Photon Sol Review (2026): Fees, Safety & Features
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By Locke
Updated Oct 11, 2026 · 5 min read
Research review: based on official docs and public data. Our hands-on test is pending, and this page will be updated after it.
Key takeaways
- Photon charges a flat 1% fee on every buy and sell, collected in SOL; its docs publish no discount, cashback or referral perk for new users.
- Photon reveals the private key of your trading wallet only once, when it creates the wallet. Save it then, or you depend on Photon's site to move funds.
- Photon Sol is a Solana-only web terminal by Tiny Astro Inc. at photon-sol.tinyastro.io; you log in by connecting a Phantom wallet.
- Photon trading tools include Memescope, limit orders, DCA orders, up to 5 wallets and 3 presets with auto-buy and auto-sell.
- We found no public report of a hack that drained Photon user funds; the main risk we found is fake Photon sites on other domains.
Our verdict
Is it safe? Mostly, if you save your key. We found no hack that drained Photon user funds, but Photon shows your trading wallet's private key only once, and fake Photon sites exist.
Best for: Solana traders who want a simple web terminal with Memescope filters, limit and DCA orders, and who accept a flat 1% fee
3.6/5
Score
Key facts
| Type | Web trading terminal |
|---|---|
| Chains | Solana |
| Trading fee | 1% |
| Reader perk | Check in app |
| Referral code | — |
| Last checked | Oct 11, 2026 |
Score breakdown
How we score- Fees
- 3.5
- Safety
- 3.5
- Execution
- 3.5
- Ease of use
- 3.5
- Features
- 4.0
What we like
- Simple flat fee: 1% on every buy and sell, collected in SOL
- Memescope feed for Pump.fun and Moonshot tokens with holder, dev and bonding filters
- Limit orders (buy dip, stop loss, take profit) and DCA orders with a market cap range
- Up to 5 active wallets and 3 trading presets with auto-buy and auto-sell
- Smart-MEV routing through Jito and bloXroute, plus an Auto Speed setting
What we don't like
- The private key of your trading wallet is shown only once, at wallet creation
- No published discount or cashback: every trader pays 1%
- Solana only today; the old Ethereum address redirects to the Solana site
- The docs describe login only with a Phantom wallet; they show no email or Google sign-up
Our Photon Sol review in short: Photon is a Solana-only web trading terminal that charges a flat 1% on every buy and sell, with no published referral discount. It is mostly safe if you save your private key, which Photon shows only once. We rate it 3.6/5 from research, not a hands-on test.
Photon in one paragraph
Photon is a trading terminal for new Solana tokens. Its introduction promises one-click snipes, buys and sells, and says you can start trading in less than 30 seconds. The terms of use name Tiny Astro Inc. as the company behind it. You log in at photon-sol.tinyastro.io by connecting a Phantom wallet, according to the Photon on SOL guide. In June 2024, MoonPay added purchases of SOL and ETH inside Photon with cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and bank transfers.
Fees
Photon has one flat fee. The Photon fees page says the fee is 1% of the amount, on every buy and every sell, collected in SOL.
| Item | Photon fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Buy | 1% of the SOL you spend | Fees page |
| Sell | 1% of the SOL you receive | Fees page |
| Example: buy with 5 SOL | 0.05 SOL fee, 4.95 SOL goes into the token | Fees page |
| Referral discount or cashback | None published | Official docs |
| Network costs | Priority fee and Jito bribe, set by you | Settings |
- No referral perk: Photon's official docs publish no discount for new users. Some third-party pages claim one. We do not state a number we cannot confirm.
- Compare: at 1% flat, Photon costs more per trade than Axiom (0.95% to 0.75%) and the same as GMGN. Try your own volume in our fee calculator.
Safety and incidents
- Wallet setup: you connect Phantom, then Photon generates a separate trading wallet. The Photon on SOL guide warns that the private key is revealed only once, at that step.
