Crypto DCA Calculator
Backtest historical returns or forecast future performance of dollar cost averaging into cryptocurrencies.
Average buy price (cost basis)
Each periodic purchase divides your fixed contribution by that day's close to get units. The running ratio of dollars to units is your dollar-weighted average — buying more units when the price dips automatically pulls it down.
- 01Each scheduled buy executes at the daily closing price of the next available trading day. Crypto trades 24/7, so the next day is usually the same as the scheduled day.
- 02Contributions are constant in nominal USD (the strategy does not inflation-adjust contributions).
- 03Zero transaction fees, zero slippage, and no spread. Real exchanges charge 0.1%–1% per trade.
- 04Tax events on sales, staking rewards, and forks are not modelled. Your tax basis on a real exchange may differ.
- 05Historical prices come from Yahoo Finance close data and are denominated in USD.
- 01Past returns of crypto are not predictive. Bitcoin's 60%+ annual CAGR since 2014 is unlikely to repeat as the asset matures.
- 02Survivorship bias: the supported coins are the ones that survived. Many ICO-era tokens went to zero and are not in this calculator.
- 03Backtests start from each coin's listing date, so early-cycle gains amplify long-window results in ways that won't be available going forward.
- 04Forecast mode is a constant-growth simulation, not a market model — it cannot capture drawdowns, halving cycles, or correlation with other assets.
What is dollar cost averaging in crypto?
Dollar cost averaging into crypto means investing a fixed amount of money into a cryptocurrency on a fixed schedule — say $100 every week into Bitcoin — regardless of the price that day. Over time, the fixed dollars buy more units when prices are low and fewer when prices are high, which lowers your average cost basis.
How accurate are the backtest results?
The calculator uses daily adjusted closing prices and assumes each scheduled buy filled at that day's close. It does not include exchange fees, spreads, slippage, or taxes. Real-world results will be slightly worse than backtest results because of those frictions.
Why does my backtest start later than 2014 for some assets?
Each cryptocurrency has its own listing date. Bitcoin data starts in 2014, Ethereum in 2017, Solana in 2020. The calculator will not let you choose a start date earlier than the first available price for the selected asset.
Is past performance a reliable predictor?
No. Historical crypto returns reflect a unique adoption cycle from a near-zero base. A backtest tells you what would have happened with a specific strategy on past data; it does not tell you what will happen. Treat the numbers as a math exercise, not a forecast.
Should I lump sum or DCA into crypto?
Statistically, lump sum invested at the start of a bull market outperforms DCA in roughly two-thirds of historical windows because markets trend up. DCA's advantage shows up in volatile, sideways, or drawdown periods — exactly when humans are most likely to panic-sell. Try the Lump Sum vs DCA calculator on the same date range to see both outcomes.
Run the plan on a real exchange
Five exchanges where DCA — and tokenized stocks & ETFs — actually work, each with a real discount. Pick one, copy the code, trade cheaper.
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