What dollar-cost averaging does
Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) means investing a fixed amount on a regular schedule regardless of price. When the price is low your fixed amount buys more coins; when it's high it buys fewer — so your average cost smooths out and you avoid the risk of putting everything in at a single bad moment. This calculator back-tests that exact strategy against real historical prices so you can see how it would actually have played out.
DCA vs lump-sum investing
A single lump-sum investment usually wins when markets rise steadily, because all your money is exposed for longer. DCA tends to shine in choppy or falling markets, and it's far easier to stick with emotionally. This tool shows both outcomes side by side for the same total invested, so you can see which would have worked better for your chosen coin and period — and understand the trade-off between potential return and reduced timing risk.
Reading average cost and ROI
Your average buy price is your total invested divided by the coins you accumulated — the break-even price for your whole position. If the current price is above it, you're in profit; below it, at a loss. The calculator shows this alongside your ROI (profit as a percentage of what you put in), so you get both the absolute dollar result and how efficient the strategy was with your capital.
Why the window is one year
This calculator uses free, keyless daily price data, which is available for the most recent 365 days. That's enough to test a realistic DCA plan over the past year across any coin, but it can't yet reach back multiple years. Because it back-tests real prices, the results reflect what actually happened — but past performance never guarantees future results, and crypto is highly volatile.
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- Back-tested on real daily CoinGecko prices
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- Daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly buys
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- Profit, ROI and average cost basis
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- DCA vs lump-sum comparison and value chart
