Crypto presales are a popular fundraising method that blockchain startups use, with investors joining presales to buy new cryptocurrencies before they are added to exchanges. Presale crypto project tokens are often offered at a discount and with a small market capitalization.
Investing in crypto presales is a high-risk, high-reward area of cryptocurrency. Early investors who got in on the floor of top crypto projects like Ethereum ($ETH) and BNB ($BNB) all saw significant gains from their investments. However, many presale crypto projects fizzle out, fail to live up to their potential, or end up being outright scams.
So, which are the best crypto presales in 2025? We explore projects below, ranking them by use cases, token dynamics, partnerships, and other core metrics.
We will then explore how presales work, how to identify potential 1000x gems, and what risk management strategies to employ.
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Top Crypto Presales to Watch in 2025
Our research shows these are the best new crypto presales to explore right now:
1. Solaxy ($SOLX) – Layer-2 Solution for Solana
Solaxy ($SOLX) is a layer-2 network built for the Solana ecosystem. The project addresses the ongoing pain points for the Solana blockchain: congestion and failed transactions.
In 2024, at the peak of Solana’s meme coin rally, the ecosystem experienced mass outages, preventing traders from buying or selling tokens. Solana’s frequent network issues also damage the blockchain’s reputation, prompting Web 3.0 developers and platform users to consider other ecosystems.
Solaxy’s next-gen technology verifies transactions off-chain, freeing up the main Solana network and allowing it to focus on security and proof-of-stake validation. Solaxy batches those transactions into bundles and adds them to Solana, ensuring high-volume processing without impacting efficiency.
The Solaxy team has already raised over $33 million in its presale phase. Investors buy $SOLX tokens at a discounted rate, and prices increase every few days to encourage early participation. Presale investors can earn staking rewards immediately — 121% APYs are currently available.
Analysts predict that Solaxy may secure multiple exchange listings after its presale, although the team will confirm this nearer the time.
Find out more about Solaxy
2. BTC Bull Token ($BTCBULL) – Rewards Token Holders as BTC Price Rises
BTC Bull Token ($BTCBULL) is a milestone-based meme coin that rewards token holders as the price of Bitcoin ($BTC) rises. The team rewards holders through token burns and airdrops that are triggered when Bitcoin reaches the next price milestone.
Many crypto projects employ burning mechanisms, often leading to extended price rallies, although none with such a unique trigger as $BTCBULL. For BTCBULL, token burns occur when Bitcoin hits $125,000, $175,000, and every additional $50,000 milestone until $975,000.
Each burn reduces the $BTCBULL supply, creating scarcity and helping the price appreciate over time.
Airdrop rewards are triggered when Bitcoin hits $150,000, $200,000, and every further $50,000 until the world’s biggest digital asset achieves a $1 million prize. The team distributes airdrop payouts in real $BTC rather than the native $BTCBULL token. This distribution model provides exposure to Bitcoin and the BTC Bull Token simultaneously.
The presale campaign has raised $5.3 million so far. Prices increase every few days, ensuring all participants receive a discounted rate. Investors can stake their presale tokens at 77% APYs, subject to change based on demand.
Find out more about BTC Bull Token
3. MIND of Pepe ($MIND) – AI Agent Generating Crypto Insights
MIND of Pepe ($MIND) is a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) agent that uses hive-mind analysis to generate real-time crypto market insights. It scans thousands of data points per second from a range of source materials, including social media, tier-one media publications, and blockchain transactions. This process allows $MIND holders to discover 1000x gems before they explode.
The autonomous AI agent, which goes live on May 10, 2025, also promotes the $MIND narrative on social networks. It creates dialogue on Reddit, Crypto Twitter, and other popular platforms to attract attention to the project. MIND of Pepe develops posts and comments based on sentiment and trends with zero human input — this revolutionary concept positions it as one of the best crypto presales to watch.
The underlying self-sovereign technology also enables MIND of Pepe to create new tokens. It creates the smart contract, audits the code, and deploys tokens on DEXs.
Project themes and categories align with existing trends, whether that’s BNB Chain meme coins or decentralized finance (DeFi). $MIND holders have priority access to these new launches before the public, delivering a first-mover advantage and the lowest crypto market capitalization.
