Mining provides a smart, decentralized way to issue cryptocurrency while incentivizing more people to mine, ensuring that new coins are produced every 10 minutes (rule in bitcoin blockchain, time required to mine a single BTC block).
Cryptocurrency mining is an interesting and potentially profitable endeavor that many tech-savvy individuals find fascinating. It involves using computers to solve complex mathematical equations in order to verify and validate crypto transactions.
And even though mining was popularized by bitcoin, many cryptocurrencies use the same system to secure their blockchain. As the mining industry consolidates and professionalizes, there are fewer altcoins you can mine with GPU on a daily basis; small miners must join larger pools to receive even crumbs of rewards.
And yet, there are still some altcoins left that you can mine in 2023 with GPU, or even CPU.
What you'll learn 👉
So what can you mine with GPU/CPU?
- Vertcoin: This coin is easy to mine and has been around since 2014 with an active community. It is ASIC resistant and can be mined using a gaming graphics card with 2GB of VRAM or more.
- Monero: This coin is also easy to mine and has a lot of users. It is profitable to mine and can be mined using hardware that you already have.
- RavenCoin: This is the most profitable coin to mine and has backing from Overstock. It is predicted to have greater value in the long-term.
- Aeon: This is a Monero fork and can be mined using similar hardware.
- TurtleCoin: This coin can be mined using old Xeons and can make about $3-4 per day.
- Playkey Token: This coin requires minimum requirements since your PC will be used as a cloud-gaming machine.
- NKN: This coin is super easy to set up with minimal computing power requirements.
- Gulden: This coin is designed to be GPU and ASIC unfriendly, making it good for solo miners. It is CPU/memory intensive and can be mined using Sigma, a custom PoW algorithm based on Argon2.
- Blur: This is an experimental cryptocurrency that employs a custom PoW algorithm called CryptoNight-Dynamic. It adjusts iterations approximately every five seconds, with a goal of maintaining CPU advantages over spec mining hardware.
Well, we discuss that below.
These cryptocurrencies, while being more volatile and offering lesser rewards than Bitcoin, come with much lower entry barriers for beginner miners. You need to sift through a lot of information to find the best cryptocurrency to mine in 2023, but that is why we wrote this article – to help you narrow down most profitable coin to mine.
What is the easiest crypto to mine?
Another question with no correct and fixed answer. Look at it this way: once a new coin comes into the market, it fairly unknown and can be mined easily as there are not a lot of miners interested in it. As it starts getting some traction and recognition in the community, people start turning their attention and rigs towards it making it more difficult to mine with every new rig that enters its network.
So, the best way to find coins that are easy to mine is to sift through forums and crypto groups and picking out coins that sound promising but still lack stronger name presence in the community. Mine and accumulate the new coins as much as you can and hope the price will rocket some time later once it hits bigger exchanges and broader community gets to know it.
Read also:
- Nicehash Review – Is NiceHash Legit & Safe To Use
- Best Bitcoin Cloud Mining Websites
- Best Bitcoin Mining Software
- Minergate Review
- Hashing24 Review
- Nicehash vs Minergate: Cloud Mining Duel
Best coins to mine 2023
Kaspa
Kaspa is a mineable, rapid proof-of-work coin that is currently the fastest proof-of-work coin in existence. It has a blockDAG architecture with fast block rates and allows for successful solo mining at lower hashrates, making it a good coin to mine for those with low-end mining setups.
Algorithm: | KHeavyHash |
KAS network hashrate: | 1.1113 PH/s |
KAS difficulty: | 258.7528K |
KAS block reward: | 233.08 |
KAS 24h volume: | 14,920,086.08 USD |
Price for 1 KAS: | 0.0286 USD |
Founded: | 2021 |
However, mining profitability can be influenced by several factors, including electricity costs and the coin’s current market price. Some users argue that as the mining difficulty rises, the coin’s price will fall, making mining Kaspa less profitable and eventually leading to the coin’s demise. Kaspa is a new coin, and its success may be influenced by variables other than mining difficulty.
Before choosing, conduct your own study and weigh the potential risks and rewards of mining and investing in Kaspa. While some argue that the difficulty of mining Kaspa is a cause for concern, others point to the coin’s limited supply and deflationary tokenomics as potential value drivers. Before deciding, conduct your own research and weigh the prospective risks and advantages.