- Key import: the mobile sign-up guide shows how to import that key into Phantom, so you can move funds without Photon's site. The docs do not describe a later key export.
- Custody wording: the terms of use say Tiny Astro does not own or control any wallet and cannot restore access if you lose control of one. The docs do not use the word "non-custodial".
- MEV protection: Smart-MEV has a Fast mode and a Secure mode. Both send smaller bribes to Jito and larger ones to bloXroute; Secure uses a higher threshold (0.002 instead of 0.001). See MEV.
- Token checks: the token page shows mint authority, LP burned, top 10 holders and the deployer wallet. It flags LP burned under 50% and top 10 holders over 15% in red.
- Hacks: we found no public report of a hack or exploit that drained Photon user funds. Other Solana terminals had incidents, such as the DEXX key leak and the Thunder Terminal breach listed by Helius.
- Fake sites: the main risk we found is lookalike Photon sites on other domains that drain connected wallets, as PCRisk reports. An October 2026 data breach notice from "Photon" comes from Photon Health, a different company, not this terminal.
What this means for you: save the private key the moment Photon shows it. If you skip that step, you depend on Photon's site to move your funds.
Features (from the docs)
| Feature | What the docs say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New token feeds | Live Pairs, Trending and Memescope | Live Pairs, Trending |
| Memescope filters | Pump.fun and Moonshot tokens; top 10 holders, socials, bonding progress, holders, dev holding, liquidity, volume, market cap | Memescope |
| Limit orders | Buy dip, stop loss, take profit; buy dip orders can expire after up to 72 hours | Limit orders |
| DCA orders | Amount, interval, number of orders, market cap range, expiry of 24, 48 or 72 hours | DCA orders |
| Multi-wallet | Up to 5 active wallets | Multi-wallet |
| Presets | 3 presets (S1, S2, S3) with slippage, priority fee, bribe, MEV mode, auto-buy and auto-sell | Settings |
| Speed | Auto Speed sets priority fee and bribe from recent successful transactions | Smart-MEV |
| P&L tracking | Invested, remaining, sold and P&L per token; holdings for the last 30 days | Token page |
| Buy SOL with a card | Yes, through MoonPay (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, bank transfer) | MoonPay |
Photon's FAQ says it submits transactions on every block. If you click Quick Buy or Quick Sell again while a trade is still executing, both trades can confirm. New to these terms? See limit order, DCA, bonding curve and slippage.
Where other tools are better
- Lower fee: Axiom charges 0.95% to 0.75% by tier, with 10% off through a referral link. See the Axiom review and Axiom vs Photon.
- Key export at any time: BasedBot, Trojan and Axiom let you export your key or seed phrase after sign-up, not only once. See the Trojan review.
- More chains: Photon is Solana only. BasedBot covers Solana, Base, BNB Chain, Ethereum and more. See the BasedBot review. Locke works with BasedBot; it is scored with the same methodology.
- Trading from Telegram: Photon is a web terminal. BasedBot, Trojan and GMGN have Telegram bots. See best Telegram trading bots.
- Wallet tracking and copy trading: Photon's docs do not describe them. GMGN focuses on these tools. See the GMGN review.
- Phone-first beginners: Fomo lets you buy from a phone with Apple Pay. See the Fomo review.
All options side by side: best Photon alternatives.
How to start with Photon
- 1
Open the official site
Use the button below or type photon-sol.tinyastro.io. Check the address before you connect. - 2
Connect Phantom
Log in with your Phantom wallet, then click Generate to create your Photon trading wallet. - 3
Save the private key
Use the slider to reveal the key and save it offline. Photon shows it only once. You can import it into Phantom. - 4
Deposit a small amount
Move a small amount of SOL from Phantom to the trading wallet. Set your priority fee, bribe and MEV mode in a preset before your first trade.
We earn nothing from this link. Related: how to buy memecoins, how to spot a rug pull, Pump.fun guide.
Changelog
- 2026-10-11: first research review published. Hands-on test pending.