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Crypto DCA backtest · would buying weekly have worked?
Test how dollar-cost averaging would have performed for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 500+ altcoins. Pick frequency, amount, and start date — get cumulative invested, current value, total return, average buy price, and every individual purchase.
BTC weekly · since 2020
+340%
total return · approx
ETH monthly · since 2021
−18%
total return · approx
SOL biweekly · since 2023
+98%
total return · approx
Coins supported
500+
with 90+ days of history
Test how dollar-cost-averaging into any cryptocurrency would have played out. Pick a coin, a frequency, an amount per period, and a date range — we'll replay the buys against historical close prices and show you the result.
Calculating…
Total invested
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Current value
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Profit / Loss
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Units accumulated
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Avg buy price
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Cumulative invested vs current value
Every buy
| Date | USD in | Price | Units | Cum. units | Cum. cost |
|---|
About this backtest
Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) is the practice of buying a fixed dollar amount of an asset at regular intervals, regardless of price. It removes timing decisions and tends to lower your average buy price during sideways or down markets.
This backtest replays daily close prices from CoinPaprika. On each period it deducts your contribution at that day's close and accumulates the units. Final value uses the current spot price. The model assumes no fees and instant execution — real exchanges will charge 0.1–1% per trade and slippage on illiquid pairs.
Past performance does not guarantee future returns. A backtest is a hindsight exercise, not a prediction. Crypto can and has drawn down 80%+ — including coins that look like obvious winners today.
Background
Does dollar-cost averaging actually work?
Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) is the practice of buying a fixed dollar amount on a fixed schedule — say, $100 of BTC every Friday, regardless of price. The mechanical discipline removes timing decisions and smooths your average entry across volatile markets.
For long-running uptrends (BTC 2020-2024, ETH 2017-2021), DCA underperforms lump-sum buying because you're spreading your capital across higher and higher prices. But it dramatically beats panic-selling and chasing tops — and for most retail investors, that's the more relevant comparison.
This calculator uses actual historical close prices going back as far as 2017 for BTC, 2018 for ETH, and 2020-2023 for various altcoins (depending on data availability). Frequencies are daily, weekly, biweekly, and monthly. Buys happen at the close of each interval.
One caveat: real DCA strategies should factor in exchange fees (typically 0.1-1% per buy on retail platforms), tax implications (each buy creates a cost-basis lot), and the opportunity cost of capital sitting idle. The chart shows gross returns; subtract ~1-3% for a realistic net.
FAQ
DCA backtesting — frequently asked questions
Is DCA better than lump-sum investing?
For long uptrends, lump-sum wins — research by Vanguard finds lump-sum beats DCA ~68% of the time over rolling 10-year stock windows. But DCA wins on behavioral terms: you actually stick with it through drawdowns, where most lump-sum investors capitulate.
What frequency is optimal?
Statistically, monthly is fine. Smaller frequencies (daily/weekly) capture more variance, which is helpful in volatile crypto. Practical answer: pick whatever you'll actually do — consistency beats optimization.
Does this account for trading fees?
No — gross returns only. Subtract ~0.1-0.5% per buy for centralized exchanges (Coinbase Pro, Kraken, Binance) or up to 1% for retail apps (Coinbase, Robinhood). On 200+ buys that compounds to a meaningful gap.
What about tax implications?
Each DCA buy creates a separate cost-basis lot for tax purposes. When you sell, FIFO is the US default but specific-identification can be more tax-efficient. Track every buy meticulously or use a crypto tax tool (Koinly, CoinTracker, etc).
Where does the price data come from?
Daily close prices from Binance (with CryptoCompare and Kraken as fallback for coins not on Binance). For coins with less than 90 days of history, the backtest is disabled — there's not enough data to be meaningful.
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Guide
How to backtest a DCA strategy
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1
Pick the coin
Default is Bitcoin. Bitcoin has data back to 2014, Ethereum to 2015, other top coins as far back as their listing date.
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2
Pick the start date
When would you have started DCA? The backtest replays from that day forward to today.
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3
Enter the recurring buy amount
How much in USD per period — $25, $50, $100 are the most common.
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4
Pick the frequency
Daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Weekly is the historical sweet spot on Bitcoin.
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5
(Optional) Add an exchange fee
Toggle 0.1%, 0.5%, or 1% per buy to model realistic costs.
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6
Read the output
Total invested, total stack accumulated, current dollar value, ROI %, average cost basis, and a chart of stack-vs-spot.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the crypto dca backtest
What is dollar-cost averaging (DCA) in crypto? +
How does the DCA backtest work? +
Which timeframes can I test? +
Does the DCA backtest include exchange fees? +
What is the optimal DCA frequency for Bitcoin? +
Should I keep DCAing during a bear market? +
Is DCA better than lump-sum investing? +
Are taxes included in the backtest? +
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