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The best Bitcoin mining software won't guarantee that you reap rewards from your mining efforts. You’ll also need a high-performance mining rig. That said, a good crypto mining software will allow you to keep close tabs on your rig from remote locations and optimize it so you can earn the highest return on your crypto mining investment. This guide will review the top mining software based on reputation in the cryptocurrency community, breadth of features, compatibility with various platforms and mining hardware, and ease of use.
— Best Overall: CGMiner
— Best for Experienced Users: BFGMiner
— Best for Beginners: MultiMiner
— Best Bitcoin Cloud Mining Software: Shamining
— Best for Multiple Currencies: Awesome Miner
How We Picked the Best Bitcoin Mining Software
Bitcoin miners use powerful computers to compete against each other to solve complex mathematical problems known as hashes. Because of the speed and energy required to solve these problems, miners typically use GPUs (graphics processing units) or other hardware. The winner receives a Bitcoin, a type of cryptocurrency, which is then entered into the blockchain.
But the market is known for its volatility and Bitcoin mining has been called out for its environmental impact. Amid calls for additional oversight, Apple no longer allows crypto mining and in April 2022, the U.S. government announced it will begin regulating cryptocurrency. And it’s not clear how much Bitcoin there remains to mine.
With those caveats, we considered more than a dozen Bitcoin mining software to produce our list of the top five options. Features and ease of use were both important. We chose software that offers such features as remote management and the ability to analyze individual miners and make (and in some cases automate) changes as needed to improve performance and the potential for profitability. We included software that caters to the needs of advanced users and newcomers alike. The biggest differentiator between the two was mainly the type of interface as well as the amount of instructional information offered. We also included software that could be used on as many platforms as possible across a variety of different types of mining rigs.
The Best Bitcoin Mining Software: Reviews and Recommendations
Best Overall: CGMiner
Why It Made The Cut: With its open-source design and ability to work with most operating systems and hardware, CGMiner is the best option for bitcoin mining software.
Specs:
— Supported Platforms: MacOS, Windows, Linux
— Hardware Compatibility: ASIC, GPGA, GPU, CPU
— User Interface: Command line
Pros:
— Compatibility with all operating systems
— Supports working with multiple pools
— Ability to accelerate hardware hashing speeds
Cons:
— Lacks graphical interface
CGMiner is one of the older and more well-established Bitcoin mining companies on the block. With its ability to jump across multiple platforms and compatibility with various hardware, it’s no wonder why CGMiner is one of the most popular bitcoin mining software on the market.
CGMiner’s software features a simple interface that allows users to control their mining hardware remotely. It offers a robust set of statistics in real time as well as independent mining distribution. When combined with CGRemote, you can keep close tabs on each of your mining servers, browse their file systems, edit miner profiles, and, most importantly, tell them what to do, such as controlling fan speed. The software also makes it easy to scale up hashing power without creating network delays.
CGMiner is one of the most versatile bitcoin mining software options on the market, with its ability to run on both Windows and Mac computers. The software is also compatible on a broad range of mining hardware, including ASICs, GPGAs, GPUs, and CPUs.
While it's a great choice for experienced Bitcoin miners, Its bare bones command-line interface does make it a challenging option for beginners, although it is possible to add a third party graphical user interface to the software.
Best for Experienced Users: BFGMiner
Why It Made The Cut: BFGMiner is one of the most customizable options thanks to its ability to detect and start idle threads, monitor temperature, and control hardware remotely
Specs:
— Supported Platforms: MacOS, Windows, Linux
— Hardware Compatibility: ASIC, FPGA
— User Interface: Command line
Pros:
— Can control remotely
— Can mine multiple cryptocurrencies at one time
— Support dynamic clocking
Cons:
— No graphical interface
— Limited hardware compatibility
BFG’s remote management capabilities coupled with its ability to mine across multiple cryptocurrencies have made it one of the most popular Bitcoin mining software options in the business. With BFG, you can monitor hardware temperature and switch between pools remotely.
The software also has some nice useful features not found on other Bitcoin mining software. For example, it will constantly monitor pools to keep you out of inaccessible ones. It also has the ability to mine across multiple cryptocurrencies simultaneously by using different mining algorithms and blockchains at the same time. BFG supports dynamic clocking, which changes the CPU processor speed based on load, and has the ability to restart idle threads automatically without the risk of crashing the hardware should they fail to respond.
