S&P 500 vs Bitcoin: which won?
Bitcoin crushed S&P 500 since 2011 — more than 2309× as much.
Bitcoin
Winner$13,647,881
13,648× · +93.6%/yr
S&P 500
Runner-up$5,910
5.91× · +13.1%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 2011 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Bitcoin | S&P 500 | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $13,647,881 | $5,910 |
| Total return | 13,648× | 5.91× |
| Annual return | +93.6% | +13.1% |
| Best single year | +5506% (2013) | +13% (2020) |
| Worst single year | −49% (2014) | −13% (2020) |
| Deepest drop | −75.6% | −24.8% |
| The ride | White-knuckle rollercoaster | Remarkably smooth ride |
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 S&P 500 grew to about $5,910 (5.91×). Bitcoin wins this window decisively: more than 2309× as much, or about $13,641,971 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Bitcoin's path was a white-knuckle rollercoaster, while S&P 500 was a remarkably smooth ride. 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. S&P 500 bottomed at −13% (2020) with a deepest drop of −24.8%. 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 S&P 500 or Bitcoin a better investment since 2011?
- Over 2011–2026, Bitcoin was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $13,647,881 (13,648×), versus about $5,910 (5.91×) for S&P 500 — more than 2309× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Bitcoin be worth versus S&P 500?
- Starting at the end of 2011, $1,000 in Bitcoin would be worth about $13,647,881 today, and in S&P 500 about $5,910 — a difference of roughly $13,641,971 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, S&P 500 or Bitcoin?
- Bitcoin was the wilder ride — white-knuckle rollercoaster — with a deepest fall of −75.6%, while S&P 500 was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −24.8%).
- Did Bitcoin always beat S&P 500?
- 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.