Meme coins are a unique category of cryptocurrency often inspired by internet jokes, viral culture, and fun online communities.
They might not have utility, but they grab the crowd’s attention, and knowing how to buy them using secure wallets or centralized exchanges is crucial if you want to take part.
Our guide explains how to buy meme coins step by step, as well as highlighting the risks and rewards of meme coin trading, so that you can safely get involved in 2025.
How to Buy Meme Coins in 5 Easy Steps
Let’s start with a quick walkthrough of how to buy meme coins in 2025:
Download a highly-rated secure non-custodial wallet like Best Wallet
Set up the wallet and activate features like 2FA and biometrics
Research the market to decide which meme coin to buy
Assess the purchase amount based on your risk profile
Choose a payment method and complete your meme coin purchase
Using a non-custodial wallet means the purchased meme coins automatically transfer to your wallet balance for safe storage.
How to Buy Meme Coins: Step-by-Step Instructions
Read on for a more detailed tutorial on how to trade meme coins. It takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish.
Step 1: Get a Non-Custodial Wallet That Supports Meme Coin Trading
Many crypto experts recommend non-custodial solutions to buy and sell meme coins. While these decentralized wallets primarily store cryptocurrencies, they also provide access to the broader market without relying on centralized exchanges.
Once you buy meme coins, the wallet stores the tokens in your non-custodial balance. Since users fully control their private keys, they achieve full autonomy over their crypto funds.
Our research shows that Best Wallet is the top crypto wallet for meme coin trading. The mobile app enables instant purchases with fiat money, which includes everyday payment methods like Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal.
Trade meme coins without relying on a centralized custodian
Purchased tokens automatically transfer to the wallet balance
Investors own and control their meme coins through non-custodial storage
Easily access meme coin ecosystems like DEXs and staking pools
Cons
Users must follow wallet best practices to avoid security risks
Non-custodial wallets often charge higher fees than CEXs
Centralized Exchanges (CEXs)
Although non-custodial wallets remain the safest option, CEXs like MEXC, Binance, and Coinbase generate the largest meme coin trading volumes.
These platforms function like conventional stock brokerages. Users open accounts with KYC verification, deposit funds with fiat money, and purchase their preferred meme coins.
The CEX acts as the custodian, which means it’s responsible for asset security. The drawback is that users never truly possess their meme coins, as the exchange holds wallet private keys. If you request a withdrawal from the CEX, it must approve the transfer before you receive any tokens.
Third-party threats include external hacks, client-fund mismanagement, and general business risks like debt and bankruptcy.
Pros
Buy meme coins with a wide range of traditional payment methods
Access trading tools like pricing charts and indicators
Trading commissions average 0.1% per side
Cons
CEXs control your private keys, which lacks true ownership
Counterparty risks include hacks and bankruptcy
Most platforms apply strict KYC procedures
Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs)
DEXs operate on the blockchain, which allows traders to buy and sell meme coins on-chain. Traders connect non-custodial wallets to the DEX and perform crypto-to-crypto swaps, as decentralized platforms do not accept fiat payments. This makes DEX trading less convenient for investors buying meme coins for the first time.
Swap meme coins in a decentralized environment
No requirement to open accounts or upload ID
Smart contracts transfer tokens to the user’s wallet
Cons
You can only buy meme coins that operate on the DEX’s network
Users are unable to use traditional payment methods like debit/credit cards
Too complicated for first-time investors
How to Decide Which Meme Coins to Buy
Discovering the next cryptocurrencies to explode requires carrying out your own research and analysis. Seasoned investors often avoid buying meme coins because of hype. Instead, they assess proven fundamentals like narratives, token supply, community growth, and market cap.
The sections below explain how to pick meme coins with high profit potential.
Market Capitalization Determines Risk-Reward
Beginners should evaluate their risk tolerance and trading objectives when exploring meme coin investments.
Experts consider meme coins with large valuations to be the lowest-risk option. While these meme coins remain volatile, they often experience milder pricing swings.
If you’re searching for the next 1000x token, micro-cap meme coins are a better fit. Consider tokens that trade with market capitalizations below $50 million, as they have the potential to grow by substantial multiples.
Explore Meme Coin Narratives
In crypto, narratives are trending concepts, ideas, or stories that influence broader market sentiment. They’re particularly important in the speculative meme coin industry.
A new narrative, such as dog-themed or political tokens, often drives price appreciation. Narratives also cover specific ecosystems, such as Solana or Base meme coins.
Some narratives last for days and others for months. The longer the narrative remains relevant, the higher the growth potential.
Data aggregation platforms like CoinGecko and DefiLlama help investors discover emerging narratives and trends. The key requirement is getting in before the narrative peaks.
Use On-Chain Data Platforms
Experienced meme coin traders avoid mainstream sources and instead extract data directly from the blockchain. This concept, known as “on-chain data”, includes transactions, wallet activity, volume, token distribution, and other core metrics.
DEX Screener helps users find the next explosive meme coins via on-chain data. Source: DEX Screener
Popular on-chain providers like DEX Screener and Birdeye cover dozens of blockchains and Layer 2 networks. They offer user-friendly filters that let users find suitable projects, whether that’s a $1 million meme coin on BNB Chain or a mid-cap token experiencing a surge in unique wallet holders.
By using blockchain analytics, traders identify trends before the broader market, giving them a first-mover advantage.
Find Meme Coins With Strong Communities
SHIB, PEPE, BONK, and other billion-dollar meme coins achieve success because of their native communities.
In addition to a large number of token holders, strong communities are active on social media. They help promote their meme investments on X, Reddit, TikTok and other networks, which often results in virality.
If you notice that the same meme projects appear on your social feed, it could be an early sign. Once meme coins achieve social viability, the token price often explodes rapidly.
Evaluate the Tokenomics
Meme coin traders must analyze the tokenomics before they invest funds. It covers token fundamentals like the total and circulating supply, founder holdings, wallet distribution, and potential inflationary pressures.
Top cryptocurrencies and meme coins have strong tokenomics, which means a finite supply with almost 100% of tokens in circulation. This structure reduces the investment risks, as founders cannot manipulate markets if most tokens trade in the public float.
Meme projects with burn mechanisms are an added feature. These projects frequently reduce the total supply by transferring tokens to a “burn wallet address”. That address is inaccessible, which effectively removes those tokens from the supply. Therefore, as the meme coin has a deflationary supply, tokens become more scarce over time.
How to Sell Meme Coins
Investors may sell meme coins for fiat money or other digital assets. Availability depends on the exchange or wallet provider.
At Best Wallet, users cash out their meme coin investments instantly via the built-in DEX. The wallet partners with over 330 liquidity providers to secure the best exchange rates.
Here’s how to sell meme coins on the Best Wallet app:
Open Best Wallet and click “Trade”
Select the meme coin that you wish to sell
Choose the receiving asset like USDT or SOL
Input the trade amount and confirm
The newly purchased tokens appear in your wallet balance right away
How to Buy Meme Coins – Why Best Wallet is the Top Method
We evaluated the best way to buy meme coins in 2025 by exploring various wallet, CEX and DEX providers. Overall, Best Wallet is our preferred choice. The iOS and Android app allows users to buy meme coins anonymously, and it supports popular payment types like debit/credit cards and e-wallets.
As a non-custodial wallet, Best Wallet users avoid centralized risks, since they control their private keys exclusively. The wallet lists thousands of popular meme coins from leading ecosystems like Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Solana, which ensures a diversified approach to this high-risk market.