Similar to other open source bitcoin mining software, BFG is written in C and is compatible on a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, and Windows computers. However, hardware options are more limited as BFG is only compatible with FPGA and ASIC hardware. And, since it lacks a graphical interface, BFG is not a great choice for beginners.
Best for Beginners: MultiMiner
Why It Made The Cut: With its walk-through tutorials and robust graphic interface, MultiMiner is the interface of choice for beginning Bitcoin miners.
Specs:
— Supported Platforms: Windows (can use with Linux and MacOS with workarounds)
— Hardware Compatibility: GPU, ASIC, FPGA
— User Interface: User-friendly graphic user interface
Pros:
— Walks you through set up
— User friendly graphical user interface
— Automatically mines for most profitable cryptocurrencies
Cons:
— Not for advanced users who prefer a command line interface
With its slick graphical interface and host of user-friendly features, Multiminer is the best option for newcomers to the world of cryptomining. Multiminer is actually built on top of the BFGMiner engine with the main difference between the two being Multiminer’s user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) and quick-start mining features.
Multiminer has a tutorial that walks new users through the setup process, explaining in detail how to connect to a cryptocurrency pool. This feature essentially allows beginners to get up and running without much technical knowledge at all. Thanks to the GUI, accessing mining hardware is easy. Users can choose a mining strategy and the interface will automatically mine for the lowest hanging cryptocurrency fruit while clearly showing what kind of profits the user can expect.
Multiminer also works with a host of hardware types, including GPUs, ASICs, and FPGAs. There are some limitations with Multiminer — it’s only designed to work with Windows — but you can even get around those with relative ease. Mac and Linux machines need only install additional software to use Multiminer and the software provides simple instructions for how to do this. Although Multiminer caters to newbies, it isn’t just for beginners. It also includes access to advanced settings that more experienced users will appreciate.
Best Bitcoin Cloud Mining Software: Shamining
Why It Made The Cut: Shamining is the most reputable and popular cloud-based cryptocurrency mining service on the market.
Specs:
— Supported Platforms: Any desktop or mobile device
— Hardware Compatibility: N/A
— User Interface: Web browser interface
Pros:
— Requires no expensive hardware
— Works with any desktop computer or mobile device
— Can get started with as little as $250
Cons:
— You don’t get the experience of managing your own rig
Perhaps the biggest barrier to entry for those interested in cryptomining is the steep expense of mining rigs, which can cost well into the thousands of dollars. Cloud mining allows you to participate in the world of bitcoin mining without having to buy expensive hardware. Of the cloud mining operations out there, Shamining is one of the most reputable, with some 70,000 miners around the world and data centers in San Jose, California, the UK, and South Africa.
To get started, simply go to the Shamining site, create an account and verify your identity. Investors use Shaminer to rent a miner, which costs as little as $250. You can choose miners with different levels of mining power and levels of profitability. And, since Shamining pairs you with a representative who can answer questions and provide technical support, is a great option for newcomers. Other user-friendly features include an income calculator that helps investors determine what returns they can expect to get from a particular investment.
Best for Multiple Currencies: Awesome Miner
Why It Made The Cut: Awesome Miner is the go to software for those who want to mine across multiple cryptocurrencies.
Specs:
— Supported Platforms: Any desktop or mobile device
— Hardware Compatibility: N/A
— User Interface: Web browser interface
Pros:
— Robust full-color graphical user interface
— Works with smartphone when configured to desktop version
— Allows you to mine a variety of cryptocurrencies
Cons:
— Requires a monthly subscription fee is using more than two miners
If Bitcoin is only one of many cryptocurrencies you’re interested in mining and you’re not a new kid on the blockchain, then you’d do well to consider Awesome Miner. Awesome Miner is designed with a set of functions that make it suitable for many types of cryptocurrencies, and it comes with a slick full-color interface that allows you configure and manage your collection of miners from afar.
The interface allows you to track price quotes to help you determine which offers the most profitable opportunities for your mining operations. It's also one of the few mining software options that allows you to make changes via a smartphone (once you’ve synchronized it with the desktop version).
