A "launchpad" (from Lesson 1) is the website you'll actually use to create your coin. There are three worth considering. None is objectively "best": they trade off differently.
Think of these three like three different farmers markets you could set up a stall at. One has the biggest crowd walking by but the most competition. One is cheaper to get a stall at. One has almost no crowd yet, but it's nearly free to try. Let's look at each.
| Platform | What It's Like | Cost to Create | Crowd Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pump.fun | The biggest, busiest farmers market. The most people will see your coin, but also the most other coins are competing for attention at the same time. | ~$2 in network fees | Largest |
| LetsBONK.fun | A slightly smaller market, backed by an existing crypto community (called BONK). Fee arrangements here change often as platforms compete for creators. | ~$2 in network fees | Medium |
| Gate Fun | A newer, much quieter market: but the "toll" to get in is nearly free, and it comes with a small bonus reward if your coin reaches its growth milestone. | A tiny fraction of a cent | Smallest (growing) |
It's the most well-known, has the most people casually browsing new coins, and the process is the most beginner-friendly and well-documented. The trade-off is more competition for attention: but for learning the process end to end, familiarity is worth more than a marginal cost difference.
The network fee is nearly zero, so if you want to practice the entire process, or even create a few small test coins to learn on, the cost of experimenting is negligible.