How To Buy Solana, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu And Other Altcoins In Canada In 2026

I have been trading crypto in Canada since 2016, and I have tested 61 exchanges on my YouTube channel, OCryptoCanada. Bitcoin is the king of cryptocurrency, the first crypto created. Now there are thousands of cryptocurrencies and more arrive every day, so the real question is which exchange carries the one you want.

What Is An Altcoin?

Any cryptocurrency that is not Bitcoin is called an altcoin. Ethereum is an altcoin, for example. The word means alternative coin, an alternative to Bitcoin. Altcoins cover a wide range: smart-contract platforms, tokens that power a single app, stablecoins pegged to a currency, and meme coins with no purpose beyond the community. Each carries its own risk, and a coin that makes sense for one person can be a bad fit for another.

I am not quoting any coin prices here, since they would be out of date within hours. Crypto is volatile, so size up the ups and downs before you jump in.

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Where Can You Buy Altcoins In Canada?

Bull Bitcoin and Bitcoin Well sell Bitcoin only, so they are left out. Shakepay offers a very short list, so it does not suit altcoin buying. Bitbuy and Coinsquare are left out because new accounts are being folded into Robinhood. The coin counts above come from each platform's own page or public asset list, and the Canadian list on a given exchange can be narrower than its global one. Coinbase's own list, for example, is broader than what is open to Canadians.

Fees differ more than people expect. Registered platforms charge either a trading fee (Coinbase up to 1.875% on simple buys, NDAX a flat 0.20%, Kraken Pro 0.40% maker and 0.80% taker) or build the cost into the spread (Newton), and the spread is extra wherever it is not published. Offshore platforms show low headline fees, but they cannot take Canadian dollars.

Where Can You Buy Solana, Dogecoin And Shiba Inu In Canada?

All three trade on the same ranked exchanges, according to the listing files I checked in October 2026. Those files are the exchanges' global product lists and are not filtered for Canada, so confirm the coin inside your Canadian account before you deposit. Wealthsimple Crypto has no listing file in my data, so I do not claim it carries these three.

For a first purchase I would start on Coinbase or Kraken, and look at NDAX if the flat 0.20% fee suits your size. The step-by-step pages for each coin are how to buy Solana, how to buy Dogecoin and how to buy Shiba Inu. Meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu can fall hard and fast, so size the purchase to what you can lose.

How Do You Buy Altcoins In Canada Step By Step?

1. Pick an exchange that lists your coin. Search the coin name and ticker on the exchange's asset page before you sign up. Not every exchange carries every coin, and the table above is only a starting point.
2. Sign up and verify. Reputable exchanges ask you to verify your account before you trade. Upload a government-issued ID and a selfie, and sometimes proof of address. It can take up to 24 hours.
3. Deposit Canadian dollars. Not every exchange has Interac e-Transfer, but it is often the cheapest way to fund. Canadian banks do not always allow debit or credit card crypto purchases, while Interac transfers are not usually an issue.
4. Buy the altcoin. Use a market order for speed or a limit order if you want to name your price, and read the fee preview first.
5. Move long-term holdings to your own wallet. Send a small test amount first. See my best crypto wallets for Canadians.

What If The Altcoin Is Not On A Canadian Exchange?

There are thousands of altcoins and more every day. Some are on traditional exchanges, and some are so new or small that they only trade on decentralized exchanges such as Uniswap or PancakeSwap. If an altcoin is a reputable project, it will most likely be listed on exchanges at some point. Buying on a decentralized exchange means using your own wallet, paying network fees and taking contract risk with no customer support, so only do it with money you can afford to lose.

How Do You Judge An Altcoin Before You Buy?

Start with what the coin is for. If you cannot explain in one sentence what the token does and who needs it, that is a signal. Then read the project's own website and documentation for the network the token lives on, any audits, and any announcements about migrations, wind-downs or delistings. Projects do shut down, and rebrands and token swaps happen, so a ticker that worked last year may not today.

Check where the coin trades. A token on a few registered exchanges is easier to buy and sell than one that only trades on an offshore platform. Look at how thinly it trades, since a small market means the price you see and the price you get can differ. And only risk what you are okay losing.

How Do You Store Altcoins In Canada?

Keeping your coins safe is something you must do if you do not want to risk them being stolen. An exchange holds your keys for you, so for anything you plan to keep, use a private crypto wallet. Choose one of the crypto wallets I reviewed, and check that it supports the coin and its network before you send anything. Altcoins live on many different blockchains, and a wallet that supports one network may not support another.

How Do You Sell Altcoins In Canada?

To sell, go to the exchange where you bought the coin. If it is in a wallet, send it back to the exchange first, then click sell. You can swap it for another cryptocurrency, or sell it for Canadian dollars if the exchange offers that pair, and then withdraw to your bank account. Withdrawal fees and limits differ by platform. My guide on how to sell or cash out crypto in Canada has the full steps.

Do You Pay Tax When You Buy Altcoins In Canada?

Buying an altcoin with Canadian dollars is not itself a taxable event. Selling it, swapping it for another coin or spending it can be. Swapping one altcoin for another counts, so a trader who swaps often creates many taxable events. The CRA says that, depending on your activities, you may realize business income (or loss) or a capital gain (or loss), and the two are reported differently. Record the date and CAD value of every buy, sale and swap. See my crypto taxation guide and how to report your crypto taxes.