Just keep in mind that all this high-end functionality is in part due to the fact that Awesome Miner is not a free service. You can use it for free with up to two miners with limited access to features. After that you’ll need to pay between $4 for access to all features or $2 per month per miner.
Things to Consider Before Buying Bitcoin Mining Software
Set-up: Before mining for Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency, you need to have a few other things first. Make sure you have one of the best crypto wallets, which will allow you to secure the cryptocurrency you mine. You’ll also need to have an account with a cryptocurrency trading platform or exchange so you can spend that hard earned Bitcoin or turn it into cash.
Hardware: Before choosing a Bitcoin mining software, decide what hardware you’ll be using. Mining rigs come in a variety of forms, including CPU, GPU, ASIC, FPGA, and cloud mining. Since certain software works best with certain types of mining rigs, deciding on your hardware first is crucial.
Platform: Since not all Bitcoin mining software works on all platforms, you’ll also want to consider what platform (Mac, Windows, or Linux) you’ll be using before purchasing software to make sure both are compatible.
Features: Consider what features are most important to you when selecting a mining software. Do you need remote interface capabilities? Is a graphical user interface important to you, or do you prefer a command-line interface? Will you only be mining Bitcoin or do you need software that will allow you to mine across multiple cryptocurrencies all at once.
Cost: Consider how much you’re willing to pay for software. Some of the best Bitcoin mining software is open source and completely free; however, many also require you to have a certain level of technical know-how to use. User-friendly software with robust GUIs or those with advanced features that allow you to mine across currencies often come with a subscription fee. For other ideas for Bitcoin miners, explore our guide to the best crypto gifts.
FAQs
Q: How long will it take to mine 1 Bitcoin?
That depends on your setup. With a high-end set up with the best hardware and software, it takes about 10 minutes to mine a single Bitcoin. However, for the average setup, it takes about 30 days to mine a single coin.
Q; Is Bitcoin mining still profitable?
While Bitcoin mining with a CPU was once a profitable business for individual users, the increased complexity of cryptocurrency algorithms coupled with increasing electricity costs for mining rigs has made mining for individuals an unprofitable venture.
Q: How hard is Bitcoin mining?
The difficulty of mining Bitcoin varies and changes on a bi-weekly basis in order to maintain a steady production of new Bitcoins into the market. The higher the difficulty rate, the less likely it is that a miner can solve the problem and earn Bitcoins. That difficulty rate has skyrocketed in recent years rising from a value of 1 when Bitcoin launched to its current level of about 22 trillion.
Q: How much RAM do you need to mine Bitcoin?
Since having more RAM doesn’t have an impact on mining performance, anywhere from 4 GB to 16GB of RAM is suitable for mining Bitcoin. The most important part of your mining rig is the graphic cards. When shopping for a graphics card or cards pay close attention to their hash rate.
Q: What is the fastest way to mine Bitcoins?
The easiest and fastest way to mine Bitcoins is by signing up for a cloud Bitcoin mining service. These services do not require you to have any expensive hardware. Instead, you pay a comparatively small amount of money to rent a miner and software, which mines cryptocurrency for you.
Q: How do I start mining Bitcoin?
There are a few things you’ll need to start mining Bitcoin. Make sure you have a cryptocurrency wallet as well as an account with a cryptocurrency exchange. These two elements will allow you to store and spend your mined coins. To actually mine, you’ll need to purchase Bitcoin mining hardware and mining software that allows you to monitor and control it. While most software is free, high end mining hardware with graphics cards and other equipment needed to create the performance needed to successfully cryptomine can cost more than $10,000.
Q: What is the best Bitcoin mining software?
CGMiner is perhaps the best Bitcoin software on the market. Its compatibility with a variety of hardware, works on the three major platforms, and gives users the ability to control mining rigs remotely. It also offers a robust set of data on cryptocurrencies.
Final Thoughts
Before entering the world of cryptocurrency mining it’s important to understand the level of financial commitment it requires to get started. While most Bitcoin mining software is free, the cost to build a Bitcoin mining rig that will yield profitable results costs thousands of dollars. Those who don’t have the capital to put towards such an investment should consider cloud mining services that allow you to rent access to expensive miners with far less upfront investment.
This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurism’s owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.
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