Crypto DCA Calculator
What a regular monthly buy would actually have returned, using real daily closes — not a smoothed average or an assumed growth rate.
Why most DCA calculators are wrong
Nearly every dollar-cost-averaging tool online asks you for an "expected annual return" and then compounds it. That is not a calculator, it is an assumption with a form around it. The number it gives you says more about what you typed than about the asset.
This one replays the actual price history. It takes the closing price on the last day of each month from Binance daily candles, buys the amount you specify at that price, and adds up the coins. The result is what would genuinely have happened, including the months where the price fell and your fixed dollar amount bought more coins — which is the entire mechanism DCA relies on.
What the numbers mean
Total invested is simply your monthly amount multiplied by the number of months. Value today is every coin you accumulated, valued at the most recent close. Average cost is what you paid per coin on average — compare it with the current price to see whether you are above or below water. Versus lump sum answers the question people actually argue about: whether spreading the same total across the period beat putting it all in on day one.
Lump sum wins more often than not in a rising market, because time in the market beats timing. DCA wins in volatile and falling markets, and it wins on a dimension the numbers do not show: it is a rule you can actually follow without deciding anything each month.
What this does not model
Exchange fees, spreads, and tax are excluded. Fees on a monthly buy are typically 0.1–0.5% and would reduce every figure slightly but change none of the comparisons. The calculation also assumes you bought at the monthly close; buying on a different day of the month shifts results by a few percent in either direction without changing the pattern.
Frequently asked questions
Is dollar-cost averaging better than buying all at once?
Historically, lump-sum investing has outperformed DCA in most rising markets, simply because the money is exposed for longer. DCA outperforms during drawdowns and sideways periods, and it removes the need to pick an entry date. This calculator shows both for the exact period you choose so you can see which applied.
How far back does the data go?
To September 2021, or to the coin's Binance listing date if that is later. Coins listed recently will have a shorter history and the calculator will start from the first month available.
Does this include fees?
No. Exchange fees on recurring buys are usually between 0.1% and 0.5% per purchase. Subtract roughly that share from the returns shown.
Why does the result change when I change the end month?
Because crypto is volatile enough that the final month materially changes the outcome. That is a real property of the asset, not a flaw in the calculation — and it is the strongest argument for looking at several end dates rather than one.
Calculations run in your browser. Prices come from the same daily Binance closes that generate the signals on this site, refreshed every day after the 00:00 UTC close. Nothing here is financial advice.