Can You Buy a Fraction of Bitcoin?

Yes, you can buy a fraction of Bitcoin as little as 0.00000001 BTC or 1 satoshi. Importantly, you don’t have to purchase a whole Bitcoin to own Bitcoin.

Josiah Makori
By Josiah Makori
Marcel Deer
Edited by Marcel Deer

Published July 2, 2022.

Bitcoin is a digital currency that works without any central control or oversight by financial institutions and governments. Instead, it uses peer-to-peer technology and cryptography to function.

According to the brief history of Bitcoin, it runs on a public ledger—a blockchain—to record and store transactions on distributed servers. Anyone with a computer and internet connection can create one of these servers as a network node operator. Consensus on bitcoin transactions is achieved cryptographically by these decentralized nodes instead of relying on a central point of trust such as a central bank.

Every vitcoin transaction is publicly broadcasted to the network and shared among the nodes. After approximately every 10 minutes, miners group these transactions into a block and add them permanently to the Bitcoin blockchain, which acts as the definitive account book of Bitcoin.

Is Buying a Fraction of a Bitcoin Worth It?

First, how do you buy Bitcoin? Well, you can buy Bitcoin by following these three simple steps:

  1. Sign up with a crypto trading marketplace, like Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, FTX, etc.
  2. Set up your payment method by linking your bank account, credit/debit, Apply Pay, PayPal, etc.
  3. Follow the exchange instructions to buy

Before making your first buy order, make sure you check these limitations of Bitcoin to make an informed decision.

Now, let’s answer the question: is it profitable to buy fractions of bitcoin?

Yes, it is worth it to buy a fraction of bitcoin. If its value doubles within a given period, the amount you invested will determine the profits you get, just like the person who bought a whole bitcoin.

Importantly, you don’t have to purchase a whole bitcoin to own bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous Bitcoin creator, ensured you could buy a fraction of bitcoin as little as 0.00000001 BTC—1 satoshi.

With that in mind, there are some considerations you should factor in when buying fractions of bitcoin:

  • Exchanges typically don’t process buy orders of less than $5.
  • Bitcoin transactions cost money. Though these transactions keep changing, spare at least $5 for that reason.
  • Exchanges charge fees of up to $3 for buying bitcoin. Besides, payment processors like credit/debit card companies charge for using their services.

Can You Buy a Whole Bitcoin?

You can buy a whole bitcoin or a fraction of it. While most cryptocurrency marketplaces have a minimum buy limit, they are well below 1 BTC. The only limitation is that you can’t buy more than 21 million bitcoins because there’ll only ever be a maximum of 21 million bitcoins in circulation.