How to Buy Pepe (PEPE) in 2025 – A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners
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Pepe (PEPE) is the third-largest meme coin in the world by market cap, and has given buyers multiple opportunities to generate life-changing gains since it first emerged in April 2023. PEPE’s total value is currently $1.72B, and it’s particularly notable for its community of almost 500,000 PEPE holders – who choose to support this token even though it has no real-world utility. Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) are the only meme coins that have outperformed PEPE over the long term, making it a go-to for investors looking for “blue-chip” meme cryptos.
This guide will walk you through how to buy PEPE step by step. We’ll also cover the essentials you’ll need (such as an account on a popular crypto exchange like Binance or OKX, and a secure crypto wallet like Best Wallet), explain the story behind the PEPE crypto, and dive into everything you need to know before trading PEPE or holding it as an investment.
What Is PEPE and Why Do People Buy It?
Pepe (PEPE) is a meme coin inspired by Pepe the Frog – one of the leading characters featured in the comic book series Boy’s Club, which was created by the cult cartoonist Matt Furie. While Boy’s Club dates back to 2005, Pepe the Frog transcended the comics and became the subject of a viral internet meme starting in 2008, via the online forum 4chan. Countless variations of the Pepe meme have been created over the years, and popularized by celebrities from Katy Perry to Donald Trump and Nicki Minaj, who all shared their own takes on the concept via social media.
Given the Pepe meme’s worldwide brand recognition, a full-fledged crypto meme coin was inevitable – and the PEPE coin itself was launched by a team of anonymous developers on the decentralized crypto exchange Uniswap in April 2023. Within just a few weeks, its price had increased by around 1,300%, offering speculators a glimpse of its potential.
Following a lengthy stabilization and consolidation period, PEPE became one of the leaders of the market-wide meme coin explosion that began in February 2024, entering a series of bull runs that saw the token’s market cap balloon to a peak of more than $10 billion in mid-December last year. At that point, PEPE had generated up to 233,000,000% in profits for buyers who purchased their coins in the days after the project launched. However, this figure is best used to indicate the scale of PEPE’s success, as the vast majority of “OG” buyers would have sold their coins long before then.
Most importantly, PEPE achieved its now-legendary growth even though it has no utility whatsoever – and the project’s website explicitly states that “the coin is completely useless and for entertainment purposes only.” Countless meme coin projects have attempted to emulate Pepe’s success, employing a vast range of established and brand-new meme characters and mascots – but the leading frog coin remains far ahead of its competitors.
Why PEPE Is Still Popular:
- Relatively new meme coin, created and launched in 2023
- Third-largest meme coin by market capitalization (currently $1.72B)
- Known to outperform the broader crypto market during meme coin surges
- Simple tokenomics (liquidity pool tokens burned, no taxes, contract ownership renounced)
- Success driven by community (including almost 500,000 token holders and 781,000 followers on X), not utility
- Pepe the Frog meme continues to go viral on a regular basis
Is PEPE Still Worth Investing in Today?
Meme coins have become a core part of the crypto space over the last few years – and Pepe still ranks in third place behind Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) on global market cap leaderboards. Although PEPE hit its all-time high back in December 2024, and has not yet managed to return to similar levels, it remains popular among day traders and long-term investors due to its ability to establish strong support even during turbulent market periods. For specific information about PEPE’s past (and potential future) price performance, check out our in-depth PEPE price prediction.
Thousands of new meme coins are now entering the market on a daily basis, especially since the emergence of crypto launchpads like pump.fun, but most fail to generate any profit at all – and only a handful (such as dogwifhat (WIF), Official Trump (TRUMP), and Pudgy Penguins (PENGU)) have broken into the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. This means that PEPE is still a rare example of a meme coin that succeeded due to the sheer power of its community and the meme it was inspired by. As more would-be competitors emerge and fail, PEPE simply stands out even further.
As meme coins partly exist as a form of entertainment, some investors enjoy asking questions like “Can PEPE reach $1?” However, when calculating the potential value of any cryptocurrency, it’s important to remember that market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the token’s price by its supply. As PEPE has a supply of 420.69 trillion tokens (and would therefore hit a market cap of $420.69 trillion at a price of $1 per PEPE), $1 is an unrealistic target – but such lofty goals are simply not necessary to generate significant gains when the current PEPE price is only $0.0000040.