Ravencoin
One of the reasons Ravencoin has gained popularity so quickly is the X16R algorithm it uses for proof-of-work mining. At one point, it was easiest cryptocurrency to mine.
The X16R algorithm is actually 16 different algorithms, which are used randomly during mining and the order depends on the hash of the previous block. Because of this randomness it’s extremely difficult to program an ASIC machine to mine the X16R algorithm. And even if someone tried to make an ASIC for the algorithm the developers could simply change the algorithms being used in X16R.
Based on what we’ve read the general consensus is that for Nvidia cards the best miner is zealot/enemy-1.08. The downside of this miner is that it’s closed-source with a 1% developer fee.
There are several ways to estimate your mining profitability with Ravencoin. The first is through WhattoMine.com. The second is RavenCalc, which gives you the same information as WhattoMine.
Finally, you can use the bot in the Ravencoin Discord channel by entering “!hash xx“, where the “xx” is replaced with you hash power. The bot is pretty accurate.
Algorithm: Proof-of-Work
Hashing Function: X16R
ROI since launch: 39%
Block Mining Reward: 5,000 RVN
https://ravencoin.org/
Helium – HNT
Mining HNT is easy. You just install a small box on your windowsill. That’s it. Really. Hotspots give you miles of wireless network coverage, so you can connect any number of computers, tablets, phones, and other mobile gadgets to the internet. And you get paid in HNT for doing it.
To estimate how many HNT will be created each month, we need to know how long it takes for the blockchain to perform at its best (i.e., produce 1440 epochs). Once we know how long it takes to reach peak performance, we can estimate how many HNT would be generated if the network performed perfectly every day.
Helium mining can be quite lucrative over time as the utility and demand for the tokens increase, which should drive up their price. However, you won’t see any significant gains overnight.
8 Best Helium Miners to Earn HNT
- Mimiq FinestraMiner.
- SenseCAP M1-US915.
- Browan Merryiot Hotspot.
- Milesight LoRaWAN Hotspot.
- Bobcat Miner 300.
- MNTD Blackspot by RAKwireless.
- Nebra ROCK Pi Miner.
- RADACAT COTX-X3.
Kadena
Kadena aims to provide blockchain solutions for enterprises and entrepreneurs, providing the security of Bitcoin, virtually free gas fees, and high throughput. Furthermore, it uses the smart contract language PACT, which is supposed to be more accessible to the layman than other coding languages.
It is listed on the majority of large crypto exchanges like Kucoin, Gate.io or Bittrex.
Algorithm: Kadena
Block Mining Reward: 1 KDA
Grin
Grin is the latest darling of cryptocurrency world, a new privacy focused coin with unlimited supply has surprisingly seen support among traditionally altcoin-hostile bitcoin maximalists as well. It is also one of the best cryptocurrencies to mine these days.
Hardware needed for Grin mining
Nvidia Cards: 1070, 1070ti, 1080, 1080ti, 2070, 2080, 2080ti
AMD Cards: 570, 580, Vega56, Vega64
Note that it is not an exhaustive list, but if you have the cards above it should work.
Download their official miner from GrinGoldMiner (GGM) and join one of the following pools that comprise 97% of Grin’s current hashrate power: F2Pool (40%), Grinmint (16%), Sparkpool (25%) and Pool.BTC (16%).
Algorithm: Proof-of-Work
Hashing Function: MimbleWimble
ROI since launch: -71.77%
Curr. Price: $ 2.81 USD
Mining Reward: 60 GRIN per block
Read our updated guide on top staking cryptocurrencies.
ZENCash
ZEN is another privacy coin that also belongs to the group of best coins to mine.
If you’re holding mined coins then you can also setup secure nodes (42 zen stake) which generate about 25% ROI yearly right now, which is more money in your pocket than mining something without nodes. Secure nodes also do not require locking your tokens so if you decide you want to sell one day you are free to move your cryptocurrencies and do so. It is also always in the top 5 or so on WTM in my experience.
Metaverse (ETP)
Metaverse is coin coming from China that has a goal to facilitate a low-cost transfer of digital assets, properties, and identities.
The project itself has slim chances of succeeding in its stipulated aims but if you quickly convert your ETP gains into other cryptocurrencies, you should safely preserve your mining profits.
You can mine ETP as it uses Ethash, a proof of work algorithm that can be mined on GPUs and you can expect 2.5 ETP block reward every 30 seconds upon successful block mining.
Recommended GPUs For ETP Mining:
- NVIDIA
- AMD
QuarkChain (QKC)
QuarkChain (QKC) aims to provide a secure, decentralized, and scalable blockchain solution to deliver 1,000,000+ on-chain TPS (transactions per second). The main features of Quarkchain are its reshardable two-layered blockchain, collaborative mining, horizontal scalability, cross-shard transactions, and streamlined account management.
- Algorithm: Ethash
- Block time: 9.81s
- Bl. reward: 3.25
- Bl. reward 24h: 3.25
Coin can be traded on Binance, Gate.io and HitBTC. It is a small coin that is ranked far outside the top 100 cryptocurrencies but it does have enough liquidity (24h trading volume of aroun $2million) so you can sell your mining gains on the exchange.
Bitcoin Gold (BTG)
When it comes to GPU mining, Bitcoin Gold is unavoidable coin to mention. It is fork of Bitcoin that was created to kick out ASICs and make it possible to mine it with GPUs and also belongs to the best crypto to mine group of cryptos.
Apart from disrupting the monopoly of super-powerful ASIC miners, Bitcoin Gold mining gear is also a minimal risk investment since you won’t have to throw away your BTG Antminer if the cryptocurrency plumps down and turns out to be the most pessimistic version of itself (worthless); you can just direct your hashpower to some other coin (from our list) and keep transforming that thermodynamic energy into digital assets.
Algorithm: Proof-of-Work
Hashing Function: Zhash
ROI since launch: -96.93%
Curr. Price: $14.73 USD
Block Mining Reward: 12.5 BTG
https://bitcoingold.org/
Monero
Monero is regularly recognized as the most advanced privacy coin out there but also as a most profitable cryptocurrency to mine. It is based on a proof-of-work hashing algorithm known as CryptoNight, which is designed with certain specifications that make it difficult for Monero mining using ASICs to work well. In turn, it is actually relatively easy to mine Monero on your PC.
To mine with just your CPU, all you need to do is download Monero mining software and install it. Using only your computer’s processing power, you can generate new Monero. However, you can increase your earnings by purchasing a graphics card that will increase your computing power so that you can mine even more Monero. AMD graphic cards are best suited for this task although Nvidia cards work also. Most often used Monero mining software is MultiMiner and the GUIminer. You can store your Monero on the official Monero desktop wallet.
Algorithm: Proof-of-Work
Hashing Function: CryptoNightR
ROI since launch: 3,502.62%
Curr. Price: $89.12 USD
Block Mining Reward: 2.47 XMR
https://getmonero.org/home
Dogecoin
Unironically Dogecoin is another very popular cryptocurrency that can be mined using a PC. It is not the best coin to mine but it can earn you some change.
Programmer Billy Markus based a fully functional internet cryptocurrency capable of storing value and being used for transactions… on a meme image of a rather perplexed looking shiba inu. Obviously the internet loved the idea and Dogecoin is currently holding an impressive 34th place on coinmarketcap.com list of coins with biggest market caps. It uses a Scrypt hashing algorithm and plans on issuing 100 billion coins.
To mine Dogecoin, first download the official desktop wallet from the Dogecoin website.
You can mine Dogecoin either only using your CPU or by increasing your mining power with an AMD/NVIDIA graphic card. The best mining software to use when mining Dogecoin using GPU’s is CGminer, CudaMiner, and GUIminer. To CPU mine Dogecoin you can use CPU miner.
It is also possible to join a mining pool for greater returns and CoinEx and MultiPool are good choices.
Algorithm: Proof-of-Work
Hashing Function: Scrypt
ROI since launch: 407%
Curr. Price: $0.002838 USD
Block Mining Reward: 10,000 DOGE
http://dogecoin.com/
Vertcoin
Vertcoin is also one of the easiest cryptocurrencies to mine, it is a coin that uses a Lyra2RE proof-of-work algorithm to verify transactions. Vertcoin was also designed to be ASIC resistant and is a regular constituent of GPU mining coins lists.
