This guide covers everything you need to start trading on pump.fun, from setting up your first Solana wallet to executing trades and managing risk. If you are completely new to crypto, complete the Wallet security guide first.
Step 1: Get a Solana wallet
You need a Solana-compatible wallet to use pump.fun. Phantom is the most widely used option and the safest choice for beginners:
- Go to phantom.app and install the browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, Brave, or Edge
- Create a new wallet and write down your seed phrase on paper and store it safely offline — this is the only backup of your wallet
- Set a strong password for the extension
Step 2: Get SOL
You need SOL (Solana's native token) to pay for transactions and purchase tokens. You can:
- Buy SOL on a centralized exchange (Coinbase, Kraken, Binance) and withdraw to your Phantom wallet address
- Buy SOL directly in Phantom using a debit/credit card (higher fees but simpler)
For your first session, consider starting with a small amount you can afford to lose completely — $20–$50 is reasonable for learning the mechanics.
Step 3: Find a token to trade
Go to pump.fun and browse the token feed. The home page shows recently launched tokens in roughly reverse chronological order. You can filter by age, market cap, graduation progress, and other metrics. For your first trades, focus on:
- Tokens that have been active for at least 10–15 minutes (very new tokens have higher risk)
- Tokens with consistent buy/sell activity in the transaction feed
- Tokens where the market cap is still on the bonding curve (below ~$69,000) for the bonding curve's liquidity guarantees
Step 4: Research before buying
Before buying, do a quick check:
- Open the token on DEXScreener and look at the transaction history — is buying organic or does it look like wash trading?
- Check Bubblemaps for the contract address — are there concerning wallet clusters?
- Check on GMGN whether there was significant bundling at launch
- Is the developer wallet still holding? Has it already sold?
Step 5: Execute the trade
On pump.fun, connect your Phantom wallet using the "Connect Wallet" button. On the token page, enter the amount of SOL you want to spend and click "Buy." Phantom will prompt you to approve the transaction — review the details and confirm. The transaction typically confirms within 1–2 seconds on Solana.
Step 6: Monitor and exit
After buying, watch the price on DEXScreener. Have an exit plan before you buy: "I will sell if it reaches 3x" and "I will cut losses at -50%." Set these mental limits in advance. Without predetermined exit criteria, emotional decisions near the top and bottom of moves become likely.
Risk management
- Never put more than you can afford to lose completely into a single pump.fun token
- Spread risk across multiple tokens rather than concentrating in one
- The majority of pump.fun tokens go to near-zero — size positions accordingly
- Keep most of your crypto holdings in self-custodial wallets, not in active trading wallets