With an increase in attention to Dogecoin due to Elon Musk’s tweets regarding the cryptocurrency, the Shiba Inu themed crypto has skyrocketed, becoming the 4th largest cryptocurrency in the world. To put this in perspective, Dogecoin is worth more than Ford, American Airlines and Moderna.
Since Dogecoin has reached the masses, investors are looking for similar cryptocurrencies that could offer them high returns. This is reminiscent of how AMC, BBBY and NOK pumped alongside Gamestop in January. One of the most popular meme cryptocurrencies is Safemoon, and it’s risen over 1,000% since its launch in March 2021.
What is Dogecoin?
Dogecoin was created by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer in 2013. The founders have aimed to create a more fun, usable and community oriented cryptocurrency to compete with Bitcoin. Dogecoin doesn’t have many unique features that give its token a competitive advantage; the code for Bitcoin was actually just edited to create Dogecoin.
One advantage Dogecoin has over Bitcoin is its faster transaction times, but other altcoins have much faster transaction throughputs than DOGE, so its technology is arguably obsolete. However, transaction times are just one aspect of cryptocurrency. Security is much more important to most investors, and cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum are multitudes more secure than Dogecoin.
What is SafeMoon?
SafeMoon is a very new cryptocurrency which began trading in March 2021. The token began trading at $0.000000001 with an incredibly small market cap. Since then, SafeMoon has pumped to about $0.000012 before retracing back to about $0.000004. Even at this price, early investors have made well over 1,000% in the span of just a few months.
The cryptocurrency is a BEP-20 token, meaning it uses Binance Smart Chain to secure its network. The token doesn’t have any clear use cases, other than “going to the moon”. The company describes itself as a DeFi token, but Binance Chain is far from decentralized. Binance must approve validators, in a consensus model called proof-of-authority. Even CZ, the CEO of Binance, has explained Binance Smart Chain as “CeDeFi”, or “Centralized Decentralized Finance”.
Safemoon Tokenomics vs Dogecoin Tokenomics
Tokenomics is a term used to describe the economics of cryptocurrency tokens. While both Dogecoin and SafeMoon have questionable tokenomics, Dogecoin seems to have a more sound monetary policy than SafeMoon.
SafeMoon has a maximum supply of 10,000,000,000,000,000 (10 quadrillion) tokens, yet it only has about 600,000,000,000 of these tokens in circulation. Technically, SafeMoon is a deflationary currency, as the supply decreases with time. However, this deflationary policy resembles more of a pyramid scheme than a sound monetary policy. When investors sell their SafeMoon, they’re charged a 10% fee for doing so. 5% of this fee is burned, and the other 5% is redistributed to SafeMoon investors. Essentially, investors rely on more people buying into SafeMoon to increase their investment.
Dogecoin works in a similar way to Bitcoin. It uses a proof-of-work consensus model, meaning that miners secure the blockchain network in exchange for Dogecoin rewards. Whereas the Bitcoin reward halves every 4 years, Dogecoin’s block reward is static at 10,000 Dogecoin per block.
Dogecoin vs SafeMoon Market Capitalization
Another important factor to consider is the market capitalization of these cryptocurrencies. Dogecoin has risen to the 4th largest crypto with a market cap of over $80 billion. This is more than double what Ethereum’s market capitalization was in October 2020, just a few months ago. With such a large market capitalization, it’s hard to believe DOGE can continue to rise in price at the same rate it has for the past few months.
According to SafeMoon’s website, the token has a market cap of $2.3 billion. While this is nothing to scoff at, it’s still much lower than the market cap of Dogecoin. Since SafeMoon has a much smaller market cap, it takes significantly less capital investment to double in price than it would for Dogecoin. Most investors would agree that SafeMoon has higher potential for returns than DOGE, albeit an extremely high risk investment.
Where to Buy SafeMoon
SafeMoon uses the Binance Smart Chain to secure its network, so it’s a bit harder to invest in than other cryptocurrencies. The token is unavailable on centralized exchanges like Coinbase, Gemini and eToro. Instead, you’ll need to use Pancakeswap, a “decentralized” exchange ran through smart contracts on the Binance Smart Chain.
To use Pancakeswap you’ll need to download either Trust Wallet or Metamask, and then connect your wallet to operate with Binance Smart Chain. If you don’t have a Binance account, you’ll need to make an account with them as well. You need to purchase Binance tokens (BNB) to use Pancakeswap, so you’ll need to buy these on Binance’s exchange.
Once you’ve sent your BNB tokens to your crypto wallet, you’ll need to convert them to operate on Binance Smart Chain. After you’ve done this you’re able to use your BNB tokens on Pancakeswap to buy SafeMoon.
Where to Buy DOGE
Dogecoin is much easier to purchase than SafeMoon, so novice investors may choose to buy DOGE over SafeMoon simply because it’s easier to buy. Dogecoin can be bought on Robinhood, but many investors choose a cryptocurrency exchange to have access to a variety of cryptocurrencies.
