BTCorMSTR
LIVE
Head to head

Bitcoin vs MSTR, side by side

The pure asset against the leveraged vehicle. Same rows, two columns — orange is bitcoin, blue is Strategy.

Prices as of Aug 17, 2026, 3:17 PM UTC
Strategy filing data as of Aug 2, 2026Shares data as of Aug 16, 2026
Metric
BTC
MSTR
Live price
$63,825
$96.66
24h change
+1.22%
+3.89%
Total valueBTC NAV vs diluted market cap
$53.75B
$41.31B
What it is
The asset itself
Leveraged BTC holder
Leverage
None (1×)
Debt + preferreds
Premium to BTC heldmNAV − 1
-23.2%
mNAV (enterprise)
1.09×
Yield / income
No native yield
No dividend on common — Strategy's preferreds (separate securities) pay income
BTC per $1,000Bitcoin exposure bought
0.015668
0.020388

Total return over time

Rebased to 100. The gap between the lines is the leverage-and-premium effect at work.

BTC-45.5%MSTR-74.6%
Rebase from
BTC saleMilestoneCapital

Both series rebased to 100 at the start of the window. Higher = more total price growth. BTC is drawn continuously; MSTR steps and holds its last close on days the market is shut.

The numbers behind the two lines

How tightly MSTR tracks bitcoin, how much it amplifies the move, and how deep the drawdowns run.

Correlation · 30D
0.58
daily returns
Correlation · 90D
0.71
daily returns
MSTR beta to BTC
1.43×
past 12 months · 250d
BTC vol · 30D
22%
annualized
MSTR vol · 30D
54%
annualized
BTC max drawdown
-53%
past 12 months
MSTR max drawdown
-77.4%
past 12 months

Correlation and volatility use trailing daily closes (30/90 sessions); volatility is annualized (BTC ×√365, MSTR ×√252). Beta and max drawdown span the selected range.

The case for BTC

No counterparty, no dilution, no management decisions. You own the asset directly and your bitcoin-per-dollar never gets diluted by a capital raise. Lower ceiling, lower floor.

The case for MSTR

Embedded company-level leverage without requiring the shareholder to take a personal margin loan, access inside a brokerage or retirement account, and a team that raises capital accretively when the premium allows. Higher ceiling — and a premium that can evaporate.

Deciding which exposure fits your situation? Read the BTC or MSTR guide →

Want to see it against your own money? Run the calculator →