GMGN is the better choice for most traders: it charges the same 1% as Photon but adds copy trading, wallet tracking, mobile apps, a Telegram bot and far more chains. Photon's edge is a clean security record and documented DCA. GMGN scores 8.7/10 and Photon 6.9/10.
Risk notice: Crypto trading is high risk and memecoins can go to zero in minutes. Trading bots use hot wallets. This page is not financial advice; only trade what you can afford to lose.
Quick verdict
- Pick GMGN to copy wallets, trade from a phone or Telegram, or trade memecoins on EVM chains too. Open GMGN
- Pick Photon for a plain Solana web terminal with limit and DCA orders and no incident history. Open Photon
Side by side
| GMGN | Photon | |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 8.7/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Fee | 1% flat | 1% flat |
| Net fee after official discounts | 1% (no referee discount published) | 1% (no referee discount published) |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Telegram | Web |
| Chains | 11 on DefiLlama incl. Solana, BNB, Base, Ethereum, Robinhood Chain | Solana (separate BNB and Base sites) |
| Checklist features (of 10) | 7 | 5 |
| Copy trading | Yes | No |
| Custody | Non-custodial; GMGN says it can't move balances | Wallet created at sign-up, key shown once |
| Security record | Oct 2025 MEV failure and phishing attack, both compensated | No confirmed breach |
| 30-day fees on DefiLlama | $5.77M on Solana ($51.95M total) | $432K |
Sources: GMGN fee docs, Photon fee docs, Photon Guides. Usage: GMGN and Photon on DefiLlama, as of September 26, 2026.
Fees
This is a draw. GMGN's docs say "1% handling fee for a single transaction, and there are no additional charges." Photon's docs state 1% "of the initial token amount" on each buy and sell, collected in SOL. Neither has volume tiers, universal cashback or an official referee discount.
The practical differences are in the extras. GMGN recommends a combined priority and tip fee of 0.002-0.005 SOL for normal trades and 0.006 SOL or more for automated limit orders. Photon leaves priority fees and Jito tips entirely to you. On both, the venue takes its own cut; Pump.fun's bonding curve charges 1.25% each way (Pump.fun).
If fee level is your deciding factor, neither is the cheapest option. See cheapest Solana trading bot.
Winner: tie.
Features
| Checklist item | GMGN | Photon |
|---|---|---|
| Sniping / launch buys | Automated buys | Auto-buy triggers only |
| Limit orders | Yes (web and Telegram) | Yes, with SL/TP |
| DCA / TWAP | Not documented | Yes |
| MEV protection | Optional anti-MEV | Smart-MEV |
| Wallet tracking | Smart-money tracking | No |
| Copy trading | Yes | No |
| New-token feed | Yes | Memescope |
| Perps | Not documented | No |
| Multichain | Yes, one app | Separate sites |
| Social / X monitoring | Not documented | No |
GMGN: docs, CoinCodeCap. Photon: Photon Guides.
GMGN's reason to exist is following other wallets: find smart-money addresses, track them and mirror their trades. Photon can't do any of that. Photon's one advantage is DCA. Copy trading has costs of its own; user reports mention 2-5 second copy delays on GMGN (uwuu.ai). Read copy trading Solana wallets explained before switching it on.
Winner: GMGN.
Safety
GMGN had two incidents in one week. On October 25, 2025, its anti-MEV nodes on BNB Chain were sandwich-attacked for about 13 hours, affecting 729 transactions (Crypto Economy). On October 28, 2025, a phishing attack through a fake token website hit about 107 users (PANews). GMGN said it compensated users in full both times.
Photon has no confirmed breach. Photon Guides notes clone sites that drain wallets, so the main risk is typing the wrong URL. Photon shows your private key once at sign-up; save it offline.
Neither incident at GMGN was a theft from its own wallets, and users were made whole. Still, Photon's record is cleaner. Our are Solana trading bots safe? guide covers phishing defenses for both.
Winner: Photon.
Ease of use
GMGN is on every surface: web, iOS, Android and a Telegram bot (@GMGN_sol_bot), with sign-in by email, social account or Telegram (CoinCodeCap). Photon is web-only; Photon Guides says mobile users import the key into Phantom's in-app browser, which adds another place the key lives.
Photon's screen is simpler. GMGN's is denser, but its how to use GMGN guide gets you through setup quickly; for Photon, see how to use Photon.
Winner: GMGN.
Usage
As of September 26, 2026, DefiLlama shows GMGN at about $5.77 million in Solana fees over 30 days, out of $51.95 million across all chains; most of its volume is now on Robinhood Chain and BNB Chain. Photon shows about $432,000, all on Solana. GMGN is about 13 times busier on Solana alone. Photon Guides reports Photon's monthly fees peaked around $84.6 million in January 2025.
Who should pick which
Wants to copy wallets: GMGN. See best Solana copy trading bot.
Trades from a phone: GMGN, through its app or Telegram bot.
Trades BNB Chain, Base or Robinhood Chain memecoins: GMGN, all in one app.
Wants DCA on a simple web screen: Photon.
Puts incident history first: Photon.
Already on Photon and looking around: see Photon alternatives.
Scores
| Fees | Features | Security | Usability | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMGN | 6.0 | 7 | 8.0 | 9 | 8.7 |
| Photon | 6.0 | 5 | 9.0 | 7 | 6.9 |
Method: about page.
Bottom line
At the same 1% price, GMGN simply gives you more: copy trading, wallet tracking, apps, Telegram and 11 chains. Photon is still a working, well-documented terminal with a clean record, but it's hard to pick over GMGN unless DCA or a spotless history is what you care about most. On our editors' list, which weighs score, usage and ease of starting, GMGN is #3 and Photon #8 (how we rank). Also see GMGN vs Axiom, Axiom vs Photon and the full ranking.