Crypto DCA Calculator
Backtest any dollar-cost averaging strategy. Pick a coin, an amount, and a cadence — we replay every buy at the actual historical price and show your blended cost basis, total coins owned, and current value.
Total invested
$0.00
0 buys
Current value
$0.00
0.000000 BTC
Profit / Loss
+$0.00 (+0.00%)
Strategy summary
- Average cost basis
- $0.00
- Current price
- $0.00
- Total coins
- 0.000000 BTC
- Number of buys
- 0
How dollar-cost averaging works
DCA splits a single investment decision into many small ones. You commit to a fixed dollar amount on a fixed cadence — for example $100 every Friday — and execute that buy regardless of the price. When prices fall, your fixed dollars buy more coin; when prices rise, you buy less. The net effect is a smoothed entry that protects against the worst-case scenario of buying right before a crash.
The number that matters most is your average cost basis— the price at which you, on average, acquired your coins. If your average cost basis is below the current price, you're in profit on the full position. If it's above, you're underwater on the full position even if some recent buys are in profit on their own.
How this calculator does the math
For each scheduled buy date t with price Pt, the simulation buys amount ÷ Ptcoins. We sum the coins across every buy to get total coins held, sum the dollar amounts to get total invested, then divide the two for your average cost basis. Current value is total coins × today's price.
| Step | Formula | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Coins per buy | amount ÷ price | $100 ÷ $40,000 = 0.0025 BTC |
| 2. Total coins | Σ coins per buy | 52 weekly buys → 0.18 BTC |
| 3. Avg cost basis | total invested ÷ total coins | $5,200 ÷ 0.18 = $28,889 |
| 4. Current value | total coins × current price | 0.18 × $67,000 = $12,060 |
| 5. Profit | value − invested | $12,060 − $5,200 = $6,860 |
Common mistakes when running DCA
- DCA-ing into a falling asset. DCA assumes the asset trends upward over your holding period. If you DCA into something that peaks and never recovers (most altcoins from previous cycles), you simply average down to zero.
- Stopping when prices crash. The whole point of DCA is to buy more coins when prices are low. Stopping buys during a 70% drawdown defeats the strategy — those are the buys that disproportionately lower your cost basis.
- Ignoring fee drag. Daily DCA on a fee-charging exchange means 365 trading-fee events a year. Use a zero-fee recurring-buy product, or DCA weekly/monthly to reduce friction.
- Treating it as a magic formula. DCA is not a strategy to outperform lump-sum on average — in most rising markets, lump-sum wins. DCA's value is psychological and risk-controlling, not return-maximising.
- Not tracking lots for tax. Every buy creates a separate tax lot with its own cost basis and acquisition date. When you sell, you can pick which lots to dispose first. Keep your exchange records.
Frequently asked questions
- DCA is a strategy where you invest a fixed dollar amount on a fixed schedule (e.g. $100 every Friday) regardless of price. Over time, you accumulate more coins when prices are low and fewer when prices are high — smoothing your average cost basis and removing the need to time the market.
- It depends on the market direction. Historically, lump-sum wins about two-thirds of the time in trending-up markets simply because more money is in the market longer. DCA's real advantage is psychological — it forces discipline and reduces regret in volatile assets like crypto.
- Weekly is the most common cadence for crypto. Daily DCA reduces variance further but adds fee drag if your exchange charges per-trade fees. Monthly is fine for set-and-forget — most exchanges offer recurring buys at zero fee at that cadence.
- We pull daily closing prices from CoinGecko for the date range you select, then sample them at the cadence you choose (daily, weekly, or monthly). The simulation buys at each sample's closing price, so results closely match what you would have paid on a recurring-buy schedule.
- The mechanics work, but the assumption underneath DCA is that the asset trends upward over the long run. Bitcoin and Ethereum have multi-year uptrends; many altcoins do not — they peak and never recover. DCA into a permanently declining asset locks in losses.
- Each individual buy is a separate transaction with its own cost basis and acquisition date. When you eventually sell, you can choose which lots to sell (FIFO, LIFO, or specific-ID) to optimise your tax outcome. Keep a record of every purchase — your exchange's CSV export is usually sufficient.
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Read more about Bitcoin and DCA
Learn how dollar-cost averaging holds up across crypto cycles.