Some popular cryptocurrency exchanges that support Dogecoin are Gemini and Voyager. Depending on where you live, you may have to provide personal identification information to the website for tax purposes.
1 Minute Review
Gemini is a cryptocurrency exchange and custodian that offers investors access to 26 coins and tokens. Founded in the US, Gemini is expanding globally, in particular into Europe and Asia. Offerings include both major cryptocurrency projects like Bitcoin and Ethereum, and smaller altcoins like Orchid and 0x.
Gemini is 1 of the only brokers with multiple platform options based on skill level. New investors will love the streamlined interface of Gemini’s mobile and web apps, while advanced investors might appreciate all the tools that come with ActiveTrader.
In addition to a host of platform choices, Gemini users also have access to insured hot wallets to store tokens without worrying about digital asset theft. Learn more about what Gemini can do for you in our review.
Best For
- New investors looking for a simple mobile and web app
- Experienced investors who need a more advanced platform with more tools
- Users looking for a 1-stop-shop to buy, sell and store all of their coins
Pros
- Easy and quick signups — can get started in as little as a few minutes
- Multitude of platforms to accommodate traders of all skill levels
- Hot wallets include insurance to protect your from theft and hacking attempts
Cons
- Charges both a commission and a convenience fee for users buying and selling through the desktop or mobile app
1 Minute Review
Voyager is a leading name in the sphere of cryptocurrency investing, giving you access to over 50 tokens and coins. Buy, sell and swap assets using Voyager Crypto’s simple mobile platform available as a free download for iOS and Android users.
When you invest through Voyager, you’ll pay nothing in commissions, which is a major benefit when compared to other cryptocurrency brokers. Voyager is also one of the only brokers we’ve seen that allows users to earn interest on their crypto investments.
Though the broker could do more to improve its customer service, it’s an excellent option for beginner investors and seasoned professionals alike.
Best For
- Cryptocurrency investors looking for a wide selection of supported projects.
- Investors who prefer mobile trading.
- Anyone interested in earning interest on their crypto investments.
Pros
- Simple, straightforward and intuitive mobile platform
- Wealth of investment opportunities
- Allows users to earn interest on select crypto investments
Cons
- Only available for mobile users — no desktop platform
- Limited routes to contact customer service team
Best For
Intermediate Traders and Investors
1 Minute Review
Webull, founded in 2017, is a mobile app-based brokerage that features commission-free stock and exchange-traded fund (ETF) trading. It’s regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Webull offers active traders technical indicators, economic calendars, ratings from research agencies, margin trading and short-selling. Webull’s trading platform is designed for intermediate and experienced traders, although beginning traders can also benefit.
Webull is widely considered one of the best Robinhood alternatives.
Best For
- Active traders
- Intermediate traders
- Advanced traders
Pros
- Commission-free trading in over 5,000 different stocks and ETFs
- No account maintenance fees or software platform fees
- No charges to open and maintain an account
- Leverage of 4:1 on margin trades made the same day and leverage of 2:1 on trades held overnight
- Intuitive trading platform with technical and fundamental analysis tools
Cons
- Does not support trading in mutual funds, bonds or OTC stocks
1 Minute Review
eToro, headquartered in Cyprus, England and Israel, has provided forex products and other CFD derivatives to retail clients since 2007. A major eToro plus is its social trading operations, including OpenBook, which allows new clients to copy trade the platform’s best performers. Its social trading features are top notch, but eToro loses points for its lack of tradable currency pairs and underwhelming research and customer service features
Best For
- U.S.-based cryptocurrency traders
- Social and copy traders
- Simple user interface
- Community engagement and following other traders
Pros
- Expansive network of social trading features
- Large client base for new traders to imitate
Cons
- U.S. traders can only buy cryptocurrency
- Only 15 cryptocurrency pairs available
DOGE or SafeMoon?
Both Dogecoin and SafeMoon are fundamentally poor investments. Neither of these projects have competitive advantages over other cryptocurrencies, and it’s not likely that these high prices will be sustainable over the long term. If you plan on investing in either of these crypto assets, be sure not to buy more than you’re willing to lose.
If I had to choose, I’d pick SafeMoon. Dogecoin’s radically high market cap makes it hard for the coin to continue to increase in value, and it doesn’t seem like there is much more upside to the Shiba Inu cryptocurrency. While SafeMoon is clearly a pyramid scheme, there seems to be a higher potential reward for the risk you’re taking on by investing in the token.
Gemini builds crypto products to help you buy, sell, and store your bitcoin and cryptocurrency. You can buy bitcoin and crypto instantly and access all the tools you need to understand the crypto market and start investing, all through one clear, attractive interface. Gemini Crypto Platform offers excellent account management options. You can manage your account at a glance, view your account balance 24-hour changes and percent changes. Get started with Gemini now.