Choose the locked-at-birth model if you can seed the pool yourself and want liquidity locked from block one; choose the graduation-first model if you want early buyers to fund the pool through a curve. MintPlus vs pump.fun is a comparison of those two models, not of two identical products.
They sit on different chains: MintPlus is Team Finance's launch route on Robinhood Chain, and the pump.fun model originated on Solana. Curve-style pads now exist on many chains, so the decision is between mechanisms rather than names. Disclosure: Locksley is built by TrustSwap and powered by Team Finance, so MintPlus is our sister product.
The decision table
| What differs | Locked-at-birth (MintPlus) | Graduation-first (curve model) |
|---|---|---|
| When a tradable pool exists | At creation, in the mint transaction | After the curve reaches its migration threshold |
| Who funds the pool | The creator, up front | Early buyers, through the curve |
| How the first price is set | By the tokens-to-liquidity ratio you deposit | By the curve's formula |
| Liquidity at creation | Locked, to a release timestamp you set | Held by the curve contract until migration |
| What happens at migration | Not applicable — the pool already exists | Curve proceeds move into a pool under the pad's rules |
| Cost to the creator | Free launch as of August 2026, plus gas in ETH, plus the liquidity you deposit | —pending |
| What a buyer reads on day one | Pool depth, locked share, release timestamp | Curve state, progress to migration, contract terms |
How does the graduation-first model work?
Buyers trade against a bonding curve: a contract that prices each purchase by a fixed formula, so price rises as supply is bought. There is no conventional pool yet. When buying reaches the threshold the pad sets, the token graduates — the curve's funds move into a DEX pool and normal trading begins.
Two consequences matter. The creator needs almost no capital, because buyers supply the liquidity. And until migration the token's liquidity is the curve contract, so a buyer verifies curve state and migration rules rather than pool depth. What happens to the position at migration — burned, locked, or held — is set by the pad, not the model.
How does locked-at-birth work?
The creator supplies liquidity, and mint, pool and lock happen in one transaction. From the first block there is a real pool with readable depth and a liquidity lock carrying an exact release timestamp. On Robinhood Chain that pool is usually a Uniswap v3 position, an NFT, and Team Finance locks it directly — on TrustSwap's own contracts, so Locksley reads that state directly.
The cost sits elsewhere. The MintPlus token launch is free as of August 2026, with the standard $150 lock fee waived by Team Finance, our sister product, per team.finance/robinhood, and gas paid separately in ETH. But the liquidity is yours: seeding a pool commits your own capital. That is not a fee, though it is the real barrier for a creator without capital — walkthrough in launch free with MintPlus.
What can a buyer verify under each model?
Under both, the relevant state is on-chain; the difference is what exists to read while you decide. A pool gives depth, locked share and a release date. A curve gives its own state and rules.
The same care applies to the empty result. "No lock found" means we found none — not that none exists. Locksley does not yet index every locker.
As of —pending, —pending of the last 24 hours' Robinhood Chain launches locked liquidity at pool creation, per Locksley's contract reads — counted from lock events in the same block as the pool, and listed on locked at birth. Where a project burns liquidity instead, locks vs LP burns sets out the trade-off and LP burn explains the dead-address check.
Who should choose which
Choose locked-at-birth if you can fund the pool and want a verifiable lock from the first block. Team Finance's route costs nothing to launch as of August 2026: start at launch a token on Robinhood Chain, and MintPlus launches lists what has gone out through it.
Choose graduation-first if you have no capital to seed a pool and accept a longer path to one, with migration terms as the thing you and your buyers must read. Curve-style routes here are listed on launchpads; the three-way version of this decision is Pons vs Flap vs MintPlus.
The model is not the whole design either way: supply distribution, team allocation and vesting are what buyers screen next, in tokenomics that don't look like a rug.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the pump.fun model on Robinhood Chain?
The pump.fun model originated on Solana, and curve-based launch routes now exist on many chains. Locksley indexes —pending launchpads on Robinhood Chain, each with its mechanics on the launchpads index. Check there for which routes are live rather than assuming a model carries across chains: migration rules and fees are set per pad.
Does a graduated token have locked liquidity?
Not automatically. Graduation moves a curve's funds into a DEX pool; what happens to that position afterward — burned, locked to a release date, or held by the deployer — depends on the pad's migration rules. It is readable on-chain either way: a burn shows at the dead address, a lock shows an amount, a share and a timestamp.
“No lock found” means we found none, not that none exists: we do not index other lockers yet, and it is never a claim about the project.
Liquidity locks vs LP burns
A lock holds a pool position until a release date; an LP burn gives it up for good. Both are verifiable on-chain, differently. How to choose and read each.
Read nextLaunch free with MintPlus: the full walkthrough
A screen-by-screen MintPlus tutorial for Robinhood Chain: mint, pool and lock in one transaction, free as of August 2026, with only gas in ETH to pay.
Read nextTokenomics that don't look like a rug
What buyers screen before they buy: supply distribution, team allocation, vesting and locks. How to design tokenomics for a new token that reads honestly.
See it liveRobinhood Chain launchpads
The Robinhood Chain launchpad index: every pad Locksley tracks, listed alphabetically with live launches, fee schedules and graduation rules per page.
See it liveTokens launched through MintPlus
Robinhood Chain tokens launched through MintPlus, newest pool first. MintPlus is Team Finance's free launch route, and here is what that means for the data.
See it liveHow to lock liquidity, step by step
How to lock liquidity on Robinhood Chain in six steps: find your Uniswap v3 position NFT, set a release date, approve, confirm. Costs, gas and what shows after.
Do itLaunch a token on Robinhood Chain
Launch a token on Robinhood Chain free with MintPlus: mint, pool and lock in one transaction, paying only gas. The steps, the costs, and what happens next.