For long-term believers in the enduring popularity of the Pepe the Frog meme, meme coins in general, and the “frog coin” niche more specifically, PEPE could be a good coin to add to a diversified crypto portfolio. That said, we always recommend conducting real-time analysis of any financial asset before entering a trading or investment position, and ensuring you have a solid risk management strategy in place ahead of time.
Where Can You Buy PEPE Coin?
PEPE is available on most of the best crypto exchanges, including centralized exchange (CEX) platforms and decentralized exchanges (DEXs). The table below covers five of the most popular options for traders and investors looking to buy PEPE in 2025.
| Binance | OKX | KuCoin | Uniswap | SushiSwap | |
| Spot Fees | 0.1% | 0.08% | 0.1% | 0.05%, 0.3%, or 1% (depending on liquidity pool used) | 0.3% |
| Regulation | Operates in 180+ countries, with some restrictions in the United States and UK | Operates in 160+ countries, not fully regulated in the US | Operates in 200+ countries | Decentralized exchange; legal status subject to regulations that vary by country/region | Decentralized exchange; legal status subject to regulations that vary by country/region |
| Payment Methods | Credit/debit cards, bank transfers, Apple/Google Pay | Credit/debit cards, bank transfers, third-party options depending on country | Credit/debit cards, bank transfers, Apple/Google Pay | Requires connection to self-custody crypto wallet (e.g. MetaMask or Best Wallet). Fiat purchases available via credit/debit card or bank transfer | Requires connection to self-custody crypto wallet (e.g. MetaMask or Best Wallet). Fiat purchase support varies by country |
| KYC | Required for fiat transactions and withdrawals over 2 BTC/day | Required for full access to all features | Not required for basic trading functions, but needed for higher limits | No KYC required | No KYC required |
| Minimum Deposit | No minimum for crypto deposits; $15 minimum for fiat deposits, but this can vary | No minimum for crypto deposits; fiat minimum usually $10 | No minimum for crypto deposits; fiat depends on payment provider used | Funds required to cover swap and gas fees. Fiat purchase minimums depend on the coin being purchased, and market conditions | Funds required to cover swap and gas fees. Fiat purchase support and terms vary by country |
| Ease of Use | Beginner-friendly with advanced range of features | Suitable for all levels of experience | Easy for beginners to use, simple interface | Good choice for beginners trying a DEX for the first time | Offers more advanced features than Uniswap, but basic interface is easy to use |
This table is updated on a regular basis, to ensure you can choose a platform that meets your personal requirements.
How to Buy PEPE – Step by Step Guide
In the step-by-step guide below, we’ll show you a quick and simple way to buy PEPE.
Step 1: Choose a Crypto Exchange
You can buy, sell, invest in, and trade PEPE through any of the crypto exchanges mentioned in the previous section – but in this example, we’ll show you how to buy Pepe Coin through Binance. For full details about this platform (which is the world’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume), check out our comprehensive Binance review.
Step 2: Create an Account and Complete KYC
Binance makes it quick and easy to create a new account, and provides signup and login options using an email address, phone number, or an existing Google or Apple account. You’ll need to provide personal details and verify your identity to complete Binance’s Know Your Customer (KYC) process, with specific requirements depending on the country you live in.
Step 3: Deposit Funds
Once you’ve set up your account, you can make crypto purchases and pay with a standard bank card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and other third-party options that may vary depending on your location.
Step 4: Search for “PEPE” and Place an Order
At the top of your Binance interface, click the “Trade” menu item, then choose “Spot Exchange” from the dropdown menu. Spot trading means you’re buying and selling the actual cryptocurrency you intend to purchase.
Within Binance’s spot trading interface, look for “PEPE” using the search tool in the top right-hand corner. Then select PEPE/USDT, which will display the current PEPE price chart, real-time market data about the coin, and buying and selling interfaces below the chart.
The simplest way to buy PEPE is through a market order, which means you’re buying at the current market price. We always recommend performing in-depth technical analysis of the PEPE price chart, as this will enable you to determine the best time to buy PEPE.
