While meme coins are often draw criticised for being extractive and lacking utility, they also present a unique opportunity for investors to rake in massive profits with little capital — if you spot them early. In this guide, you will learn where to buy meme coins early, how to find them, and how to stay safe when investing in this volatile asset class.
KEY TAKEAWAYS ➤ Low-cost, high-speed blockchains like Solana and Base are the top platforms for buying meme coins early. ➤ Token creation platforms like Pump.fun and Believe.app make it easy to launch meme coins, offering fertile ground for early discovery. ➤ Whale watching, DEX analytics tools, and social media platforms are essential for spotting meme coins before they go viral. ➤ Staying safe means verifying contracts, using burner wallets, and resisting the urge to trade based on hype or FOMO.
If you’re looking to buy meme coins early, in summary, you should try:
➤ Low cost blockchains such as Solana and Base ➤ Token creation platforms such as pump.fun and Believe app.
Here’s a closer look.
At one point, Ethereum was the ultimate ecosystem for meme coin purchases. However, these assets are typically low-cost. With Ethereum’s high gas prices and transaction fees often exceeding the cost of executing transactions, buying meme coins on Ethereum became untenable for most.
Eventually, meme coin developers pivoted to other ecosystems, likely due to the low cost and speed offered by alternative blockchains like Solana and Base.
During 2024 and early 2025, Solana dominated the meme coin space in terms of token launches and trading volume. This success came on the heels of the FTX fallout and led to renewed interest in the layer-1 network.
In fact, meme coin trading on Solana became so popular that it even contributed to Solana briefly flipping many metrics that were traditionally dominated by Ethereum, such as:
Solana is a high-throughput, scalable blockchain that processes transactions extremely fast and cheaply. It uses embedded programs to create instances of tokens rather than deploying new smart contracts for each meme coin.
This method is extremely price-efficient, and when coupled with the aforementioned features, makes trading and deploying meme coins extremely cheap and popular. This makes Solana a great blockchain for spotting meme coins early.
Lastly, Solana offers a unified experience, unlike Ethereum and its layer-2s (L2) and rollup ecosystem. Trading on L2s and rollups often involves complexities, such as bridging and navigating multiple implementations of a single token (e.g., ETH on Base vs. Arbitrum, etc.). Alternatively, Solana has a simpler ecosystem that does not typically have fractured liquidity to the degree EVM chains do.
One thing is starting to become clearSolana is winning the speculation & attention game—both meme coin & AI agent categories.• $SOL pumped ~20% off the back of the successful $TRUMP launch• @solana gained over $13BN in DEX Vol & $2.5BN in TVL over the past 3dETH & L2s… pic.twitter.com/ph6ZnGevyX
— 0xJeff (@Defi0xJeff) January 19, 2025
Historically, Ethereum’s roadmap prioritized L2 networks (e.g., rollups) in favor of scaling the L1 (i.e., Ethereum). As a result of Ethereum giving away much of its revenue (via blobs) and improvements in blockchain design, EVM chains and L2s are extremely cheap to transact on.
Layer-2 blockchains and rollups typically have near-zero fees. They are also breeding grounds for emerging on-chain activity and web3 communities. Perhaps the most popular Ethereum rollup for launching and trading meme coins is Base Chain by Coinbase.
Yeah they pump — but here’s the alpha: Base memes don’t just disappear after the chart goes vertical.There’s actual staying power. You see $DEGEN, $TOSHI, $BRETT? These aren’t just coins, they’re ecosystems in meme disguise.I’m not just trading candles — I’m front-running…
— Andrei (@AndreiSpbX) May 26, 2025
Coinbase is often called an on-ramp to web3. Base’s integration with Coinbase, for instance, makes it a superior fiat on-ramp and off-ramp compared to many other L1 and L2 blockchains. Thanks to Coinbase’s deep integration with Base and USDC, users can:
Base’s fast settlement and low fees attract users, but it’s the streamlined user experience (UX) and incentives that make them stay.
To summarize, low-cost, high-speed blockchains are where developers and traders go to deploy tokens and trade. If you want to find meme coins early, follow the money to blockchains with these features. The most popular low-cost blockchains for spotting meme coins early are Solana and Base, hands down.
Do note, though, that meme coin culture is very fickle and whimsical, and is often not loyal to a single blockchain or application. If you want to find and buy meme coins early, you must recognize why developers and traders flock to one platform or ecosystem over another.