The presale event ends on May 31, 2025, and over $8.7 million has been invested. The team offers $MIND tokens at a final presale price of $0.0037515; no minimums apply. Presale buyers can earn huge staking rewards before the exchange listing — dynamic APYs are currently 261%.
Find out more about MIND of Pepe
4. SUBBD ($SUBBD) – AI-Powered Content Creator Platform
SUBBD ($SUBBD) is the world’s first AI-powered content creator platform. Built on the Ethereum blockchain, the project disrupts the $85 billion subscription-based content industry. The platform has over 2,000 top influencers with 250 million combined followers.
$SUBBD is the native ecosystem token and benefits content creators and fans alike. Fans secure closer relationships with their favorite influencers through exclusive content, behind-the-scenes footage, and early drops. They also receive discounted subscription fees and loyalty bonuses.
Content creators hold $SUBBD tokens to access proprietary AI tools, enabling anyone to launch unique AI influencers. The AI tool creates profile imagery, unique videos, voice notes, and live streams. Platform users can monetize their AI creations through subscriptions and fan donations — payments are received in $SUBBD, ensuring organic demand and driving price appreciation.
The presale has raised about $325,00 so far, and it’s still in the early stages — this perk lets participants buy $SUBBD at the lowest price possible.
The team plans to list $SUBBD on centralized and decentralized exchanges when the presale ends. The exchange launch will have a $55 million market capitalization, should the team reach its $11 million hard cap.
Find out more about SUBBD
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What Are Crypto Presales?
Crypto presales are the blockchain equivalent of initial public offerings (IPOs) — a fundraising campaign that enables companies to raise funds before their first stock exchange listing. Presales issue new cryptocurrencies rather than shares, and they typically operate on existing blockchains like Ethereum, BNB Chain, or Solana.
The best crypto presales are generally startup entities with unique products and concepts, providing the broader Web 3.0 sector with innovative solutions to real-world problems. They use the presale process to raise funds — a common requirement for most startups. Presale investments are received in large-cap digital assets like $ETH and Tether ($USDT) to ensure regulatory compliance, as raising “fiat” currency would breach securities laws.
The core team usually lists their native tokens on crypto exchanges when the presale finishes. The public can then trade the tokens 24/7, and prices are determined by demand and supply.
Types of Presales
Most crypto presales work similarly — the project raises funds, and investors receive a newly issued token. Those presale crypto tokens are then listed on public exchanges.
There are several different types of presales, though, determined by the investment stage.
Seed Rounds
The seed round is often the presale’s initial stage, similar to investing in traditional startups before the IPO event. Seed rounds are aimed at institutional-grade investors, typically angel investors and venture capitalists (VCs).
Investing in the seed round provides the lowest token price, but with certain caveats. Investment amounts must meet substantial minimums, often at least $100,000.
Seed round investors are usually subject to vesting terms, too. This requirement means presale tokens are locked for a certain time frame and then released gradually over time. For example, seed investors may be able to sell 10% at the exchange listing and 10% every month thereafter — this protects the broader token supply from immediate selling pressure and allows the project to grow organically.
Private Sales
The private sale follows the seed round and is typically reserved for strategic partners. The best crypto presales often partner with investment arms from tier-one exchanges—examples include YZi Labs(formerly Binance Labs), Coinbase Ventures, and OKX Ventures.
Projects that secure investment from these partners obtain a stamp of approval from industry leaders and a conditional exchange listing when the presale ends.
Private sale investors — including crypto whales and early project adopters — receive a favorable valuation. However, vesting terms and high minimum investments are almost always required, just like seed round participants.
Public Presales
The public sale is the final presale stage — it’s open to the general public and comes just before the token generation event (TGE). Despite paying a slight premium compared to seed and private round investors, the public sale still offers a discounted token price.
The purchased tokens are often unlocked immediately at the TGE, allowing participants to sell without restrictions. Another benefit is that project development usually evolves when the public presale arrives, reducing the risk and providing a clearer insight into the underlying product or service.
Benefits and Risks of Crypto Presales
Presale investing offers a first-mover advantage: Participants gain exposure to new projects at the earliest stage possible. Most presale projects have small market capitalizations, especially if the core use case is new and unproven. This benefit allows presale participants to target substantial long-term gains as the project grows.