When you select the option to execute a market order, you’ll be prompted to specify how much you want your purchase to be worth in USDT (as in this example we’re trading PEPE for the USDT stablecoin). Make sure you’re happy with the purchase value, and click “Buy PEPE” to complete the transaction. The trading interface will automatically update to display the value of your PEPE holdings, and your PEPE will also show up on your Binance portfolio dashboard.
Step 5: Store Your PEPE in a Secure Crypto Wallet
Crypto exchanges offer a convenient place to execute trades – but if you plan to hold your coins for an extended period of time, it’s worth bearing in mind that centralized crypto exchanges can be vulnerable to hacks, exploits, cyberattacks, and internal mismanagement that could lead to the loss (or even theft) of user funds. Examples range from the Bybit hack (the largest theft in history at $1.5 billion worth of ETH) to the collapse of FTX, who infamously misused their customers’ funds and allowed Alameda Research (a related hedge fund) to use them for its own trading and investment activities. This is why the savviest crypto users prefer to store their coins in a self-custody wallet (such as Best Wallet) for extra security.
The term “self-custody” means that only you have access to your wallet, your funds, and any required login credentials. Some crypto wallets also have additional integrated features, such as decentralized exchanges (for token swaps), staking applications, crypto presale launchpads, and more. Some wallets even allow you to buy PEPE directly within their apps, in exchange for fiat currency from your bank account or a crypto-to-crypto exchange through a DEX.
There are many creative ways to make money with cryptocurrency, from crypto presale investments to yield farming, airdrops, mining, crypto lending, and more. Once you’re familiar with basic concepts like spot trading and decentralized swaps, take some time to explore more advanced options and see what works for you.
Things to Know Before You Buy PEPE
As we mentioned earlier, it’s best to carefully time your PEPE purchases, and make sure you understand the project before buying PEPE. Below, we’ll look at some additional factors to bear in mind.
🎢 Volatility of Meme Coins
The meme crypto market is known for its extreme price volatility – which can mean potentially extreme gains when prices go up, but also creates a constant risk of losses during sudden price crashes and dips. Massive meme coin price moves can occur in a very short space of time (sometimes days or even hours), and be heavily influenced by social media posts, short-term trends, and unpredictable news events. This makes meme tokens risky for long-term holders, while traders with shorter time horizons tend to prefer them in order to make quick gains and exit as soon as possible.
🙅 PEPE Is Not Affiliated With Matt Furie
Although the PEPE coin was inspired by Pepe the Frog, one of the main characters from Matt Furie’s Boy’s Club comics, Matt Furie himself is not associated with and does not endorse PEPE. The meme coin was created by a group of anonymous developers, and its website states that PEPE has no official supporting team, roadmap, or real-world utility. Instead, its momentum relies on community support and the viral nature of the Pepe the Frog meme.
🤔 No Real Utility – Speculative Asset
As noted above, the Pepe project’s website highlights that “PEPE is a meme coin with no intrinsic value or expectation of financial return.” It also mentions that “there is no formal team or roadmap,” and “the coin is completely useless and for entertainment purposes only.” This transparency is actually a key factor behind PEPE’s success; buyers have a clear understanding of what their investment entails, and can make their own decisions based on this information.
😬 High Upside, High Risk
Pepe’s price history clearly shows how volatile meme coins can be. It’s surged by up to 330% during single weeks in the past – but one-week dips of up to 30% (and extended retraces) are also not uncommon, making PEPE more suitable for buyers with a high risk appetite. Before buying crypto tokens like PEPE, always consult and analyze the token’s price chart (and broader crypto market conditions) to make sure you’re entering a position at the right time.
Buying PEPE on a Centralized Exchange (CEX)
During the quick step-by-step guide earlier in this article, we covered the basics of setting up an account on a centralized exchange like Binance, and buying PEPE using a market order. When executing a market order, your purchase will automatically be made based on the current price of PEPE – but this is constantly changing, meaning that you may not get the exact price you’d prefer. However, you can also use limit orders to target a specific price, and make sure you don’t get affected by slippage.
Returning to the Binance trading interface we used earlier, selecting “Limit” instead of “Market” prompts you to enter the specific price you’re willing to pay when buying PEPE, and the amount of PEPE that you want to buy at that price.
After you specify your target price and how much PEPE you intend to buy, you can simply click the “Buy PEPE” button. Your order will then be recorded in the “Open Orders” list below the trading interface, and will only be executed when PEPE reaches your chosen price.
