Bitcoin vs Silver: which won?
Bitcoin crushed Silver since 2011 — more than 12994× as much.
Bitcoin
Winner$13,647,881
13,648× · +93.6%/yr
silver
Runner-up$1,050
1.05× · +0.4%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 2011 → 2024
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Bitcoin | silver | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $13,647,881 | $1,050 |
| Total return | 13,648× | 1.05× |
| Annual return | +93.6% | +0.4% |
| Best single year | +5506% (2013) | +47% (2020) |
| Worst single year | −49% (2014) | −35% (2013) |
| Deepest drop | −75.6% | −54.0% |
| The ride | White-knuckle rollercoaster | Fairly steady climb |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 2011 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Bitcoin stake is worth about $13,647,881 — a 13,648× return, or roughly +93.6% a year. The same money in Silver grew to about $1,050 (1.05×). Bitcoin wins this window decisively: more than 12994× as much, or about $13,646,831 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Bitcoin's path was a white-knuckle rollercoaster, while Silver was a fairly steady climb. So Bitcoin's win came with the bigger stomach test: more upside, but you had to sit through sharper swings to collect it.
Neither was a straight line. Bitcoin's ugliest calendar year was −49% (2014) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −75.6%, recovered by 2020. Silver bottomed at −35% (2013) with a deepest drop of −54.0%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 47.0% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was Bitcoin or Silver a better investment since 2011?
- Over 2011–2024, Bitcoin was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $13,647,881 (13,648×), versus about $1,050 (1.05×) for Silver — more than 12994× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Bitcoin be worth versus Silver?
- Starting at the end of 2011, $1,000 in Bitcoin would be worth about $13,647,881 today, and in Silver about $1,050 — a difference of roughly $13,646,831 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Bitcoin or Silver?
- Bitcoin was the wilder ride — white-knuckle rollercoaster — with a deepest fall of −75.6%, while Silver was fairly steady climb (deepest fall −54.0%).
- Did Bitcoin always beat Silver?
- No. This compares a single start year (2011, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.