Crypto Volatility
& ATR Calculator
Pick a coin and a lookback window. We pull real daily prices and compute historical volatility - the standard deviation of daily returns, annualized - plus the Average True Range, so you can size stops and positions to how much the asset actually moves.
Free, no sign-up, no ads. Educational tool — not financial advice.
TL;DR
Volatility measures how much an asset swings. We report daily volatility (standard deviation of daily returns), the annualized figure (daily x sqrt(365)), and ATR - the average daily true range in price terms. High volatility means wider stops and smaller positions for the same risk. The numbers are historical: they describe the past, not the future, and spike hard in crashes.
Historical volatility vs ATR
Both measure movement but differently. Historical volatility is the standard deviation of daily returns, usually annualized by multiplying by the square root of 365 - it's a percentage that lets you compare assets and feeds option pricing. ATR (Average True Range) is the average daily range in price units (dollars), which is directly useful for placing a stop a sensible distance beyond the noise.
Why it matters for sizing
If an asset routinely moves 5% a day, a 2% stop will be hit by noise before your idea plays out. Volatility and ATR tell you how wide a stop has to be to survive normal movement - and a wider stop means a smaller position for the same dollar risk. Sizing to volatility is what keeps a string of normal candles from looking like a string of losses.
The honest caveat
Volatility is historical and regime-dependent. It collapses in quiet ranges and explodes in crashes, often tripling within days - exactly when your stops and margin matter most. Use these numbers to understand the current regime, not to predict the next one. Data is fetched live from a public exchange; if it can't load, you'll see an honest error, never made-up values.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is annualized volatility calculated?
We take daily returns over your lookback window, compute their standard deviation (daily volatility), then annualize by multiplying by the square root of 365. A 3% daily figure annualizes to about 57%. Crypto routinely runs 40-100%+ annualized - far above stocks.
What is ATR and how do I use it?
ATR is the average of the daily 'true range' (the day's high-low, adjusted for gaps) over the last 14 periods, expressed in price. A common rule is to place stops 1.5-3x ATR beyond entry, so normal daily movement doesn't take you out prematurely.
Where does the price data come from?
Daily closing and high/low prices are pulled live from a public exchange API (Binance), the same source family as our DCA and correlation tools. Only public price endpoints are queried and nothing is stored.
Is high volatility good or bad?
Neither inherently - it's just how much the asset moves. Higher volatility means bigger opportunities and bigger risks; it demands wider stops, smaller positions and lower leverage. The mistake is using stock-sized risk settings on an asset that moves 5x as much.
Why did I get an error instead of a result?
The exchange API may be rate-limiting, or the coin may lack enough history for the window. The tool shows an honest error rather than inventing numbers - wait a minute, shorten the window, or pick a different coin.
