# Pre-Launch Bounty

* shorter in duration
* smaller in payout
* more situational in use

Compared with post-launch bug bounties, pre-launch bug bounties are usually:

Pre-launch bug bounties are not the default path for most teams. They are typically used only when launch timing, release complexity, or deployment sequencing creates a meaningful pre-mainnet window.

* giving whitehats an incentive to report issues before deployment
* creating a formal disclosure path during the final stretch before launch
* adding one more layer of external scrutiny before code reaches production

In that window, a pre-launch bug bounty can help by:

A pre-launch bug bounty is a more specific type of Web3 bug bounty used before a protocol goes live. <br>

**Most protocol teams ultimately want a post-launch bug bounty on live code, but a pre-launch bounty can be useful when there is still a gap between audit completion, fix review, and mainnet deployment.**\
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**Note:** Unlike an audit contest, which is a fixed pre-launch review event designed to pressure-test a codebase at scale, a pre-launch bug bounty is a narrower disclosure program used to keep incentives active during the gap between fix review and mainnet launch.