Launchpool vs Launchpad: where the real allocation is and where it's a lottery

Exchanges distribute new tokens in two main ways, and confusing them is costly.

Launchpool: farming via staking

You put the exchange coin or stablecoins into a pool - you get the new token proportional to your share. The deposit risks nothing except missed yield: the coins are returned in full. The catch is dilution: pools attract billions of dollars, and a small deposit gets crumbs. The real farming yield is usually a few percent annualized, and the multi-x gains go to those who sold the farmed tokens in the first hour of listing.

Launchpad: buying before listing

The format is stricter: you pay for allocation before trading starts. Historically, early launchpad sales delivered multi-x returns, which is why spots are distributed via lottery or based on the amount of exchange token held. The risk is symmetric: if the market is sour, the token may open below the sale price - and you're already in the red with a locked position.

What to choose

Launchpool is a way to get a bit of a new token for free against an existing deposit; it starts making sense from five to six figure sums. Launchpad is a bet on a specific project: here the usual analysis applies - team, distribution, valuation. Our breakdowns of new tokens with verdicts are in the tokens section.