How to Launch an ICO in 2026: The No-BS Guide

Most ICO guides waste your time with theory. This one doesn't. Here's the exact process to go from idea to live token sale on Ethereum or TON — in one sitting.

TL;DR

1. Design your token model
2. Pick a chain (Ethereum or TON)
3. Set sale parameters
4. Deploy with One-Shotted (free — gas only)
5. Fund the contract and go live

Total time: 10–20 minutes. Total platform cost: $0. You pay only blockchain gas fees (~$4.50 on Ethereum, ~$0.30 on TON).

Step 1: Design Your Token Before You Touch Any Tool

Skip this and you'll join the graveyard of ICOs that raised money for nothing.

Before deployment, nail down:

• Token utility — What does your token actually do? Governance? Access? Payment?
• Total supply — How many tokens exist? Ever.
• Price per token — What's 1 token worth at ICO?
• Hard cap — Maximum raise amount
• Allocation — How much goes to ICO vs. team vs. reserves?

Write this down in a single document. If you can't explain your token model in one page, it's not ready for investors.

Step 2: Choose Your Chain

This isn't religious — it's strategic.

Rule of thumb: Go where your first 1,000 buyers already are. If they're in Telegram groups, choose TON. If they're in Discord/DeFi, choose Ethereum.

Step 3: Set Your Sale Parameters

On One-Shotted, you'll configure:

• Token name & symbol (e.g., "MyProject" / "MYP")
• Total supply (e.g., 1,000,000,000)
• Price per token (in ETH or TON)
• Description — Tell buyers what your project does
• Website & socials — Link your project's online presence

That's it. No Solidity. No FunC. No GitHub. One-Shotted handles the smart contract deployment for you.

Step 4: Deploy Your ICO

Here's the actual flow — it takes about 5 minutes:

1. Go to one-shotted.xyz and select your chain
2. Connect your wallet (MetaMask/WalletConnect for ETH, TON wallet for TON)
3. Create your token — enter name, symbol, supply
4. Configure the ICO — set price, description, website, socials
5. Confirm & sign the deployment transaction
6. Fund the ICO contract — send your tokens to the deployed sale contract

Your ICO is now live. Buyers can find it on the Explore page and purchase tokens directly.

Step 5: Post-Launch — Don't Ghost Your Investors

Your ICO going live is the beginning, not the end.

First 24 hours:

• Share the ICO link with your community
• Monitor wallet interactions on-chain
• Be available for questions

First week:

• Track buy transactions and conversion rate
• Update your community with progress
• Address any buyer confusion immediately

Ongoing:

• Deliver on your roadmap
• Keep communication transparent
• Report treasury usage

Common Mistakes That Kill ICOs

❌ Launching without clear utility — "We'll figure out the token use case later" is a death sentence.

❌ Setting wrong decimals or supply — Double-check before deployment. Smart contracts are immutable.

❌ No risk disclosure — Every ICO should clearly state that token purchases carry risk. This protects you and your buyers.

❌ Overpromising returns — Never guarantee profits. Besides being unethical, it's illegal in most jurisdictions.

❌ Ignoring legal review — ICO regulations vary by country. Get legal advice for your jurisdiction before launching.

Quick Launch Checklist

• ☐Token model documented (utility, supply, price, allocation)
• ☐Chain selected based on audience, not hype
• ☐Sale parameters validated and double-checked
• ☐Project website/docs live with risk disclosure
• ☐Legal review completed for your jurisdiction
• ☐ICO deployed and funded on One-Shotted
• ☐Community notified with direct link to buy

Ready to Launch?

→ Ethereum ICO: one-shotted.xyz/eth/create → TON ICO: one-shotted.xyz/ton/create

No fees. No code. Just gas and go.

Related Links

• Ethereum vs TON for ICO launch
• How to launch an ICO on Ethereum
• How to launch an ICO on TON
• ICO launch cost breakdown
• Ethereum create and TON create