Solana (SOL) gains nearly 2% in the last 24 hours and trades at $118.28

A Decentralized Exchange (DEX) and a meme coin launchpad built on the Solana blockchain have waged a war for users and compete

Solana (SOL) is trading at $118.28 at the time of writing on Thursday, up nearly 2% over the last 24 hours. The Solana-based protocols, Pump.fun and Raydium, have continued their battle for users and trade volume on the chain.

Solana is emerging as a winner in either case, as both projects are built on the SOL chain. Pump.fun, the meme coin launchpad that shot to fame for driving higher revenue and trade volume to the Solana blockchain, has severed its partnership with Raydium, a Solana-based Decentralized Exchange (DEX). As Pump.fun pulled the plug on the relationship with the protocol, it launched its own DEX to facilitate the trade of meme coins launched on the platform.

The war has led to intense competition to capture market share, users, and transaction volume. Both Raydium and PumpSwap are battling for users, and while Raydium struggles, Pump.fun has captured higher value with its meme coin launchpad, according to a K33 research report published on Wednesday.

Pump’s Automated Market Maker (AMM) DEX is less than a month old, and both platforms are waiting for a rebound in user sentiment and market conditions to drive growth. Pump.fun’s DEX has slowly chipped away at the token volume, as observed by K33 research analysts.

As the chart shows, Raydium’s trade volume has dropped to nearly zero, while the total volume on Pump.fun’s DEX has risen to around $20 million over the last month. The meme coin launchpad's DEX started with nearly zero volume after its launch in late June. In contrast, Raydium’s DEX began with an average daily volume of $100 million in May, gradually decreasing to almost no activity in August.

Solana could gain from the battle in the trenches

Solona has yet to face a setback from the competition between the protocols. While Pump.fun and Raydium compete, SOL has consolidated below $136. The $146 level is a key resistance, while $112 is an important support.

SOL adds nearly 2% to its value in the last 24 hours and trades at $118.28 at the time of writing on Thursday.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator reads 38, holding above the “oversold” zone and signaling slight bearish momentum. Meanwhile, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) shows short red histogram bars after flashing green histogram bars above the neutral line for nearly two weeks, suggesting indecision and a shift in interest among traders.

If Solana sustains its gains, the token could rally nearly 23% and test resistance at $146.03. However, if Bitcoin faces a flash crash or sudden market correction, SOL could slip to support at $112. This would mark over a 5% decline in Solana’s price.

SOL/USDT daily price chart

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