- Select Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Litecoin or Dogecoin.
- Enter an amount per purchase, a start date and an end date. Dates use UTC.
- Choose daily, weekly, every-two-weeks or monthly purchases, then calculate.
- Review total invested, portfolio value and the same-budget comparison. Try another start date to see how much the result depends on timing.
Bitcoin and crypto DCA backtest
Replay regular crypto purchases over a period you choose. Compare DCA and a lump sum with the same total budget, using available CoinGecko prices in USD. Free, without registration.
CoinGecko historical prices in USD. Fees, taxes and slippage are excluded. The full budget is available at the start; unspent DCA cash earns no interest.
How to use this calculator
How the calculation works
Each scheduled purchase buys units equal to the contribution divided by the available price at or before that purchase time. The schedule starts within the available price series and stops at the earlier of the selected end and the last available price.
The comparison uses a lump sum equal to the total of the DCA purchases, invested at the first purchase price. The DCA line includes remaining unspent cash, which earns no interest. This assumes the full budget is available at the start. Fees, taxes, slippage and cash interest are excluded. Past results do not predict future returns.
DCA vs lump sum: compare the same budget
Comparing a small weekly purchase with a larger lump sum can confuse the effect of timing with the amount invested. Here, both chart lines start with the same total budget: one buys at the start, and the other buys on schedule while retaining unspent cash.
That is a capital-allocation scenario. If your contributions come from future paychecks, the full lump sum may not have been available at the start. Use the personal cash flow planner to check the timing of contributions and bills.
Historical data and reproducibility
Prices come from CoinGecko and depend on provider coverage and availability. A cached response is identified in the result. Missing or unavailable history is not replaced by invented prices. Download the purchase log as CSV, the full price series and inputs as JSON, or a PNG result card. Create a result link to let someone replay the saved prices with the same method. The server checks the price series before saving; if the provider has changed it, recalculate first. Shared results are public and exclude your account and ledger. Provider history can change, while a saved snapshot retains its original prices. Expand “What if you started later?” to compare starts 7 and 30 days later on the same saved series and with the same total budget. Shorter windows spread that budget over fewer, larger purchases. The percentages describe the selected period, not annualized returns or a recommendation for a future purchase date.
For an illustrative monthly growth scenario, use the DCA calculator. Read the methodology for calculation rules and exclusions.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Bitcoin DCA calculator different from a return projection?
This backtest uses available historical crypto prices. The DCA projection uses a constant annual return entered by you. Neither promises a future investment result.
Which assets and purchase frequencies can I test?
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Litecoin and Dogecoin are available. Purchase schedules can be daily, weekly, every two weeks or monthly. Historical data is in USD and the dates use UTC.
Is DCA always better than a lump sum?
No. Results depend on the asset, price path, dates and when the capital is available. The chart shows the selected historical period with an equal total budget; one historical period does not show that either strategy is always better.
Why does the DCA chart include unspent cash?
The comparison assumes that both strategies have the full budget at the start. The DCA strategy retains the money awaiting future purchases. Omitting that cash would compare different amounts of capital during the period.
Why is a historical period unavailable?
Availability depends on the price provider, asset history and API access. Try a shorter period or retry later. The interface reports a failure or identifies cached data rather than substituting synthetic market prices.
Does the backtest include commissions or dividends?
No. Fees, taxes, slippage, staking income and interest on unspent cash are not included. This is a crypto price backtest, not a stock or ETF total-return backtest.