When using limit orders, it’s important to remember that you may not get the full amount of PEPE that you wanted to buy if the amount of PEPE being sold at that price is insufficient. This is why crypto exchange liquidity (the ease with which you can buy or sell an asset) is such an important factor to consider.
Whether you’re buying PEPE using a market or limit order, it’s still best to move your funds to a secure self-custody crypto wallet if you intend to hold your PEPE as a long-term investment. CEX platforms are strong choices for buying, selling, and trading crypto – but as we’ve already seen, holding funds in exchange wallets comes with unavoidable risks that can only be resolved by using a self-custody wallet instead.
How to Buy PEPE Using a Decentralized Exchange (DEX)
Unlike centralized exchanges, decentralized exchange (DEX) platforms are not controlled by third parties and companies that need to operate in line with local regulations. DEXs also allow users to directly connect their self-custody crypto wallets and retain full control of their funds while engaging in trading and other activities. Popular self-custody wallet options include MetaMask, Trust Wallet, and Best Wallet.
Our experts have put together a complete guide on how to choose a crypto wallet – and once you’ve chosen and set up your wallet, you’ll be able to connect it to a popular DEX like Uniswap, which we’ll use in this example.
The “Connect” button in the top-right corner allows you to connect your crypto wallet, and Uniswap’s trading interface is much simpler than the ones you’ll find on centralized exchanges. That said, Uniswap also does not include integrated price charts – which means you’ll need to use a third-party service like TradingView to perform any technical analysis before executing your trades.
To help mitigate the more unpredictable nature of DEX token swaps, Uniswap allows you to specify your slippage tolerance using the swap settings menu. The default slippage limit for PEPE is 5.50%, but this can be adjusted as needed. Like Binance, Uniswap also allows users to set up limit orders – so you can decide exactly how much you want to pay when buying PEPE.
When trading on DEX platforms, you’ll also need to pay a “gas fee” (blockchain network usage fee) in addition to Uniswap’s trading fees (which can be 0.05%, 0.3%, or 1% depending on the liquidity pool used during the swap). Gas fees go to the miners or validators who maintain the blockchain network used to execute the swap, so are not being paid directly to Uniswap. Gas fees can be prohibitively expensive on some networks, and usually vary depending on the current level of network traffic, so traders usually try to execute their orders during low-traffic periods.
After you buy PEPE using a DEX, your coins will show up in your crypto wallet and you’ll immediately have access to (and full control over) your PEPE coins.
Always make sure you double-check contract addresses before connecting your crypto wallet to any decentralized app (dApp), smart contract, or other Web3 platform. Funds sent to the wrong address could be permanently lost – and malicious actors often create scam addresses and contracts that mimic legitimate coins and projects, then use them to steal user funds.
Best Wallets to Store PEPE
When storing your PEPE in a self-custody wallet, you have a range of options that offer their own unique benefits and drawbacks. In this section, we’ll explain the difference between “hot” and “cold” crypto wallets and cover important security considerations you’ll need to be aware of when using a wallet.
Hot Wallets
Hot wallets are software-based, and require an internet connection in order to use them. This makes them a convenient choice for users who need to make frequent connections to online platforms like DEXs, crypto presale sites, Web3 games, and DeFi protocols. Popular hot crypto wallets include MetaMask, Best Wallet, and Trust Wallet.
As hot wallets need to be connected to the internet, users must always ensure they take care of their personal cybersecurity, only connect their wallets to officially verified contracts and platforms, and check all potential transactions before approving them.
Cold Wallets
In contrast to always-online hot wallets, cold wallets are physical hardware-based devices that keep your private keys offline. You can store a cold wallet in the physical location of your choice, such as a home safe, and only connect it to the internet when you choose to.
This is a much safer option preferred by high-net-worth investors who hold large quantities of crypto, and crypto exchanges also use cold wallets to keep their reserves secure. Ledger and Trezor are two of the most popular cold wallet brands on the market today.
Backups and Seed Phrase Safety
While self-custody crypto wallets empower users to control their coins and choose how to keep them safe, they also shift the burden of personal cybersecurity on to those users as well. Bearing this in mind, you must ensure that you keep your wallet recovery phrase written down and protect it in a secure location, so you can find and refer to it in case you lose access to your wallet, or your physical cold wallet device gets broken or damaged. Some users even go so far as to engrave their recovery phrase on a metal plate, and/or create duplicate written copies of their phrases in multiple locations to reduce their chances of losing them.
