How to Use a Solana Trading Bot
A complete beginner's guide to memecoin trading on Solana.
Which Should You Start With?
There are two real starting points, and which one applies to you matters more than anything else in this guide:
Never had a crypto wallet
Start with Fomo. Sign up with Apple Pay, no wallet to set up, no bridging funds first. Skip to the Fomo section below, or read the full Fomo tutorial.
Already have a funded wallet
Or want the deepest analysis toolkit — use Axiom. The step-by-step below walks through it.
What You'll Need
This list is for the Axiom path below. Going with Fomo instead? All you need is a phone and an Apple or Google account — skip to the Fomo section.
- A Solana wallet — We recommend Phantom (free browser extension)
- SOL for trading and fees — You'll need SOL in your wallet
- A trading bot account — We'll use Axiom in this guide
Set Up Your Wallet
If you don't already have a Solana wallet, install Phantom:
- 1. Go to phantom.app and install the browser extension
- 2. Create a new wallet and securely save your recovery phrase
- 3. Fund your wallet with SOL (buy on Coinbase, Kraken, or similar)
Pro tip: Create a separate wallet just for trading. Don't use your main wallet that holds significant assets. Trading wallets should only contain what you're willing to lose.
Choose a Trading Bot
If you already have a wallet, Axiom is the deepest, highest-volume option:
- • Web-based interface (no Telegram needed)
- • Clean, intuitive design
- • Highest volume = best execution
- • Built-in token safety checks
See our full rankings for other options, or Axiom vs Fomo if you're still deciding between the two.
Connect & Sign Up
- 1 Go to axiom.trade (bookmark it for safety)
- 2 Click "Connect Wallet" and select Phantom
- 3 Approve the connection in your Phantom popup
- 4 When prompted for an invite code, enter:
sellpump - 5 Complete any account setup steps
Make Your First Trade
Once you're connected, here's how to buy a token:
- 1 Find a token
Use the search bar to find a token by name or paste its contract address
- 2 Check the safety score
Axiom shows warnings if a token looks suspicious. Avoid tokens with red flags.
- 3 Enter the amount
Type how much SOL you want to spend (start small!)
- 4 Set slippage
For volatile memecoins, you may need 5-15% slippage. Higher = more likely to fill.
- 5 Click Buy and confirm
Approve the transaction in your wallet popup
Selling Your Tokens
Selling works the same way in reverse:
- 1. Click on the token in your portfolio
- 2. Click "Sell" and enter the amount (or use quick buttons like 25%, 50%, 100%)
- 3. Confirm the transaction
Pro tip: Take profits on the way up! Many traders sell 25-50% of their position when they're in profit, keeping the rest as a "free" position. Memecoins rarely hold their highs.
Or Start With Fomo (No Wallet Needed)
Everything above assumes you already have a Solana wallet. If you don't, Fomo skips that step entirely:
- 1. Sign up with your Apple or Google account — no seed phrase, no separate wallet app. Fomo creates a self-custodial wallet for you behind the scenes.
- 2. Add funds with Apple Pay, a debit card, or a crypto deposit. Whatever you add becomes USDC, which is what you trade with.
- 3. Find a token, or a trader to follow and copy, from the Feed or Leaderboard.
- 4. Tap Buy, enter an amount, and swipe to confirm. Selling works the same way in reverse.
- 5. Withdraw to any external wallet whenever you want — it's your money the whole time.
Use referral code iamsmart at sign-up for 10% off fees — it can't be added later. Full walkthrough: Fomo Tutorial.
Tips for Beginners
Start Small
Begin with amounts you're comfortable losing completely. This is gambling with extra steps.
Don't FOMO
If something has already pumped 1000%, you're probably too late. There will always be another opportunity.
Use Stop Losses
Set automatic sells to protect against major dumps. Better to take a small loss than a total wipeout.
Keep Records
Track your trades. You'll owe taxes on profits, and you can use losses to offset gains.
Common Questions
How much SOL do I need to start?
For the Axiom/wallet path, we recommend at least 0.5-1 SOL to cover trades and transaction fees — many traders start with $50-100 worth. On Fomo, there's no SOL requirement at all; fund with Apple Pay in any amount.
What are priority fees?
Priority fees are extra payments to get your Solana transaction processed faster. During busy periods, higher fees mean faster execution. Wallet-based bots like Axiom let you adjust these manually; Fomo handles it for you automatically.
Why did my transaction fail?
Usually it's slippage (the price moved too much) or insufficient fees. Try increasing your slippage tolerance or priority fee.
Is memecoin trading profitable?
It can be, but most traders lose money. The success stories you see are survivorship bias. Only trade what you can afford to lose completely.
Should I start with Axiom or Fomo?
It depends on whether you already have a crypto wallet. If you don't, Fomo is the easier start — Apple Pay, no wallet setup, no bridging funds first. If you already have a funded Solana wallet, Axiom's deeper analysis toolkit is worth the slightly steeper first step.
Bot-Specific Tutorials
Ready to dive deeper? Check out our detailed tutorials for each platform: