Best Four Bitcoin Mining Software for Beginners and Advanced Users

Four Quick Questions & Answers ...

Q.   What Is Bitcoin Mining Software?
A.   Bitcoin mining software is a computer programme using computer power to mine cryptocurrency. In exchange for mining operations - tracking and securing online transactions known as blockchains - you receive a monetary reward in the form of digital currency.

Bitcoin mining software also provides reports based on your earnings. Bitcoin mining software can only be used by computers that are powerful enough to run the complex calculations needed to create new secure blocks.

The software connects to the hardware to either mine bitcoins directly or, more often, to a mining pool where multiple users share their hardware’s power and earn shares of cryptocurrency.

Q.   What Is a Mining Pool?
A.   A mining pool is the pooling of resources by a group of cryptocurrency miners who share their processing power over a network and split the rewards equally, depending on the amount of work they contributed to the probability of finding a crypto block. Examples of mining pools are Poolin and Slushpool.

Crypto Currency Converter Cryptocurrency Prices by Coinlib

Q.   How Long Does It Take to Mine One Bitcoin?
A.   Generally it can take about 10 minutes to mine one bitcoin. However this assumes an ideal software and hardware setup which few users can afford. For most miners, a more reasonable estimate if you have a large setup is about 30 days to mine a single bitcoin.

Q.   Can I Mine Bitcoin for Free?
A.   Although bitcoin mining software itself is free, it's important to reckon with significant costs in terms of both the hardware and electricity costs.

Specialized mining hardware can cost from a few hundred dollars to $10,000 or more. Specialized mining hardware can be purchased online from many suppliers such as Amazon, Alibaba or Eastshore. More about crypto mining rigs.

Mining equipment, known as "mining rigs" or "mining hardware" is also very power hungry. Depending on the cost of electricity in your area, it can cost $75'000 or more to mine one bitcoin.

A way to reduce this cost is by joining a cryptocurrency mining pool. Mining pools, e.g. Slushpool or Poolin, harness the power of hardware owned by many miners. This results in earning some return quicker, but the drawback is that you will only receive a share of each mined bitcoin.

If you are thinking of setting up a crypto mining rig at home, a further factor to consider is that mining rigs typically produce a lot of noise caused by their cooling fans. There are suppliers claiming to substantially reduce this noise but this will obviously add further to your costs.

Four Bitcoin Mining Softwares Reviewed ...

CGMiner

Pros.
>>    Open source.
>>    Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
>>    Compatible with ASIC, GPU and FPGA.
Cons.
>>    Better for advanced users.
>>    No GUI & difficult command-line interface.
>>    Difficult installation on Windows 10 computers.

CGMiner, developed in 2011, is one of the oldest bitcoin mining softwares and uses a command-line interface allowing users to mine their rigs remotely and simple keyboard commands for controlling fan speeds and other settings.

The software additionally provides advanced detection of new blocks and makes for easy scaling up of hashing power.

CGMiner is Linux-based but is cross-platform compatible with Windows and Mac computers. Written in C, it makes for easy software verification and works with a variety of mining hardware including ASICs, FPGAs, GPUs and CPUs.

As CGMiner has no graphical user interface and can be difficult to install on Windows 10 computers, it may not be good for beginners. Also, anti-virus software and "Windows Defender" may also give users a problem time.

CGMiner is a free download available on GitHub.

BFGMiner

Pros.
>>    Can mines multiple cryptocurrencies simultaneously.
>>    Runs with Windows, Mac and Linux.
>>    Compatible with ASIC & FPGA.
Cons.
>>    Better suited for advanced users.

Released in 2012, BFGMiner is one of the most popular mining softwares after CGMiner, allowing you to monitor hardware temperature, detect and start idle threads and remotely manage rigs.

BFGMiner is only compatible with FPGA and ASIC and, similar to CGMiner, is written in C, running with Mac, Linux and Windows.

BFGMiner supports mining multiple cryptocurrencies at the same time by simultaneously hashing on mining algorithms like SHA256d and Scrypt. So the software allows users to mine, hedge and redistribute their risk with multiple cryptocurrencies.

BFGMiner uses a command-line interface with customizable hotkeys and although probably easy to use for advanced users, the absence of any Graphic User Interface probably make this software rather difficult to use for beginners.

BFGMiner is free to download and use.

MultiMiner

Pros.
>>    Graphical user interface.
>>    Automated mining features.
>>    Optimized for Windows computers.
Cons.
>>    Few customization options for advanced users.
>>    Requires added software for Mac and Linux.

Crypto Prices Cryptocurrency Prices by Coinlib

MultiMiner was developed in 2013 and was modelled on the BFGMiner engine. It features an easy to use Graphic user interface (GUI) and quick start mining features so it's a natural first choice for ease of use.

Beginners can get started with MultiMiner without technical skills with the software walking you through the installation process and automatically scanning your installed hardware as well as estimating your rigs average hashing power and the linked pool.

MultiMiner will additionally show you how to connect to a mining pool and also offers you remote access to your mining rigs and automatically mines the most profitable or lowest-difficulty cryptocurrency with a display of estimated profits.

MultiMiner was originally created for Windows, so if you are using a Mac or Linux computer you'll need to install additional software with simple directions provided. MultiMiner also makes it easy to switch mining rigs, including ASICs, GPUs and FPGAs.

Although primarily appealing to beginners, advanced users can access MultiMiner’s advanced features, which include direct access to API settings and engine arguments.

MultiMiner is free to download and use.

Awesome Miner

Pros.
>>    Supports more than 50 mining engines.
>>    Customized actions & triggers.
>>    Access from any smartphone, tablet or computer.
Cons.
>>    No MacOS software.
>>    Not recommended for beginners.

Awesome Miner was developed by the Swedish company, IntelliBreeze, as a cryptocurrency mining management app. for Windows. Its dashboard allows users to manage multiple mining engines and pools in one operation, so making it probably the best software for centralized management.

Awesome Miner has several powerful features to maximize profit and minimize downtime. The software handles multiple mining hardware types simultaneously (including FPGAs and ASICs), supports more than 50 mining engines and is compatible with mining algorithms (SHA-256, Ethereum, Scrypt, X11 and Zcash).

Although Awesome Miner is designed for Linux & Windows, the web version can be accessed on any browser or computer.

Awesome Miner is free to download and use.

Did You Find This Article Useful?   Please Buy Us a Coffee or a Pizza to Help Cover This Site's Costs ...
	Donate Bitcoin to this address
	Scan the QR code or copy the address below to your wallet to send some Bitcoin
	19eUjnznJHPeKuxWikXXGAhKRe7mfNm4Hj	Copy

Latest Bitcoin News ...