Lump-Sum vs DCA Comparator

How to use Lump-Sum vs DCA Comparator

Choose a coin, total USD budget, and date range. Run the compare. Read monthly slice size, coins and ROI for lump-sum versus DCA, the value gap, and the dual equity chart.

Formula & methodology

periods = calendar months in [start, end]. monthly = total/periods. Lump-sum coins = total/price_first. Each month DCA coins += monthly/price_month. Mark both stacks to live spot. Gap = lumpValue − dcaValue.

Same capital, two paths

People argue endlessly about buying once versus averaging in. This tool settles the argument for a specific window: fix the total cash and the dates, then see which path holds more value today.

Lump-sum buys the full budget on the first available candle on or after your start date. DCA divides that budget evenly across each calendar month and buys on the first candle in each month — the same cadence as the standalone DCA calculator.

Use majors (BTC, ETH) for multi-year windows. Long alt ranges may be sparse or rate-limited. Pair with the monthly DCA calculator when you already know a fixed monthly contribution instead of a total budget.

Reading the dual equity chart

The chart overlays lump-sum value, DCA value, and DCA cash deployed. In a rising market the lump-sum line often sits above DCA because capital was fully invested earlier. After a peak entry, DCA can catch up as later buys land cheaper.

A small gap near zero means timing barely mattered for that window. A large gap means path dependency dominated — still not a forecast of the next cycle.