This means that it’s designed to resist the development of specific hardware to use for mining purposes by large cryptocurrency mining operations. Instead it uses a Vertcoin team issued one-click miner. The miner is a graphical user interface (GUI) miner that facilitates mining for both CPU and GPU users. It has two pools based on your computing power. If you have less than two graphics cards then you should pick Network 2; if you have more you should pick Network 1. Vertcoin supports AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards.
GPU Mining cryptocurrencies – things to know before starting
You will require a set of things to embark on your mining journey:
- A free private database aka your coin wallet. Your wallet is a password-protected storage for your earnings and keeps a network-wide ledger of transactions.
- A free mining software package, like this one from AMD
- A membership in an online mining pool, which is a community of miners who combine their computers to increase profitability and income stability. Mining outside of a pool will almost certainly mean you won’t be the one who solves the mathematical task.
- Membership at an online currency exchange, where you can exchange your mined coins for cash or Bitcoin
- A hardware setup located preferably in a cool and air-conditioned space.
- A desktop or custom-built computer designed for mining process.
- An ATI/Nvidia graphics processing unit (GPU) or a specialized processing device called a mining ASIC chip. The cost will be anywhere from $90 used to $3000 new for each GPU or ASIC chip.
- Personal curiosity. You need to constantly read, research and learn, as mining technologies improve very rapidly which results in new ways of optimizing your coin mining results. The most successful coin miners spend hours every week studying the best ways to adjust and improve their coin mining performance.
As with any profitable activity, there are some pretty substantial risks to be aware of when mining cryptocurrencies:
- Losing your digital wallet
Plenty of ways to do this, either by locking yourself out by forgetting your login data or by having your hard drive damaged.
- Dishonest mining pool organizers
A mining pool that is run by dishonest administrators from bady regulated countries could skim coins from your earnings or take off with the complete coin haul. Some pools collect membership fees which can lower your profits.
- Electricity costs could make your mining unprofitable
For most mining computers, a cost of 14 cents/kilowatt hour is the most you want to pay for your mining hobby. Above 14 cents, mining currencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, Peercoin, or Feathercoin will not be worth the investment. You also need to consider your dollar-per-day rate, as rates of say two dollars profit per day could take two years for you to pay off your hardware investment (if you decide to sell right away and not hodl).
- Hackers
It is possible that a talented hacker can break into your mining pool and empty the users’ wallets, including yours.
- The cryptocurrency you mine could drop in value
Say you decide not to sell your coins the moment you mine them but rather to hold onto them for a while. Just like gold or any other commodity, there is a chance that the market value of your cryptocoins will change over time. If the value falls, you might end up sitting with a bag full of nothing.
These risks, while being real and dangerous, can certainly be reduced. Here are a few suggestions for managing your coin mining vulnerabilities:
- Good habits
Store your coin wallet on a detachable memory drive, which you will detach from your computer and network when you’re not using it. Transfer your coins regularly from your online storage (if using a cloud mining service) into your detachable wallet so they do not accumulate online. Also develop a personal habit of backing up your wallet every two days and keep your password written down in a safe place. And please don’t click random twitter links promoting giveaways or airdrops.
- A reputable mining pool/cloud service
Pools/cloud services with active online communities that have good reputations are your best bet. Hashflare, Genesis, Hashing24, Minex, Minergate, NiceHash are just some of the most often mentioned ones.
- Lock your electricity fees
Some electricity providers will allow you to lock in your per-kilowatt-hour fee for a year or two. If you can do so at 14 cents or less per kWh, then do it. 10 cents per kWh and less is excellent, not just for mining but for your own benefit as a consumer.
So which cryptocurrency to mine in 2023?
Ultimately, there are many, many more coins that can be mined. Usually you can find these coins listed on websites like Coinwarz, Minergate or Whattomine. These websites compare various cryptocurrencies mining profitability to Bitcoin to determine if a cryptocurrency is more profitable to mine than Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency profitability information displayed is based on a statistical calculation using the hash rate values entered.
So before making your decision on what to mine, you should visit one of the mentioned websites. Your individual profitability may still vary as the calculator does not account for difficulty and exchange rate fluctuations, stale/reject/orphan rates, pool efficiency and pool fees.