Consider the Ethereum presale in 2014. Investors risked capital on the world’s first smart contract blockchain long before it became a mainstream phenomenon. The presale offered $ETH for approximately $0.34, growing by over 1.6 million percent at its 2021 peak of almost $5,000.
BNB, Solana, and many other top-50 cryptocurrencies also had presale events, delivering life-changing returns for early adopters.
Presale tokens can also unlock special privileges for early backers. These include staking rewards before the exchange listing, which lets participants increase their holdings without needing to invest more money. The APY is usually at its highest in the early rounds and reduces as more tokens are staked.
Investors must consider the risks before proceeding. Only a small percentage of projects achieve global adoption — the remainder quickly become irrelevant, leaving presale buyers with significant losses. Another risk is that the development milestones are never completed, or the product fails to serve its purpose. Some presales are outright scams — the founders have no intention of delivering on their promises.
Presale beginners should also be aware of regulatory risks — the broader industry is unregulated. Global regulators, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), frequently target presales offering “unregistered securities”. The SEC instructed Telegram, the entity behind the TON blockchain, to return $1.2 billion in presale funds and pay a $18.5 million penalty.
How to Evaluate Promising Crypto Presales
The most challenging aspect of presale investing is picking suitable projects. Investors must conduct in-depth research on various variables, including the use case, token supply, and core team.
This section explores these variables in more detail, helping beginners choose the best crypto presales to join in 2025.
Team and Advisors
Start by evaluating the project founders and core team — experienced industry leaders with proven results in their respective fields often run successful presales. The project’s website should display an organizational structure with C-level positions like CEO, COO, and CMO, as well as links to LinkedIn profiles. Investors can then assess the team’s abilities independently.
Many presale startups have a team of advisors, too — look for notable organizations that can help drive organic growth throughout the project’s life cycle. Advisors often double as seed round investors or strategic partners, signaling strong interest and a willingness to risk company resources. Solana’s presale, for instance, received advisory and investment backing from Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm with over $45 billion in assets under management.
Note that many crypto presales opt for anonymity over team transparency. While this is a red flag that presents accountability risks, some of the world’s largest cryptocurrencies operate anonymously, including Bitcoin and Shiba Inu.
Whitepaper and Roadmap
The whitepaper is the most important document when evaluating crypto presales in which to invest. It’s a comprehensive document that outlines everything investors need to know about the project, including the long-term vision, token use cases, and target market. The whitepaper is a technical blueprint that should leave no stone unturned, similar to a business plan or investment prospectus.
The roadmap also appears in the whitepaper. It provides a growth timeline for key project objectives, including development milestones, product releases, adoption rates, and revenue.
After reading the whitepaper, investors should cross-reference any claims made to ensure legitimacy. Credible presale projects provide technical evidence and real-world case studies, while opportunists focus on marketing buzzwords and hyperbole.
Tokenomics
Presale projects have unique tokenomics that investors should evaluate before proceeding. The founders issue a certain number of tokens and allocate them across core departments, such as marketing, development, and partnerships.
The total supply can be limited or uncapped — the former is preferred, as new token releases dilute existing investors. The tokenomics also dictate the initial circulating supply and the fully diluted valuation (FDV). Sui, for instance, has just 33% of its 10 billion supply in circulation, so most tokens are yet to enter the public domain.
Token utility is equally important. The best crypto presales ensure holders enjoy real use cases, driving long-term demand for ecosystem stakeholders. The use case often unlocks access to primary products or services, such as play-to-earn games or DeFi yields. Utility can also extend to ecosystem fees or governance rights.
The key takeaway is that presale tokens should offer an identifiable benefit rather than simply being a speculative asset.
Community and Hype
A strong, active, and engaged community drives long-term adoption. Without it, presale projects remain under the radar, preventing the token price from achieving its true potential.
Participants should gauge community strength before investing. A good starting point is assessing demand — how much capital has the presale raised so far, and does this align with the team’s objectives? Successful presales are often oversubscribed, with each stage selling its maximum allocation long before the intended deadline.
You can also evaluate the crypto community strength on social media. Look for the presale project on X, assess how many followers it has, and whether the community actively engages. Projects with a huge following but limited engagement are a big red flag, as they could be relying on paid bots.
The most successful token presale projects have loyal communities who actively help promote their investments. High engagement leads to social media virality and helps drive rapid price growth. Presale projects increase their chances of achieving hype by incentivizing community members, such as weekly token rewards for the most active participants.
