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Dogecoin vs Shiba Inu, what is the difference?

Dogecoin vs Shiba Inu compares a mined coin with its own blockchain and no supply cap to an Ethereum token capped at 1 quadrillion with a layer-2 network.

Coins and tokens Illustration: Cryptoweek

Dogecoin vs Shiba Inu is a comparison of two dog-themed meme coins that look alike but are built in very different ways. Dogecoin runs its own mined blockchain, while Shiba Inu is a token that depends on Ethereum. That one difference shapes how each handles supply, fees and upgrades.

What is the difference between Dogecoin and Shiba Inu?

Dogecoin launched on December 6, 2013, with no premine and no coin sale, according to Trezor. It was built from Litecoin's technology and uses proof of work with the Scrypt algorithm. Miners add a block about once a minute.

Shiba Inu is not a separate blockchain. BitPay describes SHIB as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum, which means Ethereum's validators, not SHIB's own miners, record and secure its transfers. It was openly modeled on Dogecoin.

How does Dogecoin vs Shiba Inu coin supply compare?

The supply rules point in opposite directions.

  • Dogecoin has no maximum. Each block creates 10,000 DOGE, which Trezor says adds roughly 5 billion coins a year with no halvings. The official site says Dogecoin does not burn coins.
  • SHIB has a maximum of 1 quadrillion tokens, and BitPay notes a large share was burned early on. Burns continue through Shibarium, described below.

So Dogecoin's supply grows by a fixed amount each year, while SHIB's total can only stay flat or shrink.

How do Doge vs Shiba Inu fees and networks work?

Sending DOGE costs a small fee paid in DOGE to Dogecoin miners. The official site describes those fees as extremely small, though it gives no fixed amount.

Sending SHIB on Ethereum works like any ERC-20 transfer. The fee is paid in ETH, not SHIB, and is priced in gas, so it rises and falls with demand on Ethereum. A share called the base fee is burned. The guide to gas fees explains the formula.

To cut those costs, the SHIB community built Shibarium, a layer 2 network. According to Shib's documentation, fees on Shibarium are paid in BONE, another token in the ecosystem. The base fee collects in a burn contract. Once enough builds up, it is moved to Ethereum, 70% is swapped for SHIB and destroyed, and 30% goes to a treasury. Validators keep the priority fee as a tip.

Doge or Shiba Inu, how do their uses and governance differ?

Dogecoin is mainly positioned for payments and tipping. BitPay said Dogecoin made up about 7% of the crypto payments it processed in June 2023, compared with under 1% for SHIB.

SHIB's ecosystem leans toward decentralized finance. BitPay lists the ShibaSwap exchange, the LEASH token and BONE, which is used for governance votes.

Governance also differs. Dogecoin is open-source software that anyone can contribute to, and the Dogecoin Foundation publishes its plans, but there is no token vote. SHIB uses BONE for community proposals and relies on Ethereum for its base security.

Both are meme coins whose value rests largely on attention and sentiment, so both can swing sharply and lose much of their value.

This guide explains how things work. It is not financial, legal or tax advice. Last updated .