Executive Summary

Over the past two years, Jito Tips have evolved from a niche tool for MEV extraction into the dominant mechanism for transaction prioritization on Solana. Today, they account for the majority of non-base fees on the network and shape how users — from high-frequency traders to casual frontend users — compete for blockspace.

This report offers a data-driven breakdown of how Jito Tips are used, who is using them, and why. We analyze wallet-level behavior, protocol attribution, volatility response, and user segmentation — revealing that while tip usage is widespread, tip volume remains concentrated in high-value, latency-sensitive activity.

Key findings include:

Jito now represents over 60% of priority fee volume, up from ~10% in April 2023.

Volatility doesn’t increase the number of tip Events — it increases how much is spent on tips.

A small set of MEV-driven actors are responsible for the majority of tip volume, particularly in PvP environments like Pumpswap and Pump.fun.

More users are tipping passively through frontends, using small default tips to gain reliability — not edge.

Protocol-level attribution shows a dynamic shift in tip flow, with Raydium v4 losing ground to newer venues like Pumpswap as memecoins migrate.

Jito has quietly become the invisible engine of Solana’s execution layer — not just as a competitive tool, but as a baseline feature. As adoption continues and integration deepens, its influence on how blockspace is priced and prioritized will only grow.

Trends in Jito Tip Usage

A Clear Shift Toward Jito

One of the most consistent trends observed is the growing dominance of Jito Tips over native priority fees:

In April 2023, Jito Tips accounted for just ~10% of the SOL paid in priority fees.

As of early 2025, Jito regularly exceeds 60% of total priority fee volume.

This demonstrates that Jito has become the preferred mechanism for transaction inclusion, especially among high-value or latency-sensitive actors like MEV participants.

The Late 2024 / Early 2025 Spike: A Surge in Wallet Participation

Between late October 2024 and January 2025, the network saw not just a rise in fees — but a dramatic increase in the number of wallets tipping through Jito.

This wasn’t just MEV bots paying more. The spike was driven by:

• Rapid frontend integration of Jito Tips into wallets, aggregators, and Telegram bots
• A wave of new users tipping passively via default settings
• High-throughput periods where even casual users needed faster inclusion

Jito effectively transitioned from a niche execution tool to a default inclusion layer for everyday users. Adoption surged — not from strategy, but from seamless UX design.

The peak came in January 2025 before tapering off, likely driven by:

• Memecoin speculation
• Searcher experimentation
• Cooling volatility

Still, the effects were lasting: even as total fees returned to Q3 2024 levels, the number of daily wallets tipping through Jito more than doubled — signaling a broad behavioral shift that remains embedded in the Solana UX.

Composition of Jito tips

We built a multi-layered attribution system: direct program ID checks, inner instruction parsing, and proximity-based inference. This let us confidently tag most tips by their originating protocol, even for bundles with minimal context. This process involved four key stages:

Step 1: Collecting Tip Transactions

We began by gathering all Solana transactions that sent SOL to known Jito tip wallet addresses during the selected time period. This formed the raw dataset — the complete universe of transactions involving Jito tips.

Step 2: Program Attribution Logic

Next, we determined what each tip was actually paying for by identifying which DeFi program (if any) the tip was associated with. We applied a hierarchical attribution process with three layers:

• Transaction-level attribution: We first checked the top-level instructions in each transaction for known DeFi program IDs.
• Inner instruction attribution: If no matches were found, we parsed the inner instructions of the same transaction to look for additional program IDs.

Signer-block proximity heuristic:

In many cases, the tip transaction only contains a basic SOL transfer — with no clear program interaction. That’s because users often submit a Jito bundle, which includes multiple transactions (e.g., swaps, mints, snipes) along with a tip to incentivize block inclusion.

To capture these indirect cases, we scanned the same block for other transactions signed by the same user. We then parsed both the outer and inner instructions of those nearby transactions to check for interactions with known DeFi programs. If found, we attributed the corresponding tip accordingly.

Step 3: Handling Multi-program Transactions

When a single tip transaction was associated with multiple program IDs, we split both the tip amount and the transaction count evenly across the identified protocols. This avoided double-counting and ensured balanced attribution.