Token creation and launch platforms are applications that allow you to create tokens with zero coding skills and, in some cases, launch those tokens with zero liquidity.
These are extremely powerful tools for meme coin developers, many of whom create tokens on a whim and may not have the expertise to ensure safe and fair launches.
Here’s a quick glance at the top few platforms, all of which are good options if you’re looking to buy meme coins early.
Often shortened to just Pump, Pump.fun is a token creation and launchpad platform. It enables users to create and trade tokens, primarily meme coins, on the Solana blockchain. The platform’s user-friendly interface and bonding curve model have contributed to its popularity in the meme coin ecosystem.
Pump consistently dominates the number of token launches on Solana, and in some case, the entire crypto ecosystem.
Incidentally, as a result of its popularity, Pump.fun is preparing for a token launch, aiming to raise $1 billion at a $4 billion valuation.
Believe is a social finance launchpad on the Solana blockchain that lets users create and launch internet capital markets (ICM) tokens directly through social media, specifically on X (formerly Twitter). By replying to posts from the Launchcoin account with a token name, users can initiate the token creation process without needing a crypto wallet or coding skills.
As alluded to earlier, meme coin markets are heavily narrative-driven. Although Believe is an ICM launchpad, the fact that the platform requires zero coding skills and allows users to launch tokens with a tweet makes it a breeding ground for meme coins (or meme coin adjacent tokens).
Additionally, the concept of ICM is a new narrative — meme coin traders love narratives. Many see internet capital markets as meme coins by another name, both philosophically and in terms of capital creation. Therefore, you are likely to spot meme coins early on ICM launchpads like Believe.
Pumpfun knows memes are dying hence the token launch.At the end of the day, it’s just harder and harder for people to justify pushing 100k+ into memecoins which is why internet capital markets is a refreshing narrative as some of these coins can justify it if their flywheels…
— SpiderCrypto 🧑🍳🧲 (@SpiderCrypto0x) June 3, 2025
Four.meme is a decentralized, permissionless launchpad on the BNB Chain, designed to simplify meme coin creation and trading. Developed by the team behind BinaryX, Four.meme has become a prominent platform for meme coin projects due to its similarities to pump.fun.
dev.fun is a Solana-based ICM platform that enables users to create and launch decentralized applications (DApps), built through AI-generated prompts, and linking each application to the token. Tokens created on dev.fun are tradable on platforms like pump.fun.
While Four.meme and dev.fun are less popular than Pump.fun and Believe, they serve similar purposes: Four.meme simplifies meme coin creation like Pump.fun, while dev.fun launches ICM tokens through social and AI prompts, much like Believe. Because of these parallels, both platforms offer similar early discovery opportunities for meme coins and internet-native tokens.
Knowing which platforms to buy meme coins early on is only half the battle. Here are a few ways to find high-potential meme coins early.
If you want to spot meme coins early, you must follow the money. In this scenario, rather than following the liquidity, you should follow the smart money; otherwise known as “whale watching.”
Whales are large institutional investors, hedge funds, or high net worth individuals. Many investors track whale activity to gain early alpha, assuming they have access to insider information or consistently spot popular meme coins early. There are a few different methods you can use to follow the smart money, each with varying degrees of difficulty.
An easy way is to follow social media accounts like Whale Alert on X. Whale Alert reports high-value transfers and mints and even allows you to create specialized alerts.
🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 🚨 661,113 #SOL (106,313,218 USD) transferred from unknown wallet to unknown wallethttps://t.co/wiNnLDBBd2
— Whale Alert (@whale_alert) June 3, 2025
Another way to whale watch is through platforms that specialize in tracking smart money, like Nansen. Nansen.ai is a crypto analytics platform that helps investors make smarter decisions by showing who’s doing what on the blockchain. It labels wallets, tracks big players, and gives users easy-to-read dashboards and alerts to spot new opportunities and avoid risks.
Nansen’s Smart Money feature identifies and tracks wallets associated with successful or influential crypto participants, such as:
The old-school way of whale watching is to manually find early investors of popular meme coins on-chain. To employ this method, you will need to:
This method is effectually equivalent to guessing and checking with limited degrees of success. The easiest way to watch whales is through specialized platforms, although they are often pricey.
As the name implies, decentralized exchange (DEX) analytics platforms track:
These platforms help expert traders aggregate the data they need to make informed decisions. Some of the ways that investors use them to find meme coins early include searching for top gainers, tokens with high transaction volume, or tokens by market cap.
