How to Buy Pepe (PEPE) – Beginner’s Guide

Based on the iconic frog from Matt Furie’s Boy’s Club series, Pepe PEPE $0.000003 4.88% Pepe PEPE Price $0.000003 4.88% /24h Volume in 24h $307.36M Price 7d Buy Now! first took the internet by storm and later became a favorite of the crypto meme coin community on many Pepe exchanges, driving trading volume.

Launched as an ERC-20 token in mid-April 2023, this frog-themed meme coin made a space for itself in a crowded field of dog coins. After its stealth launch, Pepe’s market capitalization rose to more than $500 million within two weeks, with a live market cap of $6.6 billion, as of January 2025. In this guide, we’ll explain how to buy PEPE and provide an overview of PEPE as an investment opportunity.

Unlike many of today’s meme coins, Pepe did not have a presale. Instead, a community-driven buying frenzy put the coin at the top of the meme coin mountain, paving the way for a trillion-dollar meme coin market.

Best Wallet: A Self Custody Wallet to Buy and Store PEPE

Best Wallet stands out as a top choice to buy and store Pepe (PEPE). It is not like your typical crypto exchange. Best Wallet is a non-custodial wallet that enables you to maintain full control and ownership over your digital assets. In contrast, centralized crypto exchanges custody customers’ crypto holdings, which can expose them to censorship and exchange failure risks.

One of its most impressive features is the built-in decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator. This tool scans prices and network fees across multiple DEX websites in real-time, helping users find the best rates and lowest gas fees for onchain PEPE swaps.

Best Wallet supports multiple blockchains, including the Ethereum Network, which is home to the Pepe meme coin. The platform’s multi-chain support allows you to hold tokens and other cryptos from different blockchains on a single app.

Learn more about this user-friendly crypto wallet in our Best Wallet Review.

Pros and Cons: Why Best Wallet is Perfect to Manage Your Crypto Holdings?

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Buying PEPE on MEXC: Advanced Trading

You can buy Pepe through Best Wallet. You can also check out the MEXC crypto exchange where you can take advantage of trading features to maximize your investment potential.

MEXC is a global crypto exchange with deep trading liquidity, low trading fees, and wide selection of tokens. The exchange is known to offer customers a wide variety of token listing. MEXC has consistently been among the first centralized crypto exchanges to list new-created, trending and exotic cryptocurrencies and memecoins.

Learn more about this one-of-a-kind crypto exchange in our MEXC Review.

Step-by-Step Guide to buying PEPE on MEXC

Let’s do a more detailed walkthrough on how to buy Pepe using MEXC. The MEXC exchange is now among the largest in trading volume, helping to ensure efficient trades. The process is similar for other exchanges and brokerages.

1) Create Account

Visit MEXC and click on Sign Up. MEXC supports account creation using an email address or a phone number.

If you expect to trade in large amounts (80-BTC equivalent), you’ll also need to complete KYC (Know Your Customer) identity verification. MEXC requires a valid government-issued photo ID for Primary KYC, such as a driver’s license or a passport. Advanced KYC requires facial recognition in addition to a government photo ID.

2) Select the Purchase Method and Amount

MEXC offers several ways to fund your account, depending on region. You can transfer supported cryptocurrencies to the exchange if you already have crypto in another wallet. If you already have USDT in another wallet, this will be one of the cheapest ways to fund your trade, paying only network fees. You can also fund your account using SEPA, where supported, without deposit fees.

Additionally, MEXC supports credit or debit cards and payments through third-party providers, such as Banxa (shown below).

Choose an amount and fund your account so you can purchase PEPE.

3) Choose Pepe for Trading

Once you’ve made a deposit, click on Spot Trading from the menu and then search for “Pepe.” Then, choose the PEPE/USDT pair. This allows you to buy Pepe using your USDT balance.

4) Make Your Purchase

Below the chart, you’ll see an area where you can set your trade. The example below shows a limit order based on 100 USDT.

MEXC also supports market orders for instant execution. Additionally, you can use this section to set up take-profit orders and stop-loss orders to lock on profits or avoid costly losses due to volatility.

Once you’ve made your trade, MEXC sends your tokens to a custodial wallet on the exchange. Optionally, you can withdraw to a non-custodial wallet that you control. We’ll cover some self-custody options in a later section.

Buy Pepe on MEXC

Several leading exchanges, including Coinbase, MEXC, and Margex, offer PEPE trading. For example, the video below demonstrates how to buy PEPE on the popular Margex exchange.

Pros and Cons of CoinFutures

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Ways to Buy Pepe Compared

Each exchange offers different funding options. Generally, bank deposits provide the cheapest funding method, when supported, but can also come with withdrawal restrictions and deposit delays. Credit or debit card purchases typically mean faster transactions but expect to pay a fee for using this method.