Security and Audits
One of the biggest risks of investing in crypto presales is that some projects are outright scams. Security best practices, such as reviewing the smart contract audit, help mitigate these risks.
Established blockchain auditors like Certik and SolidProof offer a significant safeguard: they conduct extensive due diligence of the smart contract code, ensuring potential investors are aware of vulnerabilities. Without a smart contract audit, malicious terms could be inserted under the radar, such as allowing the founders to mint an unlimited number of tokens or deploy a huge transaction tax.
Risk-averse investors prefer “renounced” smart contracts, meaning the founders can no longer change the underlying terms.
How to Participate in Crypto Presales
Most crypto presales follow a similar investing process. Let’s explore the key steps in more detail.
Step 1: Research Suitable Presale Projects
Since the prior bull cycle, the presale investment space has become oversaturated, giving investors significant choice but also making it harder to spot the next big project.
Avoid rushing into a presale investment because of a well-written whitepaper or a massive token discount. Instead, take a step back to evaluate the bigger picture — explore the token supply, core team, use cases, market capitalization, and broader crypto narratives.
Investors should make an informed decision based on independent research rather than depending on third-party recommendations.
Step 2: Set Up a Wallet
Even the best crypto presales don’t accept fiat money—this is to ensure regulatory compliance and avoid breaching securities laws. The result is that presale investments are made via wallet payments, keeping the process on-chain and legal.
The best DeFi wallets support multiple token standards, allowing investors to join presales from ecosystems like Ethereum, Solana, and BNB Chain. Trust Wallet, as the image below shows, supports various functions on various chains.
Trust Wallet is a popular choice for managing investments on a smartphone — its native app for iOS and Android supports 100+ blockchains in a user-friendly environment. Desktop users may consider Exodus, which offers a browser extension for Chrome and dedicated software for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Ensure the wallet offers non-custodial storage — you control the private keys without relying on third-party entities. Making presale investments from a centralized wallet like Binance or Coinbase will result in a loss of funds. This is because centralized wallets are pooled, so they cannot receive non-supported tokens on your behalf.
Step 3: Fund Your Wallet
Go to the presale website and check which cryptocurrencies are accepted as payment. The most common options are $ETH, $USDT, and $BNB, although some token presales also accept $BTC and $SOL. You can then add one of these cryptocurrencies to the wallet.
The cheapest option is to purchase digital assets from an online exchange like Binance or MEXC — these platforms offer ultra-low commissions and allow instant deposits via traditional payment methods. Next, request a withdrawal from the exchange to the private wallet’s address.
Buying cryptocurrencies directly in the wallet interface is a more convenient yet costlier option. Providers like Trust Wallet and Exodus have built-in fiat gateways so that you can use debit/credit cards and e-wallets. The digital assets usually appear in the wallet balance immediately after payment is processed.
Step 4: Join the Presale
The final step involves visiting the presale website, connecting the wallet, and completing an investment form. Presale participants select the payment token (e.g., $ETH) and enter the amount — you must confirm the purchase from within the wallet. This step authorizes a smart contract to transfer the payment token to the presale project.
Most projects distribute tokens to investors when the presale ends, often a few days before the TGE. While the team transfers tokens to the same wallet used to invest, participants usually need to claim them manually.
The best practice is to follow the project on Telegram and X. This way, you’ll receive updates about the presale and TGE directly from the team.
What are the Best Platforms for Presales?
This section explores the best places to discover presale events.
Binance Launchpad
Binance, the world’s largest exchange, has a native Launchpad for new projects. The fundraising campaign is technically an initial exchange offering (IEO) rather than a traditional token presale because the event is held on Binance and the respective tokens list there when it ends.
Binance Launchpad receives an unprecedented number of applications from projects that seek financing, but only a small percentage are approved. The exchange has a strict and lengthy due diligence process to ensure only legitimate projects cut. The Binance team assesses token use cases, the team’s experience, and other essential metrics. Some of the best altcoins to buy went through the Launchpad process, including Axie Infinity, Kava, BitTorrent, and Injective.
Although it ensures quality over quantity, the Binance Launchpad has some drawbacks. Participants must have a verified Binance account, meaning a completed KYC process with uploaded government-issued ID. This requirement won’t appeal to investors who wish to remain anonymous, perhaps because they live in a non-crypto-friendly nation or lack access to verification documents.