Most importantly, do not store your recovery phrase on your computer, online platform, or other digital device (in a text note, email, or word processing document, for example). Doing so can put your phrase at risk of being stolen if your computer and/or personal online account gets hacked.
Is PEPE a Good Investment?
As discussed in our earlier section about investing in PEPE, this project is one of the most successful meme coins of all time. It’s the third-largest meme coin by market cap, and a long-time favorite among day traders who plan for quick opportunistic entries and equally speedy exits. PEPE’s transparency, its dedicated community, and the enduring popularity of Pepe the Frog as a meme character have all contributed to the project’s success.
Our PEPE price prediction offers a full breakdown and analysis of PEPE’s future potential – and the factors listed below will be particularly important for long-term holders:
- Meme Power: As long as Pepe the Frog remains popular among social media users and humorists, the PEPE coin will benefit from massive global brand visibility and recognition, which can help to drive demand.
- Community Strength: Without ongoing community support, PEPE’s price could rapidly decline as former long-term holders sell their coins and move on. Due to PEPE’s status as a historically notable meme coin, such a scenario currently seems unlikely – but this could eventually change as more meme coins enter the market and attempt to hit the same highs as PEPE, Shiba Inu (SHIB), and Dogecoin (DOGE).
- Trading Volume: PEPE typically generates hundreds of millions of dollars in daily trading volume, which makes it a highly liquid meme coin and increases traders’ chances of getting the prices and quantities of PEPE that they want when buying and/or selling it. Rising trading volume can indicate a major upcoming price move, while declining volume over extended periods of time could lead to negative investor sentiment and even panic-selling, causing sudden price dips and corrections.
- Regulatory Decisions: Earlier this year, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confirmed that it does not consider community-focused meme coins (which would include PEPE) to be securities. This has helped to ease concerns among meme coin investors – but regulators in other countries could take very different attitudes, negatively impacting meme coin prices in the process.
- General Crypto Market Conditions: As the crypto market continues to move through its own bullish and bearish cycles, meme coin prices are likely to follow suit. However, some tokens could outperform the market following bullish social media posts, news events, and on-chain activity (such as whale purchases). Therefore, long-term PEPE holders should analyze this coin’s price chart alongside the charts for larger assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin in order to see how PEPE is performing in comparison to the broader market.
Pros of Buying PEPE
PEPE’s biggest strength is its community, which includes almost 500,000 token holders, and 781,000 followers on X. As well as long-term holders, PEPE is also popular with day traders, who drive hundreds of millions of dollars in daily volume – as well as large short-term price moves that can generate significant profits. As PEPE’s creators have been transparent about the token’s lack of utility and the structure of its tokenomics, it’s generally seen as trustworthy, which has helped to maintain its reputation over time.
Cons of Buying PEPE
Many crypto enthusiasts are drawn to PEPE because of its price volatility – but although this potentially enables impressive profits, it can also lead to losses. This risk is exacerbated by the short-term focus applied by most PEPE traders, as well as the oversaturated nature of the meme coin market.
Thousands of competing meme tokens are being created every day, which could gradually dilute demand for “blue-chip” meme coins like PEPE, or lead to the emergence of a legitimate “PEPE killer” that eventually exceeds PEPE’s market cap value. As PEPE does not have any utility, a meme coin that offers more than entertainment to its holders could have a real chance of ranking alongside Shiba Inu and Dogecoin instead.
FAQs About Buying PEPE
What network is PEPE on?
Can I buy PEPE with a credit card?
Do I need Ethereum to buy PEPE on Uniswap?
Is PEPE a good investment in 2025?
How is buying PEPE different from buying Bitcoin?
Where is the best place to buy PEPE right now?
References
- Pepe Meme Coin Official Website (Pepe)
- Pepe the Frog (Know Your Meme)
- North Korean hackers cash out hundreds of millions from $1.5bn ByBit hack (BBC News)
- ‘Old-fashioned embezzlement’: where did all of FTX’s money go? (The Guardian)
- PEPE to USD Live Price, Market Cap and Chart (CoinMarketCap)
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