However, more and more people are investing this kind of money, with some regularly sinking thousands of dollars in mining hardware. Still, even the most advanced mining hardware could net you about 50 dollars per day. While there are places where that can be considered serious money, it’s basically the daily minimum wage in most developed western countries.
Mining coins should be considered as a side activity which can slowly drip funds into your wallet and give you some extra money.
Think of it as ‘gathering gold dust’ rather than collecting full sized gold nuggets. Just make sure to research the cryptocurrency you wish to mine; for every Dogecoin or Litecoin there is an exit scam waiting to dump their developer bags onto its network.
Mining altcoins whose value will drop before you sell them means that you are likely to end up holding bags filled with the bad kind of dust. So as with every crypto-related activity, you need to set up some reasonable goals and perform a cost – benefit analysis which will give you a clearer idea of how much (or if anything) you wish to invest into becoming a miner yourself.
FAQs
Can I Mine Cryptocurrencies With my Personal Computer?
In theory, Yes! You can mine with your home computer. However, there’s a high chance of overheating and overburdening your PC which could cause irreparable damage to your computer hardware. To mine Bitcoin, for example, it is advisable to get an ASIC machine instead of using your personal computers or laptops.
Can You Mine Bitcoin for Free?
You need bitcoin mining software, hardware and electricity to mine.
While bitcoin mining software is completely free, there are tremendous costs involved in both hardware and electricity costs. The specialized mining hardware can cost between a few hundred dollars to $10,000. So, the answer is no – you can’t mine bitcoin for free.
What is a mining rig?
The primary purpose of the mining rig is to increase the minor’s hash rate as it is the combination of CPU, GPU, and ASIC chips running together.
What about alternatives to cryptocurrency mining?
While we don’t recommend it, there are other unreliable ways of earning cryptocurrencies online, including faucets and competitions. Some online casinos also offer free Bitcoin bonuses for new players, although they generally have terms and conditions attached that make them less appealing.
What do people mean when they say mining difficulty?
Mining difficulty is a built in mechanism used by the cryptocurrency network to automatically changes the difficulty of the problems that need to be solved.
Since the mining difficulty of each cryptocoin is constantly altering, so does its mining profitability. That is why it is hard to keep up with the most profitable crypto to mine as they shuffle around constantly.
Check out BiblePay (BBP), 10% of coins are donated to Charity, 38% rewarded to Cancer Research
Webchain (WEB) seems to be missing in this otherwise pretty accurate list.
Yeah I was hoping to see Webchain myself. ?
great advice! also can mine DRGL using laptop/PC straight from their gui wallet!
uplexa is the easiest coin i have found to mine
Verus coin is most profitable coin for cpu mining. Try it, and You will see…
how can i mine Venus coin any link?
where to mine it??
link plz
I have been digging beam for a tad bit, surprised not to see it.
XMR is using RandomX algo and RVN uses Kawpow…not CryptonightR for XMR. Granted these were older algorithms for these coins.
I’m new to this. Can someone please help explain how this can benefit me. I’m on a limited income but would love to have something for my kids and later years. Thanks so much in advance
This probably can’t help you. The profits from mining are miniscule, or worse, negative from a home pc. This is because of electricity costs and you are competing against many people. Many of them are in it to win having spent thousands of dollars on their computers and leaving them to only mine coin(s) 24 hours a day.
This article should add Raptoreum (RTM) it is the most profitable CPU coin to mine for the last couple of months and holding strong.
you are about a year+ behind on RVN Algo, your research proved to be outdated as RVN has been on KawPow from some time now, good coin to mine, as ETH has become infiltrated by the “cabal” fees, TX are off the charts, forcing us “OG” miners to look at everything but ETH. sure ETH prices will exceed 12K in the near future, but, how much is going to be in fees? RVN, FLUX, SWAP, and BTG are good options right now in the end of 2021. Just my 2Cents folks… I run and manage many rigs for Clients. Power2thePeople with Crypto!
Weird that this doesn’t mention the best CPU mining coin there is, RAPTOREUM.
I would recommend the cryptocurrency Crypton CRP privacy coin. It is easy to mine and you can temporarily delegate cryptos to a miner without losing control of the funds. Such a feature should help support the ability to create community-driven mining pools and processors.