Another issue is that Binance Launchpad has a lottery-based system—those interested in investing must stake $BNB to earn tickets. Every Launchpad event is oversubscribed, so only a few participants are selected.
CoinList
CoinList is also renowned for hosting the best presales. One example is Solana, now one of the world’s largest crypto projects by market capitalization. Its CoinList event offered $SOL for just $0.22. The price has since increased by 1337x, turning a $100 investment into over $133,000.
CoinList pre-vets all presale projects extensively — only 14 events were held in 2024. Participants must complete KYC, and eligibility is based on the “filling up from the bottom” model.
This system prioritizes investors with more minor purchase requirements to ensure a much wider token distribution. The drawback is that higher investment amounts often go unfulfilled.
ICO Bench
ICO Bench is a free database for upcoming and active presale events. The platform lists presales by the end date with direct links to the project’s website. Investors can then do independent research by assessing the whitepaper, roadmap, and token supply.
All listed presales are run directly by the startup, so participants can join without completing KYC or entering a lottery-style draw. Most presales come without minimum or maximum limits, but the ICO Bench team doesn’t pre-vet projects, so extra due diligence is a must.
What are the Risks of Participating in Presales?
A small percentage of presales produce substantial gains, allowing participants to experience the full growth cycle. However, crypto presales are high risk — you could lose some or all of the amount invested.
Below are the main risks to be aware of as a presale buyer.
Scams and Fraudulent Projects
Anyone can launch a presale event to raise funds from the crypto markets. No safeguards or consumer protections need to be in place, making the presale process attractive to scammers.
Most presale projects promise future development targets — these may be innovative and revolutionary. Still, without evidence of a minimum viable product, it’s hard to know whether the claims are legitimate.
Due diligence is the most effective way to mitigate potential scams. Red flags include an overuse of hyperbole, buzzwords, promises of huge price gains, and unaudited smart contracts.
Regulatory Uncertainty
Crypto presales typically operate in a gray regulatory area — a lack of existing legislation for digital assets means they function without oversight. However, some jurisdictions have taken a much firmer stance on presale events.
The BBC reports that China outlawed crypto ICOs in 2017, when this fundraising style was still a new phenomenon. Before the government stepped in, an estimated $395 million worth of ICO investments were made in China that year.
U.S regulators view most presale tokens as unregistered securities offerings — this is why many projects block U.S. IP addresses. Enforcement is challenging, as presale participants use VPNs as a workaround, and crypto wallet payments aren’t tied to the country of residence.
Market Volatility
Most presale tokens face substantial volatility after the TGE, especially projects with small market capitalizations. Liquidity is often limited, causing wild pricing swings, even on modest order sizes.
Sniper bots amplify further volatility — they buy and sell tokens immediately after liquidity is added. The best crypto presales implement anti-bot measures, but these aren’t guaranteed safeguards.
Conclusion
Crypto presales let retail clients invest in new blockchain startups before the TGE. The key benefits include a discounted token price and undervalued market capitalization, allowing token presale participants to target substantial long-term growth.
Presales are riskier than established cryptocurrencies, primarily when investing in early development projects. Investors should conduct extensive due diligence on the core team and token use cases, and ensure they use a diversification strategy.
It’s also wise to follow regulatory developments in your home country and ensure you only risk funds you’re comfortable losing.
Best Crypto Presales FAQs
What is a crypto presale?
Is a crypto presale different from an ICO?
How can I identify legit crypto presales?
What are the typical stages of a crypto presale?
Who can participate in crypto presales?
How can I keep my presale investment safe?
Do I have to pay tax on profits from crypto presales?
Can I sell my presale tokens immediately after the token launch?
Where can I find up-to-date information on upcoming crypto presales?
References
- Solana Blockchain Hit by Hours-Long Network Slowdown and Technical Problems (Bloomberg)
- Telegram to Return $1.2 Billion to Investors and Pay $18.5 Million Penalty to Settle SEC Charges (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)
- Exclusive: Andreessen Horowitz Seeks to Raise $20 Billion Megafund Amid Global Interest in US AI Startups (Reuters)
- China Bans Initial Coin Offerings Calling Them ‘Illegal Fundraising’ (BBC)
