Bitcoin's price history is one of the most remarkable stories in the history of financial assets. From worthless novelty to a multi-trillion-dollar asset class in just 17 years, Bitcoin's price trajectory reflects the progressive monetization of a new form of money.
All historical price data on this page is sourced from Onramp Terminal, cross-referenced with major exchange data and on-chain metrics.
Bitcoin price at start of era: $0.00
Bitcoin price at end of era: ~$0.30
Year-open prices: 2011: $0.30 | 2012: $5.27
Year-end prices: 2011: $4.72 | 2012: $13.51
Early adoption was fueled by cypherpunks, libertarians, and technologists. Media coverage of Bitcoin's use on Silk Road brought attention but also controversy. The Mt. Gox exchange became the dominant trading venue.
Year-open prices: 2013: $13.30 | 2014: $770 | 2015: $314
Year-end prices: 2013: $757 | 2014: $318 | 2015: $430
The Cyprus banking crisis in March 2013 introduced Bitcoin as a potential safe haven. Chinese exchange volume surged. The collapse of Mt. Gox shook confidence but ultimately proved Bitcoin's antifragility: the network continued operating without interruption.
Year-open prices: 2016: $430 | 2017: $998 | 2018: $13,412
Year-end prices: 2016: $963 | 2017: $14,156 | 2018: $3,693
The halving in July 2016 preceded the most speculative cycle in Bitcoin's history. The ICO (Initial Coin Offering) craze brought millions of new participants into the crypto space. Mainstream media coverage reached fever pitch. The introduction of futures trading on CBOE and CME marked Wall Street's first direct exposure.
Year-open prices: 2019: $3,693 | 2020: $7,195 | 2021: $29,374 | 2022: $46,306
Year-end prices: 2019: $7,193 | 2020: $29,001 | 2021: $46,306 | 2022: $16,537
The COVID-19 monetary response (trillions in stimulus) drove institutional interest in Bitcoin as an inflation hedge. MicroStrategy, Tesla, and publicly traded miners accumulated aggressively. However, the leveraged excesses of centralized crypto lending platforms (Celsius, BlockFi, Voyager) and the fraud at FTX led to a severe bear market.
Year-open prices: 2023: $16,537 | 2024: $44,172 | 2025: $93,429 | 2026: ~$98,000
The approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024 was a watershed moment. BlackRock's IBIT became the fastest ETF in history to reach $10 billion in AUM. Institutional capital flooded into Bitcoin through regulated, familiar investment vehicles. The 2024 halving reduced supply growth to below 1% annually for the first time, while ETF demand created a structural supply deficit.
Milestone | Date | Days from Genesis
$0.01 | ~May 2010 | ~485
$1 | Feb 9, 2011 | ~768
$10 | June 2, 2011 | ~880
$100 | April 1, 2013 | ~1,549
$1,000 | Nov 27, 2013 | ~1,789
$10,000 | Nov 28, 2017 | ~3,252
$20,000 | Dec 17, 2017 | ~3,271
$50,000 | Feb 16, 2021 | ~4,428
$69,000 | Nov 10, 2021 | ~4,695
$100,000 | Dec 5, 2024 | ~5,816
Bitcoin's volatility has been a defining characteristic. Major drawdowns from all-time highs:
Period | Peak | Bottom | Drawdown | Recovery Time
2011 | $31.91 | $2.00 | -93.7% | ~2 years
2013-2015 | $1,163 | $178 | -84.7% | ~3 years
2017-2018 | $19,783 | $3,128 | -84.2% | ~3 years
2021-2022 | $68,789 | $15,476 | -77.5% | ~2 years
A consistent pattern emerges: each cycle's drawdown has been less severe, and recovery times have shortened as the market matures and institutional participation deepens.
Onramp Terminal provides institutional-grade price data, on-chain analytics, and the tools needed to understand Bitcoin's price in the context of network fundamentals, supply dynamics, and macroeconomic conditions.
For allocators building long-term Bitcoin positions, Onramp's Multi-Institution Custody distributes holdings across BitGo, Coinbase, and Anchor Watch, providing the security infrastructure worthy of a multi-cycle hold strategy. Over $1 billion in assets under custody trust Onramp's approach.
Bitcoin's all-time high was set on January 20, 2025, at $109,071, reached on inauguration day. Previous all-time highs were $68,789 (November 10, 2021), $19,783 (December 17, 2017), and $1,163 (November 29, 2013). Bitcoin first surpassed $100,000 on December 5, 2024.
In 2010, Bitcoin's price ranged from fractions of a cent to approximately $0.30 by year end. The most famous price reference from 2010 is Bitcoin Pizza Day (May 22), when 10,000 BTC was exchanged for two pizzas, implying a price of approximately $0.004 per Bitcoin. By July 2010, when Mt. Gox launched, Bitcoin was trading around $0.07.
Bitcoin has experienced four major crashes of 75% or more from all-time highs: -93.7% in 2011 ($31 to $2), -84.7% in 2013-2015 ($1,163 to $178), -84.2% in 2017-2018 ($19,783 to $3,128), and -77.5% in 2021-2022 ($68,789 to $15,476). Notably, each successive crash has been less severe, and Bitcoin has recovered to set new all-time highs every time.
Bitcoin's price is driven by the interaction of fixed supply (21 million cap, halving every ~4 years) with variable demand. Major demand drivers include: institutional adoption (ETFs, corporate treasuries), monetary policy (money printing, inflation), regulatory developments, halving cycles reducing new supply, and network effects as adoption grows. The 2024 ETF approvals created a structural new demand source of billions in monthly inflows.
Bitcoin has been the best-performing asset of the last 15 years by a wide margin. A $100 investment at $1 in 2011 would be worth over $10 million today. However, Bitcoin is volatile: investors have endured drawdowns exceeding 75% in every cycle. Historical data shows that investors who held through full 4-year cycles have never lost money. Onramp's DCA and Multi-Institution Custody tools are designed for this long-term approach.
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