coin without paying a creation fee, though you still need a little SOL for network fees. Here is how to create a meme coin for free and what you give up by doing it.
How long does it take to make a meme coin?
Creating it takes a few minutes. Building the audience that makes it worth something takes weeks, and that is where most of your time should go.
Do I need to know how to code before making a meme coin?
No. Launchpads and token creators handle the smart contract for you. You fill in a form and sign a transaction from your wallet.
Can anyone start a meme coin?
Yes. You don’t need to know how to code: you only need a wallet and a little SOL or ETH for the fees. With the meme coin creator you fill in a form and sign the transaction.
Can a meme coin reach $1?
It depends on the supply. A coin with 1 billion tokens needs a $1 billion market cap to reach $1, which very few meme coins ever achieve. Price per token says little on its own; market cap is what matters.
Can you make money creating a meme coin?
You can, but most meme coins fail. The result depends on the community you build, your timing and the trust signals you give buyers, such as revoked authorities, locked liquidity and a small dev wallet. Creator fees on launchpads like Pump.fun pay you while your coin trades, but you can also lose what you spend on fees, liquidity and promotion. We break down every source in how meme coin creators make money. This is not financial advice.
Conclusion
Making a meme coin is now the easy part. Pick a launchpad if you want to launch fast and cheap, or create your own token and pool if you want full control.
Then put your energy where it counts: the community is what decides whether the coin lasts.
Industrial Engineer turned Solana trader. Marketing at Smithii and contributor to the $SHRIMP memecoin launch.
