How to buy Pepe coin (PEPE): 2026 guide

How to buy Pepe coin (PEPE)? You need an app that trades on Ethereum and PEPE’s contract address, which starts with 0x6982 and ends with 1933. The easiest way is the Fomo app: you pay with Apple Pay or a debit card and buy PEPE for 0.50% plus Ethereum network fees. You can also buy PEPE in a Phantom wallet, in BasedBot, or on exchanges such as Coinbase, Kraken, Binance and Robinhood.

Where to buy Pepe (PEPE)

PEPE is an ERC-20 token on Ethereum with 18 decimals (Etherscan (opens in a new tab)). It launched in April 2023 (CoinGecko (opens in a new tab)) as a tribute to the Pepe the Frog meme (CoinMarketCap (opens in a new tab)). The official site (opens in a new tab) says that it has no formal team and no link to Matt Furie, the creator of Pepe the Frog. So you need a tool that trades Ethereum tokens.

Sources: Fomo supported chains (opens in a new tab), Phantom supported chains (opens in a new tab), BasedBot supported networks (opens in a new tab), Coinbase PEPE page (opens in a new tab), Kraken PEPE page (opens in a new tab), Binance PEPE page (opens in a new tab), Robinhood PEPE page (opens in a new tab). Locke works with BasedBot; it is scored with the same methodology.

Other bots and terminals that we review, such as Axiom, GMGN, Banana Gun and Maestro, also support Ethereum. Compare them in the best memecoin trading platforms.

How to buy Pepe (PEPE) step by step

The Fomo app is the easiest path: you sign in with Apple or Google, with no seed phrase to write down, and one cash balance trades on 7 chains, Ethereum included (Fomo supported chains (opens in a new tab)). On Ethereum, Fomo charges 0.50% plus network fees (Fomo fee page (opens in a new tab)). Locke trades on Fomo, and these steps follow Fomo’s help center.

1. 1

   Open our Fomo link

   Use the button below or go to fomo.family/r/Iocke (capital I) before you sign up. The 10% discount on trading fees works only at signup (Fomo referral help (opens in a new tab)).
2. 2

   Install the app and sign in

   Download “fomo - never miss out” by FOMO Labs Inc. from the App Store or Google Play, then sign in with Apple or Google. Fake apps copy the name, so check the developer.
3. 3

   Pay with Apple Pay or a debit card

   Apple Pay buys the token that you pick first. A bank-issued debit card adds USDC to your cash balance (Fomo deposit guide (opens in a new tab)). The deposit screen shows only the methods that your account can use. Check the amount before you confirm.
4. 4

   Find PEPE and check the address

   Find PEPE on Ethereum. Compare its contract address with 0x6982508145454Ce325dDbE47a25d4ec3d2311933, all the characters.
5. 5

   Check the fee, then slide to buy

   The confirm screen shows the fee and the Ethereum network fee. Check them, then slide to buy.

The code details are on our Fomo referral code page.

Buy PEPE in a Phantom wallet

Phantom is a self-custody wallet that supports Ethereum, so you hold the key to your PEPE (Phantom supported chains (opens in a new tab)). Send ETH to your Phantom Ethereum address from an exchange, on the Ethereum network. You can also buy crypto with a card or Apple Pay through third-party providers, where they serve you (Phantom Apple Pay guide (opens in a new tab)). Then swap ETH for PEPE in the app: paste the contract address, not the name. Phantom charges 0.85% on most swaps, plus the network fee (Phantom swap help (opens in a new tab)). Keep some ETH for gas. The full setup is in our Phantom review.

PEPE’s official site also links to Uniswap, a DEX on Ethereum. You connect your own wallet there and swap ETH for PEPE. Open Uniswap from its own address, not from a link on pepe.vip (see the December 2025 incident under Risks).

Buy PEPE with BasedBot

BasedBot is a Telegram bot (@based_eth_bot) and a web trading terminal at basedbot.app, on 18 networks that include Ethereum (BasedBot supported networks (opens in a new tab)). You send ETH to your bot wallet, paste the PEPE contract address, and pick an amount. In the Telegram bot, MEV protection covers Ethereum, Base and BSC (BasedBot settings docs (opens in a new tab)). MEV protection aims to stop sandwich attacks, where a bot trades around your swap.

BasedBot charges 1% per trade (BasedBot fee docs (opens in a new tab)). With our code START, cashback doubles to 10–50% of your fees under our partner terms; see the BasedBot referral code page. Locke works with BasedBot; it is scored with the same methodology.

Buy PEPE on an exchange

Coinbase, Kraken, Binance and Robinhood list PEPE. Binance shows spot pairs such as PEPE/USDC, and Robinhood describes PEPE as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum. Availability depends on your country. On an exchange, the exchange holds the coins for you. To move PEPE to your own wallet, withdraw it on the Ethereum network only. We have no affiliate link with these exchanges.

Check the contract address

The official site lists one PEPE contract, on Ethereum. CoinGecko and Etherscan show the same address, with the name Pepe and the symbol PEPE. CoinGecko also lists PEPE contracts on other chains; this guide does not cover them.

Copycat tokens use the PEPE name. In May 2023, PeckShield flagged about ten scam tokens in three days, such as PEPEDOGE, PEPEC and NEWPEPE (Cointelegraph (opens in a new tab)). Compare all the characters of the address, not only the first and the last. For tools that scan a token before you buy, see the best rug checkers.

How to sell Pepe (PEPE)

Sell PEPE in the same place where you bought it. Each path then has its own cash-out.

Sources: Fomo bank withdrawal help (opens in a new tab), BasedBot token management docs (opens in a new tab), BasedBot wallet docs (opens in a new tab), Phantom swap help (opens in a new tab).

For the Fomo cash-out step by step, read how to withdraw from the Fomo app.

Risks

These incidents show where PEPE buyers lost money or nearly did:

• Fake rewards site: in May 2023, CertiK warned about a fake PEPE rewards site linked to a phishing contract (Cointelegraph (opens in a new tab)).
• Hacked official site: in December 2025, Blockaid said that the official PEPE site was hit by a front-end attack that sent users to a fake site with wallet-draining code (Cointelegraph (opens in a new tab)). We found no confirmation that the issue is fixed, so check the address on Etherscan and CoinGecko too, and do not connect your wallet to the site.
• Hijacked Telegram group: in September 2023, a person took over the old Telegram admin account and pushed scams. The team said the person has no link to PEPE (FXStreet (opens in a new tab)).
• Rug pulls on copycats: one copycat, BOBO, lost its liquidity about three hours after its creation (Cointelegraph (opens in a new tab)). Read how a rug pull works.

Bottom line

To buy Pepe coin, start in the Fomo app with Apple Pay, or use Phantom when you want your own wallet and BasedBot when you trade often. Buy only 0x6982508145454Ce325dDbE47a25d4ec3d2311933 on Ethereum, and only with money you can lose in full. For other coins, read how to buy meme coins, and if you are new, start with what a meme coin is.

Changelog

• 2026-10-16: added a Fomo pick card under the first answer.
• 2026-10-16: first version published. Contract address checked on pepe.vip, CoinGecko and Etherscan.