[PRESS RELEASE – Nuremberg, Germany, May 19th, 2026]
Based on Coinbird DCA Calculator data: monthly Bitcoin buying since 2015 returned +4,515%, while investors would still have endured a 76.72% drawdown, and DCA underperformed lump-sum investing in Coinbird’s tested shorter-term scenarios
New analysis from independent crypto comparison platform Coinbird examines the real outcomes of disciplined monthly Bitcoin purchases since 2015 and highlights why the common mantra “just DCA into Bitcoin” can be misleading without context.
The results come from Coinbird’s Bitcoin DCA Calculator, which uses historical Bitcoin price data from CoinGecko and enables users to model recurring investment strategies going back to 2013.
To run the backtest or explore alternative scenarios, users can visit the Coinbird DCA Calculator page.
Key findings
- An investor who started a $100/month Bitcoin dollar-cost averaging (DCA) plan in January 2015 would have executed 137 monthly purchases through May 2026, investing a total of $13,700. As of May 19, 2026, that portfolio of approximately 8.219 BTC would be worth roughly $632,315, representing a total return of +4,515% on invested capital. The average acquisition cost worked out to about $1,667 per BTC, driven by larger Bitcoin allocations from the earliest, lower-priced purchases.
- Investors who began near the May 2021 market peak still saw notable returns: a $100/month DCA plan from May 2021–May 2026 returned +84.34%, converting $6,100 invested across 61 monthly purchases into roughly $11,244. Over the same period, a lump-sum investment of the entire $6,100 invested at the May 2021 start returned about +43%. In that scenario, DCA outperformed because it continued acquiring more Bitcoin through the 2022 bear market.
- However, lump-sum investing outperformed DCA across 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-year horizons in Coinbird’s tested scenarios. A DCA advantage emerged only at the five-year horizon after a full crash-and-recovery cycle. The takeaway: the claim that “DCA beats lump-sum” is not universally true but depends strongly on start date and market conditions.
- Despite long-term gains, DCA investors experienced a maximum drawdown of -76.72% during the 2022 bear market, illustrating that recurring purchases do not remove market volatility or the emotional challenge of enduring severe declines.
“The interesting finding is not simply that Bitcoin went up since 2015,” said Philipp, Founder of Coinbird. “What stands out is that automatic monthly buying through crashes, all-time highs and regulatory uncertainty still produced extraordinary long-term results in this historical scenario. At the same time, the drawdowns show why this strategy is much harder to live through than it looks on a chart in hindsight.”
Coinbird’s Bitcoin DCA Calculator is free to use and lets individuals test different contribution amounts, purchase intervals and start dates going back to 2013.
Methodology
The analysis simulates recurring monthly Bitcoin purchases using historical CoinGecko price data for the selected period. Lump-sum comparisons assume the total planned contribution is invested upfront at the start date. Calculations exclude taxes and trading fees. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
About Coinbird
Coinbird is an independent crypto comparison and market intelligence platform designed to help retail investors compare cryptocurrencies, exchanges and wallets using clear data. On coinbird.com, users can access live market information, compare providers, use crypto calculators and monitor market indicators such as the Bitcoin Rainbow Chart, Bitcoin Dominance and the Altcoin Season Index.
Coinbird is operated by Coinbird GmbH and serves as the international platform of kryptovergleich.de, one of Germany’s leading crypto comparison portals, which reaches more than two million users annually. Across both platforms, Coinbird combines transparent data, practical tools and educational guides tailored to both new and experienced crypto investors.