Step 4: Unattributed Transactions

Any tip transactions that could not be confidently linked to a known DeFi program were grouped into an “Other” category. These cases often included:

• Custom contracts
• Novel or niche integrations
• Tips triggered by obscure activity or tooling

What the Data Shows (DATA)

We analyzed four snapshots of Jito tip activity, comparing both:

• Tip Events — Number of Jito tip transactions that interacted with a given protocol.
• Tip Volume (SOL) — Total SOL tipped to Jito in transactions involving that protocol.

Jito tip events by protocol

May 10–17, 2024

Raydium v4 dominated both tip events and total fee volume, accounting for the largest share of urgent transactions across Solana. jup_v6, Photon, and Meteora had a visible presence, while a wide range of smaller contracts made up the long tail. The large “Other” category highlights the early sprawl of uncategorized MEV and bot activity.

Jito tip events by protocol

October 10–17, 2024

Raydium v4 maintained its dominance in fee volume and rose further in relative event count. jup_v6 and Pumpfun also climbed in both metrics, suggesting stronger usage intensity. Notably, Labeled_mev_bot_1 emerged as a visible contributor, and “Other” remained substantial — suggesting growing activity from emerging or unidentified programs.

Jito tip events by protocol

January 10–17, 2025

Raydium v4 still led all categories but saw a proportional drop, while Pumpfun and Meteora picked up momentum. The increase in distinct, lower-frequency actors (e.g., Bonkbot, Zeta, Photon) reflects expanding ecosystem usage. “Other” continued to shrink as more contracts were correctly attributed

Jito tip events by protocol

April 1–8, 2025

Pumpfun surged to a new high in both the share of tip events and total fee volume, overtaking many previously dominant protocols. Pumpswap also emerged strongly, absorbing a large portion of priority fees — much of which had previously been associated with Raydium v4. Notably, Bloom Router gained significant traction during this period, becoming one of the most tipped programs by volume. Meanwhile, Jupiter v6 declined sharply across both event count and fee share, marking a steep drop in network relevance compared to earlier snapshots.

Interpretation

Over time, the composition of Jito tips has shifted — not just in terms of which protocols dominate, but also in the level of fragmentation and diversity across usage.

Tip Volume Is Following PvP Activity

As Jito becomes more embedded in Solana’s trading stack, tip flow increasingly tracks high-intensity, PvP-style environments. This is especially clear in the rise of Pumpswap, which by April 2025 had absorbed a large share of Jito volume — much of it formerly attributed to Raydium v4.

This reflects a structural shift: Pump.fun tokens are maturing into tradeable assets and routing to Pumpswap, not Raydium. The MEV — and the tips — follow the action.

From Tactical to Default:

Originally used for precision timing in swaps and liquidations, Jito Tips are now also applied to infrastructure-level tasks: oracle updates, rebalances, automation. The goal isn’t to win a race — it’s to ensure reliability. For many protocols, Jito has become the default path to inclusion.

Competitive Inclusion vs. Distributed Reliability

Not all tips are equal. Contested, high-value transactions — like snipes and liquidations — still drive most tip volume, with bids sometimes exceeding hundreds of SOL.

Meanwhile, long-tail use cases like orderbook upkeep and frontend defaults produce many small tips. Market makers and hedging strategies rely on throughput and consistency, not dominance — tipping just enough for smooth execution.

These broader patterns expand the tipper base but don’t move volume much. In the end, fee pressure still centers on volatility — and the users who care most about being first.

Volatility Affect on Jito Tips

To evaluate how traders adapt their fee strategy in volatile markets, we built a dataset combining on-chain fee data with a custom composite volatility score. This score captures three dimensions of SOL price turbulence:

• Standard deviation of hourly log returns – baseline price chop
• Max 4-hour rolling stddev – short-term bursts
• Intraday spike % – sudden high-to-low range moves

Each day in the dataset includes:

• TIP_EVENTS – the number of Jito-tipped transactions
• TIP_VOLUME_SOL – the total SOL volume paid in Jito Tips
• PRIORITY_FEE_SOL – total SOL paid via Solana’s native priority fee system
• JITO_TIP_DOMINANCE – the share of total non-base fees paid via Jito Tips

We then computed Pearson correlations between these variables and daily volatility scores to measure behavioral response.

What the Data Shows

TIP_EVENTS showed a very weak positive correlation (r = 0.05) with volatility.

