Bitcoin DCA Calculator
This bitcoin DCA calculator goes beyond simple yearly averages and retrospective analysis.
See how dollar-cost averaging performs through bitcoin's historical 4-year cycles, including bear markets, accumulation phases and bull runs.
This DCA calculator does not predict future prices. It is an educational tool that estimates bitcoin’s position in what has historically resembled 4-year market cycles (based on the halving schedule and price vs. ATH) to illustrate what dollar-cost averaging might look like over both bear markets and bull runs.
The key insight: the largest accumulation typically happens during bear markets.
Staying consistent with your DCA strategy through downturns is often how you end up with the most bitcoin.
Bitcoin DCA Calculator
Bitcoin price
Live market price
Adjusts how much the model emphasizes price swings across bitcoin's 4-year cycles.
Finally, a bitcoin DCA calculator that accounts for reality
Most bitcoin DCA calculators are purely retrospective — they show what you "would have" accumulated if you'd started years ago. Interesting, but offers little forward-looking value.
Others attempt to look forward, but typically assume you're buying only at today's price or higher. This doesn't reflect how DCA-ing in bitcoin actually works.
Our cycle-aware model illustrates the true accumulation potential as bitcoin moves through both bear and bull markets.
Standard DCA calculators underestimate bitcoin accumulation
Most bitcoin DCA calculators you see online make a critical error: they assume bitcoin grows steadily each year. Here's the problem with that approach:
"The flawed assumption"
Traditional calculators take today's bitcoin price and apply a steady annual return (like 15-25%) across your entire DCA period.
Why this breaks
This assumes every single purchase over the next several years happens at or above today's price level. But bitcoin has never behaved this way.
Historical trend
Bitcoin has moved in 4-year cycles with dramatic volatility. Even during long-term uptrends, bitcoin often undergoes major corrections before reaching new peaks.
The result
Traditional calculators drastically underestimate how much bitcoin you could accumulate, because they ignore the buying opportunities that volatility creates.
A real example of how this plays out
Let's say you're starting a 4-year DCA strategy today:
Traditional calculator assumption
- • Takes current price as baseline
- • Applies 20% annual growth
- • Every purchase happens at progressively higher prices
- • Your dollar buys less bitcoin each month
What happens in reality
- • Accounts for historical volatility patterns
- • Models the 65-85% drawdowns that typically occur
- • A significant portion of your purchases happen at lower prices
- • Your dollar accumulates more bitcoin during bear phases
The difference can be dramatic; often 50-100% more bitcoin accumulated when you account for cycle-based buying opportunities versus steady-growth assumptions.
This is why our calculator models bitcoin's cyclical behavior rather than basic, unrealistic smooth returns.
Why bitcoin DCA beats "timing the market"
Many of us have stared at bitcoin's price charts thinking "if only I had bought at the bottom." Unfortunately, this type of perfect timing only works in hindsight.
Trying to time bitcoin's market is more akin to gambling than investing. Even professional traders with years of experience struggle to consistently predict the short-term price movements in BTC.
Dollar-cost averaging takes a completely different approach. Instead of trying to outsmart the market, you work with bitcoin's volatility to your advantage.