DCA history · Bitcoin
Bitcoin DCA since 2016: $100 monthly
Investing $100 every month into Bitcoin since 1 January 2016 (131 buys, $13,100 in total) would be worth $279,271 today (+2031.84%).
Backtest 1 January 2016 to 1 November 2026 · USD · no fees · live price. Change the amount, dates or fees →
Dollar-cost averaging
$279,271
+2031.84% · +52.59%/yr
- Invested
- $13,100.00
- Buys
- 131
- Average cost
- $3,655.64
Lump sum, day one
Winner$2,352,389
+17857.16%
- Invested
- $13,100.00
- Bought at
- $433.99
- Max drawdown
- 83.29%
Perfect timing (hindsight)
$2,774,070
+21076.10%
- Bought on
- 3 Feb 2016
- At a price of
- $368.02
- Not a plan you could follow
How it would have felt
Over this period the plan was worth less than the money you’d put in on 1.1% of days, with the longest unbroken stretch lasting 32 days (to 13 Feb 2016). The worst moment was 31 Jan 2016, when it was down 14.8% on what had been invested. It has been in profit continuously since 22 Mar 2016. The average cost per unit was $3,655.64 against a price today of $77,932.30 (+2031.84%). The cheapest buy was $372.18 on 1 Feb 2016 and the priciest $118,400.00 on 1 Oct 2025.
Year by year
| As of | Invested | Worth | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec 2016 | $1,200 | $2,214 | +84.54% |
| 31 Dec 2017 | $2,400 | $40,603 | +1591.77% |
| 31 Dec 2018 | $3,600 | $11,600 | +222.22% |
| 31 Dec 2019 | $4,800 | $23,711 | +393.98% |
| 31 Dec 2020 | $6,000 | $98,628 | +1543.79% |
| 31 Dec 2021 | $7,200 | $160,204 | +2125.05% |
| 31 Dec 2022 | $8,400 | $57,719 | +587.13% |
| 31 Dec 2023 | $9,600 | $149,373 | +1455.97% |
| 31 Dec 2024 | $10,800 | $331,740 | +2971.66% |
| 31 Dec 2025 | $12,000 | $312,350 | +2502.92% |
| 1 Nov 2026 | $13,100 | $279,271 | +2031.84% |
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Monthly $100 into Bitcoin, by start year:
Does the start year really matter? Best and worst time to start DCA or DCA vs lump sum, tested on every start month.
Frequently asked questions
- How much would $100 every month in Bitcoin since 2016 be worth today?
- Investing $100 every month into Bitcoin since 1 January 2016 (131 buys, $13,100 in total) would be worth $279,271 today (+2031.84%).
- Was DCA better than a lump sum for Bitcoin since 2016?
- Investing the same $13,100 in one go on 1 January 2016 would be worth $2,352,389 today (+17857.16%), so putting it all in on day one came out ahead over this particular period. Which wins depends heavily on the start date.
- How long was Bitcoin DCA underwater since 2016?
- The plan was worth less than the money invested on 1.1% of days, with the longest stretch lasting 32 days (ending 13 Feb 2016).