Crypto profit calculator (with fees)

By the Blockhorizon Editorial Team · Updated 2 October 2026 · How we check facts

How is crypto profit calculated?

The calculator uses these steps (fees as decimals, so 0.5% = 0.005):

1. Buy fee = amount spent × buy fee
2. Coins received = (amount spent − buy fee) ÷ buy price
3. Value before sell fee = coins × sell price
4. Sell fee = value before sell fee × sell fee
5. You receive = value before sell fee − sell fee
6. Profit or loss = you receive − amount spent
7. Return = profit or loss ÷ amount spent × 100%
8. Break-even sell price = amount spent ÷ (coins × (1 − sell fee))

This assumes the fee is taken from the amount you spend on the way in and from the sale value on the way out. Some platforms charge fees differently (for example by giving you a worse price instead of a visible fee), so check your platform’s fee page.

What does a worked example look like?

Using the calculator’s default numbers — $1,000 spent, buy price $50,000, sell price $55,000, and a 0.5% fee on each side:

The price rose 10%, but the return after fees is 8.90%. Fees turn a gain into a smaller gain — and make a loss bigger. If the price had instead fallen 10% to $45,000, the same trade would lose $108.98 (−10.90%).

Computed example for illustration only; these prices are not a prediction.

What costs does this calculator leave out?

Real trading costs are usually higher than a single visible fee. US regulators define the spread as the difference between the bid and ask prices, and the SEC notes that market makers “make their money on the spread” — so you pay it even when no commission is shown. This calculator does not include:

• the spread or a worse-than-quoted price (slippage);
• network or withdrawal fees for moving crypto;
• deposit or card-payment fees;
• taxes, which depend on where you live.

Why can the result be very different in real life?

Because the sell price is the one number nobody knows in advance. UK and EU regulators warn that crypto prices can fall and rise quickly over short periods and that you could lose all the money you put in. The FCA gives its own example: Bitcoin fell 30.44% between 6 October and 1 December 2025.

Use the calculator to understand the effect of fees and to test pessimistic scenarios — such as the sell price falling by a third — not to estimate how much you will make. Before using any platform, read the red flags of crypto scams.

How do you use the calculator to test a loss?

1. Enter the amount you plan to spend and today’s buy price.
2. Enter a sell price below the buy price — for example 30% lower.
3. Enter the fees from your platform’s fee schedule.
4. Press Calculate and read the loss line. Ask yourself whether you could live with that outcome.

New to the terms? Start with what Bitcoin is.