Skip to content

Learn · Calculator

Historical returns: every month or in one go?

Work out what a fixed monthly amount in bitcoin, ether or solana would have been worth, next to the same sum invested in one go at the start. Using real weekly prices in euros, and showing the drops you'd have had to ride out along the way.

This is about the past. It says nothing about what crypto will do in the future: prices can fall hard and for a long time, and you can lose the money you invest.

Coin
Period

€100 every month

61 purchases, each at the first weekly price of the month

Invested
€6,100
Value on 15 October 2026
€11,070
Profit or loss
€4,970 (+81%)
Worst moment
52% below what you'd invested

€6,100 in one go

All of it on 7 October 2021, at the price at the time

Invested
€6,100
Value on 15 October 2026
€9,302
Profit or loss
€3,202 (+52%)
Worst moment
67% below what you'd invested

Over this period, Bitcoin went from €47,800 to €72,888. Its biggest drop from an earlier peak was 73%.

Over time
  • Value (every month)
  • Value (all in one go)
  • Invested (every month)

What this is based on

  • Weekly closing prices from Kraken in euros. Your real purchase price will always be slightly different.
  • No trading fees, spread, tax or inflation. In reality, fees and tax make the result lower, and inflation makes it worth less.
  • ‘In one go’ means the same sum as all the monthly amounts added together, invested at the very start of the period.
  • There wasn't much trading on Kraken in its early years, so prices from that time are less representative.
  • Nothing is projected into the future.

Where to next

Automated crypto saving (DCA): calm, discipline, better pricesHow regular buying works and what to look out for.Fee calculatorWhat buying costs on each platform, on top of the price.Crypto tax by countryHow gains on crypto are taxed in your country.What is Bitcoin?Why the price moves so much, and what the halving does.

Frequently asked questions

Is investing every month better than investing in one go?

It depends on the period. In a rising market, investing in one go usually comes out ahead, because your money is in the market for longer. In a falling market, spreading it out limits the damage. Try different periods above, including ones with a big drop, to see the difference.

Why aren't fees included?

Fees vary by platform and payment method, and tax varies by country. What buying costs on each platform is in the fee calculator; how gains are taxed is on the crypto tax by country page.

Where do the prices come from?

From Kraken's public price data: the weekly closing price in euros. We fetch them every month; the date is at the bottom of the page.

Does this tell you anything about the future?

No. Past returns are no guarantee of future returns. Crypto can also fall for years in a row, and you can lose the money you invest.

Sources

Prices retrieved on 18 October 2026.