To buy Pepe on MEXC, you may want to fund your account with a stablecoin like USDT, which tracks the value of the US dollar. Let’s compare ways to buy USDT, which we can then use to buy PEPE.

Notably, payment options and token availability vary by platform and locale. For example, eToro no longer supports most cryptocurrencies for US traders (BTC and ETH supported), and MEXC does not support US crypto trading at all.

Methods of Buying Pepe Compared

Next, let’s compare different ways to buy Pepe, including exchanges and brokerages that support the token.

What is Pepe Coin?

Pepe stands apart in the meme coin world as one of crypto’s greatest success stories. The project launched to little fanfare and quickly gained momentum as a community formed around the token and Pepe himself. Pepe memes flooded X and Telegram channels, and a market hungry for a crypto coin that wasn’t about Shiba Inu dogs adopted Pepe as its mascot.

Key Features

A big part of Pepe’s appeal is that the coin doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a fun meme coin. There’s no intrinsic utility, no burn mechanism, or native staking. In short, Pepe is what it is: a fun and unpretentious coin with an enthusiastic community that helped propel its market cap to more than 6.6 billion.

What Makes Pepe Interesting

The Pepe character helped the meme coin Pepe reach the masses. Pepe was already a popular meme on discussion boards and social media sites. When the coin launched in 2023, it met a massive audience ready for something different. Since then, countless Pepe-inspired coins have been launched alongside armies of other coins based on Boy’s Club characters. Still, Pepe has remained the meme coin king among newcomers.

Although Pepe’s market cap is still lower than long-established memes like Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB), Pepe caters to a broader audience, a mix of centralized exchange traders and self-proclaimed “degenerates” (degens) who trade on decentralized exchanges and push the coin on social media. By contrast, DOGE and SHIB primarily trade on centralized exchanges like Coinbase or Binance. Decentralized exchange traders bring a level of enthusiasm that doesn’t come naturally to centralized exchange coins.

Pepe Tokenomics

Pepe’s supply is just as tongue-in-cheek as the meme itself. Hipsters will get the references. The supply is capped at 420.69 trillion tokens, 93.1% of which were sent to a liquidity pool at launch. The pool was then burned by sending it to an unrecoverable wallet address. The remaining 6.9% were held in a multi-sig wallet reserved for liquidity on centralized exchanges like Binance. Now, Centralized exchanges represent some of the largest holders of PEPE, giving traders ample inventory and excellent liquidity. Pepe’s two largest wallets belong to Binance.

About 1.6% of the PEPE supply has been burned, taking more than $128 million worth of coins off the market.

Pepe Community

To succeed, meme coins need a few key ingredients, the most important of which is a vibrant community. Pepe already enjoyed wide recognition on social media platforms like X, Reddit, and 4Chan. The coin’s launch offered a way to bring Pepe fans together wherever they were.

An active X account combined with a supercharged Telegram channel with more than 34,000 subscribers help spread awareness and give holders ample material for posting on their own. A community-run Reddit adds another 40,000 members to the Pepe Army, all cheering each other on and pushing the price higher.

Why Buy PEPE and Is It Worth It?

Many cryptocurrencies market the benefits and utility of the coin. Pepe does none of that. This lovable frog with a bit of an attitude epitomizes the meme coin craze. It’s a coin that does nothing. There is no intrinsic utility, although some ways exist to use PEPE tokens in decentralized finance protocols. More on that in a bit.

Buyers invest in Pepe for the meme itself. While this approach seems questionable because there is no prominent use case for the token, prices have skyrocketed nonetheless, fueled by a worldwide audience of Pepe fans.

Since its launch, Pepe has minted countless millionaires. Its dip in late 2024 coincided with a dip in Ethereum itself. Pepe launched as an ETH/PEPE trading pair, so its value fluctuates with ETH’s market moves and buying and selling pressure for PEPE itself.

Certik audited the PEPE token, scoring it in the top 10% for token security, comparable to popular protocol tokens like EigenLayer, Filecoin, and Tron. Clean audits and a super-active trading community helped major exchanges like Binance, Kraken, and Coinbase decide to list the token, creating exceptional liquidity.

In addition to how to buy Pepe, there’s the question of whether you should buy Pepe. We can’t offer financial advice, but the basic safety considerations are all there.

Pepe Safety Considerations

• The main liquidity has been burned.
• Centralized exchanges offer a convenient onramp and have evaluated the token in detail.
• PEPE has passed a rigorous audit by Certik.

Many believe we are in a new bull market cycle, with altcoins like Pepe following Bitcoin’s lead. Comparable projects like DOGE and SHIB both have higher market caps, suggesting that PEPE may have more room to run as the bull run continues.

