How to use it
Enter the starting balance, the return per period and the period length. For a stablecoin product quoted as โ5% APYโ, you can either enter 5 with a period of one year, or convert to a monthly rate of about 0.41% to see the monthly path. Add the amount you plan to deposit each period โ for example part of a salary โ and the number of periods. Negative rates work too, which is useful for modelling a losing strategy or fees that eat into a balance.
Deposits are added at the start of each period from the second one onwards and earn that periodโs return. The first period starts with the starting balance only. The table shows the balance before the deposit, the deposit, the growth and the closing balance for every period.
balance_n = (balance_{nโ1} + deposit) ร (1 + r)
yearly equivalent = (1 + r)^(periods per year) โ 1
periods to double = ln 2 รท ln(1 + r)Example: 1% a month with $100 deposits
Start with $1,000, earn 1% per month and add $100 each month for 24 months. You contribute $3,300 in total and finish with about $3,867 โ $567 of it is growth. A 1% monthly rate is equivalent to about 12.68% a year, and doubling a balance at that rate takes about 70 months.
Now the warning case. $1,000 compounding at 1% per day for a year becomes about $37,783. Real, sustainable crypto yields do not look like that. When a platform advertises daily returns of this size, the money paying them usually comes from new depositors or from risks you cannot see โ the calculator turns red above 0.5% per day for that reason.
Where crypto compound returns come from
- Staking rewards โ paid in the staked coin, so the yield compounds in coins while the dollar value follows the price. The staking calculator handles validator commission and APR/APY conversion.
- Lending and savings products for stablecoins โ interest paid by borrowers; rates move with demand for leverage.
- Liquidity provision โ trading fees plus incentives, offset by impermanent loss; see the impermanent loss calculator.
- Recurring buying โ not interest at all, but DCA purchases grow the position in a similar step-by-step way.
Compounding needs the rewards to be reinvested. If a platform pays out to your wallet and you leave the payouts idle, use a period of one year and the simple rate instead.
Things the formula does not know
A compound interest table assumes the rate stays fixed and nothing goes wrong. In crypto, rates change weekly, platforms change terms, stablecoins can lose their peg, and lenders have failed and frozen withdrawals. Taxes may apply to every reward as it is received. Use the table to compare options and set expectations; compare platforms with the stablecoin yield comparison, and keep part of the balance where you control the keys.
Quick rules of thumb
The rule of 72 gives a fast estimate of doubling time: divide 72 by the rate per period. At 6% a year money doubles in about 12 years; at 1% a month, in about 72 months โ close to the exact 70 the calculator shows. Use it to sanity-check any offer in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
+How do I calculate compound interest on crypto?
Multiply the balance by (1 + rate) once per period, adding any deposit before each step. The calculator does this for up to 3,650 periods and exports the table.
+What is the difference between APR and APY?
APR is the simple yearly rate; APY includes compounding. 12% APR compounded monthly is about 12.68% APY. Enter the per-period rate and the calculator shows the yearly equivalent.
+Is 1% daily interest realistic in crypto?
Not sustainably. 1% a day compounds to roughly 37 times the balance in a year. Offers like that are a classic sign of a Ponzi scheme or extreme hidden risk.
+Can I export the schedule to Excel?
Yes. The Excel and CSV buttons download every period with the deposit, growth and closing balance.
+Does the calculator handle losses?
Yes โ enter a negative rate per period to model losses or recurring fees.
Calculations run entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent to KOT.CASH. Results are estimates for information only and are not financial, tax or legal advice.