What Is Dogecoin (DOGE)?
Dogecoin is a proof-of-work cryptocurrency created by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer and launched in December 2013, with the Shiba Inu “Doge” meme as its mascot. Its code descends from Litecoin and Bitcoin: it mines with the Scrypt algorithm, targets one block per minute, and since 2014 has been merge-mined with Litecoin, so the same miners secure both networks.
DOGE is the native coin of the network. Each block pays a fixed reward of 10,000 DOGE, which adds about 5.3 billion coins a year, and there is no maximum supply. About 156.7 billion DOGE were in circulation as of November 2026, according to Blockchair. Fast blocks and low fees make DOGE a common choice for tips, payments, and small transfers. Our guide to the Dogecoin blockchain covers its history in more detail.
What Is a Dogecoin Wallet?
A Dogecoin wallet is an app that holds the private keys to your Dogecoin addresses and signs transactions with them. The coins are not inside the app: the blockchain records them as unspent outputs at your address, and your key unlocks them when you send. On an exchange the platform holds that key; in a self-custodial wallet you do.
Gem Wallet is a self-custodial Dogecoin wallet: it derives your Dogecoin address from a 12-word recovery phrase and keeps the key in Apple Keychain on an iPhone and in Google Tink on Android. The same phrase restores your DOGE together with every other network in the app, so keep it safe offline.
Gem Wallet is listed in the official wallet directory on dogecoin.com.
What a Dogecoin Transfer Costs
A Dogecoin transfer spends earlier outputs and creates new ones: one for the recipient and usually one for the change that returns to you. The fee is paid in DOGE and depends on the size of the transaction in bytes, not on the amount. Sending 10 DOGE or 100,000 DOGE from one output costs the same, while a payment assembled from many small deposits is larger and costs more.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Recommended fee rate | 0.01 DOGE per kilobyte |
| Minimum relay fee | 0.001 DOGE per kilobyte |
| Median fee, 24 hours to November 13, 2026 | 0.034 DOGE, about $0.002 |
| Average fee, 24 hours to November 13, 2026 | 0.29 DOGE, about $0.018 |
| Block target | 1 minute |
Data source: Dogecoin Core fee recommendation and Blockchair network statistics, as of November 2026.
Nodes also reject outputs below 0.001 DOGE as dust, so a very small amount cannot be sent on its own.
Gem Wallet builds the transaction, calculates the fee, and shows it before you confirm. You can choose a Normal or Fast fee, or set a custom fee rate when you want a payment to confirm sooner during busy periods.
Dogecoin Address Format
A regular Dogecoin address starts with D and is 34 characters long (for example D7Y5…kq9R). Multisignature addresses start with 9 or A. Your Gem Wallet address is a D address on the standard path m/44’/3’/0’/0/0, it stays the same every time you open the app, and Gem Wallet can send to both formats.
Dogecoin addresses need no memo or tag, so an exchange withdrawal only needs the address and the Dogecoin network. A D address exists only on Dogecoin: Gem Wallet checks that the address you paste is a valid Dogecoin address before you send, and you should never send DOGE to an address of another network or send tokens from Ethereum, BNB Chain, or Tron to a Dogecoin address.
Buy, Sell, and Swap DOGE in Gem Wallet
Gem Wallet lets you buy Dogecoin with a bank card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay through on-ramp providers, with the coins delivered to your own D address, and sell DOGE for fiat through providers in the app.
Gem Wallet also lets you swap DOGE for coins on other networks, such as BTC, ETH, or USDT. These swaps cross networks, so they run through cross-chain providers such as THORChain and finish after the Dogecoin network confirms your transaction. Gem Wallet shows the amount you receive and the provider before you confirm, and you can pick another provider when more than one has quoted.
Download Gem Wallet for iOS, Android, or APK, and it gives you a self-custodial Dogecoin wallet with your own D address.











