Raydium CPMM vs AMM v4: which pool type should you launch with?

Raydium currently runs two distinct pool programs side by side. If you're launching a new SPL token in 2026, picking the right one saves you fees, gives holders a better swap UX, and determines whether your pool can be added to Jupiter's routing instantly.

The 30-second version

• CPMM (Constant Product Market Maker, the newer program): cheaper to create, OpenBook market no longer required, supports Token-2022, lower per-swap CU usage.
• AMM v4 (the original program): battle-tested, deeper integrations with older aggregators, but requires an OpenBook market and costs ~3x more to seed.

For 99% of memecoin and new SPL launches in 2026, use CPMM.

Why CPMM exists

Raydium's original AMM was built on top of Serum/OpenBook, which means every new pool also needed an OpenBook market account (~3 SOL of rent on its own). That made small launches absurdly expensive: a memecoin team with 4 SOL could spend most of it just creating the market, before any actual liquidity.

CPMM cuts the OpenBook dependency out entirely. The pool stands alone, settles trades against its own reserves, and only costs the underlying account rent (~0.2 SOL total). It's a strict constant-product curve — x * y = k — same math, lower overhead.

Side-by-side

| | CPMM | AMM v4 | |---|---|---| | OpenBook market required | No | Yes | | Approx. cost to create | ~0.2 SOL | ~3 SOL | | Token-2022 support | Yes | No | | Default fee tiers | 0.25%, 1%, 2%, 4% | 0.25% only | | Compute units per swap | Lower | Higher | | Aggregator coverage | Jupiter, Birdeye, Dexscreener | Same + legacy bots |

When AMM v4 still makes sense

Almost never for new launches. The only real case is if you're cloning an existing established pair and want to be routable by an old MEV bot or arb pipeline that hasn't added CPMM support — increasingly rare.

How to actually launch a CPMM pool

SolanaForge's Create Pool page defaults to CPMM. You pick the token pair (your mint + SOL or USDC), set the opening price, deposit initial liquidity, and sign once. The LP tokens land in your wallet immediately. If you want to lock them, do it in a second tx via Raydium's lock UI.

Fee tier picking

• 0.25% — pegged stables, wrapped assets, anything where IL is low and volume is high.
• 1% — most memecoins and new launches. Default for SolanaForge.
• 2% — exotic pairs, low-volume long-tail.
• 4% — collectibles, NFT-fungible bridges, anything where IL risk is severe.

Bottom line

CPMM is the right default in 2026 — cheaper, cleaner, and supported by every aggregator that matters. AMM v4 is legacy. Open the pool creator →.