• → This suggests that Jito Tips are not being used more frequently on volatile days — the number of transactions with tips barely changes.
• TIP_VOLUME_SOL, on the other hand, had a stronger correlation with volatility (r = 0.19), indicating that more SOL is being spent on tips during volatile periods, even if the number of transactions (TIP_EVENTS) remains flat.
• JITO_TIP_DOMINANCE also rises slightly with volatility (r ≈ 0.12), implying that a higher share of marginal fees are being funneled through Jito, not the base Solana fee market.
• PRIORITY_FEE_SOL also showed a modest positive correlation (r ≈ 0.15), meaning traders do respond to volatility by paying more for inclusion — through either mechanism.

Interpretation

The weak correlation between volatility and TIP_EVENTS (r = 0.05) shows that the number of Jito-tipped transactions doesn’t meaningfully increase when the market is volatile. However, the stronger correlation with TIP_VOLUME_SOL (r = 0.19) suggests that more SOL is being tipped per transaction on volatile days.

This implies that:

Baseline tippers (e.g., casual users and long-tail protocols) continue tipping at their usual levels, unaffected by market volatility.

During volatile periods, arbitrage opportunities widen and become more profitable, which means searchers can afford to pay higher tips.

There are also likely slightly more high-value opportunities, increasing competition for priority slots.

Additionally, JITO_TIP_DOMINANCE — the share of non-base fees paid via Jito — also shows a positive correlation with volatility (r = 0.12). This means that, on average, a greater proportion of execution fees flow through Jito rather than Solana’s native fee market when volatility increases.

User preference appears to shift subtly in favor of Jito during volatile periods, not through higher adoption, but through higher per-transaction spend. In other words, users who already rely on Jito become more aggressive with their bidding — suggesting a preference for reliability and execution guarantees in uncertain conditions.

In short, volatility doesn’t widen the tipper base — it raises the stakes among those already competing. Jito becomes more central to execution when it matters most, not because more people use it, but because those who do are willing to spend more for reliability, speed, and priority.

Tip User Breakdown and Priorities

This section highlights key user groups and their reasons for tipping — though it does not cover every segment of Jito usage. To put things into context, there are about 13 million tip transactions each day, with approximately 12,500 SOL spent on tips daily.

BonkBot Users

jito ~50,000 tx/day | 3K–5K wallets/day | 90–150 SOL/day in tips

Retail users interacting via Telegram bots like BonkBot. They rely on Jito to avoid being sandwiched, not to front-run others. This group values timing and protection, but is far more cost-conscious than MEV bots. Check out the activity Here

Photon Users

80K–120K Jito tx/day | ~4K wallets/day | ~200–400 SOL/day in tips

These users appear to route swaps via the Photon aggregator, sometimes indirectly through third-party frontends. It’s unclear whether Photon itself submits the bundle or if it’s done by clients, but the volume is significant. Check out the activity Here

Custom Strategy Users

~12% of all Jito tip activity

EOAs that interact with custom-built contracts to batch multiple DeFi calls — swaps, flashloans, liquidations, etc. This group operates like MEV searchers but via programmable execution. These contracts often obscure logic and chain operations atomically and often are doing pool to pool arbitrage, liquidations or just getting swaps though in a specific way.

Memecoin farmers

Behavior: Launch token → Simulate demand → Wait for real buyers → Rug using Jito

Example Mint: Solscan link

Example Sell: Solscan link

A distinct user class has emerged across Pump.fun, Raydium, and Pumpswap — operating what amounts to an on-chain rug factory. The typical playbook looks like this:

A wallet launches a new token, often one of many created in rapid succession.

It buys up most of the supply using Jito-tipped transactions to secure liquidity control and initial pricing.

It simulates organic activity by distributing tokens across a network of controlled wallets, triggering price movement and social signals.

If real buyers start entering, the wallet dumps its position aggressively — using high tips to front-run exits and avoid slippage.

Often, it exits even without real buying, unloading into thin liquidity the moment interest fails to materialize.

This group is highly automated, time-sensitive, and likely behind many suspicious Pump.fun launches. They generate hype, simulate demand, and use Jito to guarantee exit liquidity — turning speed into a rugging weapon.

Note: Other wallets may not follow this exact script but use similar strategies: create or acquire tokens early, simulate interest, and offload fast using high-tip exits.

Jito Tip Default Users

These users engage in small DeFi transactions through apps like Jupiter Exchange, Raydium, or other common frontends, often without realizing they’re using Jito tips. Because tips are integrated by default into many interfaces, these users benefit from faster inclusion and protection from MEV without consciously opting in.