If you choose to buy Pepe, consider making the investment part of a diversified portfolio. Meme coins can be particularly volatile, bringing tremendous upside potential as well as considerable downside risk.

Check out our video on why Pepe is about to explode:

 

Best Way to Store PEPE in 2026

Crypto exchanges like MEXC offer a custodial wallet to store PEPE and other cryptocurrencies. A custodial wallet is held by an exchange or broker and allows access through an account login. The custodian holds the wallet’s private keys on the blockchain but typically moves a large percentage of the crypto on the platform to cold storage, which stores the private keys offline.

Many traders prefer to hold their own crypto rather than leave it with an exchange or broker. The reasons for this choice range from security to the ability to use their crypto assets in on-chain protocols. Self-custody wallets, also known as non-custodial wallets, allow you to store your PEPE safely in a wallet you control and use your PEPE tokens for staking to earn a yield or in web3 games. And Best Wallet is the top pick in this category.

Next, let’s look at some popular choices for crypto wallets that support PEPE and the Ethereum blockchain.

Ethereum Software Wallets

Software wallets, also called hot wallets, store your wallet’s private keys on a device connected to the internet, such as a computer, tablet, or phone. These apps provide easy access to your crypto and allow you to connect to decentralized applications. Let’s review some of the leading software wallets for Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens, like PEPE.

Best Wallet

The aptly named Best Wallet offers multichain support, including Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens like PEPE.

Best Wallet supports more than 60 chains and allows you to buy PEPE or other tokens without using an exchange. Once you make a purchase, the tokens are deposited directly into your wallet, saving several steps compared to buying through an exchange. However, the cost of buying could be higher in some cases. We compared the number of tokens for a $100 buy using Best Wallet versus MEXC with crypto funding, and MEXC came out on top.

Best Wallet excels at being a user-friendly mobile app that allows users to store, swap, and buy crypto. The app supports iOS and Android. However, Best Wallet does not offer a desktop app or browser extension.

MetaMask

The popular MetaMask Wallet offers a basic interface but powerful features under the hood. Like Best Wallet, MetaMask supports multiple chains, although it is limited to chains that are compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

MetaMask also supports swaps and purchases through third-party providers. However, compared to Best Wallet, buying Pepe requires additional steps. MetaMask caters to a more experienced user who needs access to decentralized protocols, and its settings allow users to unlock many additional features.

MetaMask is compatible with Chromium-based browsers or Firefox on desktops. It also offers a mobile app for iOS and Android.

Ethereum Hardware Wallets

Hardware wallets, or cold wallets, generate and store your wallet’s private keys on a separate device that does not connect to the internet. This feature protects your keys from online threats, such as hacks or app vulnerabilities.

Ledger

Ledger hardware wallets offer wireless or wired options. Hardware wallets connect to your computer or mobile device only when needed for transaction authorizations. Ledgers support Ethereum and ERC-20 tokens, making them a popular choice for long-term secure Pepe token storage. Notably, they can also connect to MetaMask, allowing you to store your Pepe tokens offline while still connecting to decentralized applications.

What Can You Do With Pepe Tokens?

Earlier, we described Pepe as a token that does, well, nothing. That’s not completely true. Many Pepe holders use their tokens to earn a yield or as collateral for other trades.

• PEPE Liquidity Positions: Pepe trades on centralized exchanges, but a large percentage of the trading volume goes through decentralized exchanges like Uniswap. Token holders can deposit PEPE into liquidity pools that allow trading on Uniswap, giving liquidity providers trading fees in paid PEPE, ETH, or other cryptocurrencies.
• Gaming: While Pepe’s gaming uses are still limited, games like Pepe The Game hint at the possibilities of using this multi-billion dollar coin in Web3 gaming apps.
• Collateral: Some exchanges like Binance and MEXC let you use your Pepe tokens to make larger trades using leverage.

Buy $PEPE Verdict – A Promising Investment?

Pepe has already had an impressive run, but the party might not be over yet. Many believe meme coins will take center stage later in the crypto cycle, possibly sending tokens like Pepe to new heights. A clean audit and broad support from leading crypto exchanges make Pepe one of the safer choices in the meme coin arena concerning smart contract integrity and liquidity. However, meme coins are known for their price volatility, meaning fast gains can disappear just as quickly. As always, consider diversifying your portfolio and never invest more than you can afford to lose. A safe and reliable platform is also essential when dealing with meme coins. Best Wallet is the top user choice in this category.

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References:

• Biggest cryptocurrency exchanges based on trade volume (statista.com)
• How to Buy PEPE in 2 Minutes! (youtube.com)
• Pepe (PEPE) Burned Supply (etherscan.io)
• Pepe -Certik Audit (certik.com)
• How To Connect Your Ledger Wallet To Metamask Securely (ledger.com)