DEX Screener is a free, real-time analytics platform for DEXs. It’s particularly popular among meme coin hunters because of how fast it lists new token pairs.
Some of the metrics that it offers are top gainers and losers, new pairs, transactions (TXNS), volume, makers, liquidity, [token] age, price, market, trending (by time frame), and more. You can also modify the dashboard by blockchains, set alerts, watchlists, and even download the app on Android or iOS.
DEXTools is another leading DEX analytics and trading platform. Originally focused on Ethereum, the platform now supports multiple EVM chains. It has most of the same features as DEX Screener but is more of a trader-focused tool, with built-in analytics that resemble traditional finance tools but for DEXs.
The platform also has a token creation feature. It mostly supports EVM chains and can track airdrops and social media accounts for cryptos.
Social media is one of the fastest-moving sources for spotting meme coins early — often before they hit mainstream DEX dashboards or aggregators. Many meme coins begin as viral trends or insider jokes on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, and Discord, where the earliest signals tend to emerge.
X (Twitter)
Crypto communities and meme coin projects frequently use X to announce token launches, coordinate liquidity events, or build hype around tokens. To find meme coins early, monitor influencers, dev accounts, and meme coin-focused alpha groups and engage in spaces where developers and early buyers shill new tokens live.
Telegram
Telegram is where many meme coins coordinate their launches, community building, and pumps. Look out for invite-only groups where developers share stealth drops and pre-launch info. You should also search for channels that specialize in early DEX listings.
Discord
Discord is typically used for meme coins that are trying to build longer-term community engagement. Early signals can include projects integrating meme coins into games, DApps, or challenges.
Many early meme coin hunters keep a dedicated alternative account or browser for social platforms to avoid tracking scripts or scam links — and to stay plugged in without compromising their main wallets.
Investing in meme coins early can be very profitable, but it also comes with risks. Most meme coins have little to no inherent value, and some are outright scams. If you are chasing early alpha, here’s how you can stay safe.
1. Check the contract
Before you buy any meme coins, verify the address from official sources. This will help you avoid fake tokens with identical names and tickers.
2. Understand the tokenomics
Meme coins should be transparent. This means you should prioritize fair launches over large, insider team allocations. Avoid high taxes on trades, as this may indicate extractive behavior. Lastly, avoid locked liquidity.
3. Evaluate the community
If a meme coin has communities across multiple platforms, it can be a good sign of serious intentions. Healthy communities should share updates from official accounts and avoid engaging in bots or copy-and-paste hype posting.
4. Use a burner wallet
Never connect your main wallet to a new or unverified project. Use a dedicated wallet with limited funds.
Regardless of the strategy, fear of missing out (FOMO) is the biggest killer in meme coin trading. Avoid trading with emotions as well.
Meme coins are unpredictable and chaotic and are often dismissed as scams. However, for those who know where to look and how to act early, opportunity awaits, although not without risk. While this list is accurate as of 2025, the actual platforms and ecosystems where meme coins reside regularly change as a result of their fleeting nature. Always remember that in meme coin trading, being early is everything — but staying smart is what keeps you in the game.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. Always do your own research (DYOR).
To find meme coins before they launch, you must engage with communities online. Some of the most popular places to find meme coins early are Discord and Telegram. Investors should exercise caution, as these platforms are notorious for attracting scammers.
You can buy meme coins early on platforms like Pump.fun and Believe. Some of the most popular blockchains for buying meme coins are Solana and Base Chain as well. Popular platforms for buying meme coins chane often, therefore, it is important to know why meme coins trade on these platforms.
Meme coins are tokens that are based on internet memes. They typically have no inherent utility. You may recognize them by their low token prices and token supplies, which are often exorbitant.
Meme coins are largely narrative driven. This means that they follow viral internet trends, important events, or popular moments in pop culture. It is very difficult to know what will be popular beforehand; however, understanding online communities help you identify potentially popular meme coins.
Disclaimer: Investing carries risk. This is not financial advice. The above content should not be regarded as an offer, recommendation, or solicitation on acquiring or disposing of any financial products, any associated discussions, comments, or posts by author or other users should not be considered as such either. It is solely for general information purpose only, which does not consider your own investment objectives, financial situations or needs. TTM assumes no responsibility or warranty for the accuracy and completeness of the information, investors should do their own research and may seek professional advice before investing.