On Monday, Base token launchpad Zora accounted for more tokens created than Solana’s Pump.fun and LetsBonk, marking the first time since early 2023 that a single chain led Solana in token launches, according to Coinbase’s Director Conor Grogan.

Zora surpassed these competitors by creating an estimated 51,575 tokens in a single day, accounting for 67.7% of all token creations across Base and Solana. This figure dwarfed Pump.fun’s 4,173 tokens and LetsBonk’s 22,554 tokens, with Zora’s production rate jumping from an average of 6,500 tokens per day last month to this all-time high.

“This is the first time since early 2023 that a chain has had more tokens launched on it than Solana.”

Differentiation from platforms like Pump.fun lies at the heart of Zora’s growth. Rather than deploying probabilistic MISO (Multi-Output Single Input) tokens, Zora turns every social post on its platform into a sellable token on Base.

Juan Lescano, Head of DeFi at Base, described Zora’s unique model as encouraging user-created content rather than bot-driven activity. “These are USERS creating CONTENT… instead of that content going viral AND THEN being tokenized,” Lescano stated.

Dune analytics reveal the shift in dominance, while also highlighting issues with Pump.fun. The platform’s creator revenue-sharing feature, which became profitable with new fees, incentivized bot activity, the rationale behind rug pulls, and the accumulation of questionable token holdings.

Data analyst Adam Tehc points out significant bot presence on Pump.fun, with only one human wallet identified among its top earners. This contrasts with Zora, which the creator community argues fosters authenticity despite some low-effort posts.

While both platforms involve tokenizing virality, Zora’s model focuses on user engagement and content ownership. Critics note that even Zora isn’t immune to spamming, but the platform appears to offer more genuine innovation than the standard crypto novelty mint on Solana.

Example artifacts included Jack Butcher’s “Lemonade Stand” series, showcasing varied engagement levels, from confusion by some (like Confugen’s tweet) to interest from the trading community. The art’s shifting value proposition through different Ethereum Virtual Machine instructions illustrates Zora’s experimental approach.