They represent a broad group of casual users who prioritize convenience and reliability over fine-tuned strategy. Their transactions tend to include small, default tips, and while their individual impact is minimal, they contribute to the steady baseline of Jito usage that keeps the system humming in the background.

Snipers

Snipers fall into two types: large-scale insiders who drop 10–800 SOL tips for guaranteed entry, and microcap bots that spray tiny tips across dozens of launches daily. Both rely on Jito to secure top-of-block inclusion — whether for precision or probabilistic edge. You can see examples of some of the largest snipe transactions in the section below.

Orderbook & Perp Managers

These users interact with on-chain order books (e.g., Phoenix, OpenBook) and perps platforms (e.g., Zeta, Drift), using Jito tips to ensure optimal execution and active position management. They make up a critical class of actors focused on inventory balancing, hedging, and order upkeep.

This group currently makes up ~10% of Jito tip transactions, though they account for a much smaller share of total tip volume. In previous months, they were even more prominent by count, but never by total SOL spent — as their strategies tend to be frequent, lower-tip, and precision-focused.

Largest Jito transactions

Below is a sample of different types of transactions where the Jito tips were extremely high — and how the outcomes justified the spend.

buying 5M $TRUMP Tokens at ~$0.20 with a tip of 357 SOL

• 4JCQ2YWQjqBzXJb8tFKc659fnKLH1qpqK4GauS3ANdFyvJub6esZDaT5sSHhF3GU4TVqJp8LjDaqwb1JBgZpmxD9

We dug deeper into the transaction and found that the Trump tokens were immediately sent to a wallet labeled ff.sol, which then distributed them across a large network of wallets. These wallets began selling the tokens that same day, with prices ranging from $11 to $36 in the transactions we reviewed (Example1, Example2, Example3).

Under conservative assumptions — pricing all sales at just $20 — the person behind this move likely walked away with over $95 million in profit, off the back of a single $100K Jito tip used to secure the initial allocation.

Kamino flashloan of 50K SOL used to generate a 636 SOL trade profit, with a tip price of 547 SOL.

• 2zCXUjDmhKhHb4hh2UzT5XdsxEXD4cn7VjDAGSJBd6fH1at24UPjGUUFWLwyG1iZcFEC7nEMMiZ7q76KgrWRtqgM📷

This is a self-contained transaction that found an inefficiency between two pools of a memecoin and arbitraged the pools, generating instant profit of 89 SOL.

Purchase of 156M greed2 for 247 SOL token with a tip of 804 SOL

• 2sNJF8FsVqCXaqCSQMo1PubH3hhNEd3drJ8RTqhEV6uD3hKbNfDsHS7uFtHwHDbZjT1dfpA7UGUbba1nQLiM3ksy

Once the tokens were bought, they began to be sold off within 15 seconds. The tipper ended up making a net profit of ~1,400 SOL before accounting for the tip, resulting in a total net profit of ~600 SOL after the tip was deducted.

Purchase of 148M CURVE for 200 SOL token with a tip of 851 SOL

• 2zCXUjDmhKhHb4hh2UzT5XdsxEXD4cn7VjDAGSJBd6fH1at24UPjGUUFWLwyG1iZcFEC7nEMMiZ7q76KgrWRtqgM

Once the tokens were bought, they began to be sold off within 2 seconds. The tipper ended up making a net profit of 867 SOL before accounting for the tip, resulting in a total net profit of ~16 SOL after the tip was deducted.

Final Thoughts

Jito Tips are no longer a niche optimization — they’ve become the invisible scaffolding of Solana’s fee market. What started as a tool for MEV searchers has grown into a generalized system for reliable inclusion, powering everything from high-stakes arbitrage to casual swaps.

Tip usage is deepening, not broadening: more users are tipping passively, but most volume still comes from a small group of latency-sensitive actors who ramp up during volatility. They spend more because the margins justify it.

Tipping behavior is shifting along two key axes:

• From tactical (win the slot) → to structural (ensure inclusion)

• From manual (custom logic) → to ambient (UX defaults and infra hooks)

The rise of Jito marks a quiet but meaningful shift: inclusion isn’t guaranteed — it’s bid for. Every transaction, from MEV bundles to frontend swaps, now expresses urgency in SOL.

Tipping isn’t just a tool — it’s becoming a coordination layer. Most tips today aren’t for critical state, but they’re building the muscle memory. When contention hits, Jito’s already in place as the default bidding mechanism for blockspace.

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