It is not news that cryptocurrencies have become one of the pillars of the online economy. These digital assets, which barely had value a little over a decade ago, have been priced extraordinarily with the mining boom back in 2014.
Although it is a rather unstable and risky market, it has been able to keep rising more or less constantly.
This was due in large part to the ease of getting started in the world of crypto mining, where initially it was enough to have a computer of medium specifications and a stable internet connection.
Over the years and the increase in blockchain operations, technical demands have increased and today extremely powerful equipment is required to be able to solve the equations involved in cryptocurrency mining.
But do not be discouraged, since it is not necessary to have a farm or ASIC devices to be able to venture into this world.
If you have a computer with a 6 GB ram video card like the Nvidia 1060 6GB or the AMD RX 480 8GB (preferably higher), you can start mining from home.
Although the earnings will not be large and will be subject to the technical limitations of your equipment, you will be able to generate some extra income while you dedicate yourself to other activities. But before listing the best cryptocurrency miners today, we have to understand what this activity itself consists of.
What is mining cryptocurrencies?
Mining is based on providing the power of a computer to solve mathematical equations and problems, known as hashes.
These operations serve to verify transactions made with digital currencies, and thus make a record in a block.
Blockchain technology is gaining more and more ground in the world of online finance, and this demands a lot of power, more than any sophisticated piece of equipment could support.
So, the solution is to use the power of millions of computers worldwide to solve these operations.
In short, mining consists of providing the electricity and technical capacity of your computer to keep this system running, of course, in exchange for a reward.
Platforms to mine Cryptocurrencies
In addition to a good video card, you need a cryptocurrency miner to effectively convert power into money.
Currently, there is a diversity of platforms and websites that will allow us to carry out this action, sometimes without installing anything at all. Unlike trading, mining is a relatively simple process and the developers have emphasized the idea of creating increasingly practical software to attract the largest number of users.
If you wonder how practical?
Well, in some cases a single click will suffice and leave the computer running on its own. No statistics, constant tracking, or reading of complex data.
Do you want to know more about it?
Next, we will share a list of some of the most popular cryptocurrency miners today.
StormGain
First of all, we have an application that is extremely well-known in the Spanish-speaking market for its operational simplicity: StormGain.
StormGain offers users the possibility to mine cryptocurrencies (BTC to be specific) from the app itself without the need to download anything.
In addition, it works as a broker, so users can store the BTC obtained and use them to operate on the same platform. Although it is one of the most popular cryptocurrency miners, it must be mentioned that its profit margin is not very high.
If we put it in figures, for a 4-hour extraction shift, the operator gets approximately half a dollar (a figure that varies over time, depending on the market).
Awesome Miner
The reality is that solo cryptocurrency mining is not a very profitable practice. It is for this reason that many miners choose to “associate” with other users to work together in what is known as a mining pool.
In that case, IntelliBreeze Software AB’s Awesome Miner is one of the most popular mining software. In addition, it can be mined for free in case there are two registered miners.
If you want to associate with more people, the initial contract plan is approximately 4 USD per month. Awesome Miner is an excellent solution for cryptocurrency farms, although it can also be used on conventional computers.
Crypto tab Browser
When we talk about Bitcoin miners ( see how to make money with Bitcoins ) or other cryptocurrencies, it is normal for us to think of online platforms or specialized software for this task. However, these programs also come in the form of a browser. That is the case of the Cryptotab Browser, which will mine cryptocurrencies while we surf the net.
One of the strengths of Cryptotab Browser is that it will make the most of our team’s resources.
However, it should be mentioned that this also implies that the profits are extremely small.
If you want to implement mining as a secondary function on your computer, this browser is a very attractive alternative. But if you want to take advantage of 100% of its potential, Cryptotab Browser will not be of much use to you.
NiceHash Miner
Another mining software that has become especially popular among beginner miners is Nicehash Miner, better known as NHM.
The main advantage of this program is that it is free and easy to use. Once installed, we can connect our computer or mining equipment to the Hash Power market. In this way, we will “rent”, in a certain way, our computing power to mine cryptocurrencies.
Another advantage of NiceHash Miner is the automation of processes, through which the program itself will determine which coin to mine based on the characteristics of your equipment.
The profits that we obtain will vary depending on the power and capacity of our video card, being Nvidia, AMD, and CPU the devices with which this software works.
K1pool
If you want to enter this market more seriously, then you will need more power. In this case, K1pool is one of the most popular cryptocurrency mining programs among professional users, mainly because it allows you to perform this action alone. In this way, the profits are much higher than what we would obtain mining together with other people.
However, the power needed to SOLO mine is a lot, so K1pool will only work for you if you have ASICs or a farm.
If you try to do it with a conventional computer, you will most likely end up wasting time and energy.
However, solo mining is not a very profitable practice due to its high cost. Therefore, if you are thinking of starting as a miner, it is best to first do it in mining pools.
Minergate
One of the most reliable platforms for pool mining is Minergate.
This software was released in 2014 and quickly gained a lot of popularity due to its simplicity and the quality of its 24/7 technical support. In addition, it is very complete since, if you do not have the necessary computing resources, you can mine in the cloud by renting the power of other equipment.
Minergate has more than 3.4 million active users and supports around 10 cryptocurrencies.
It is a good option for advanced miners who have ASIC equipment, as well as for those interested in renting the power of other equipment or entering mining pools.
In addition, it stands out for its almost 100% uptime, with virtually no drops.
Nanominer (formerly Finminer)
Nearing the end, we come across a mining program that works exclusively on the Windows operating system.
Nanominer is a good option if you are not familiar with this world and want to take your first steps.
Its main advantage is that practically all operations are automated so the platform is in charge of carrying out a diagnosis of your hardware to determine which algorithm is the most appropriate.
This will prevent you from choosing the wrong setup and will help you get the most profit based on your team’s power.
better hash
Finally, we will talk about Betterhash, a mining platform that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years thanks to its simple interface and optimal performance.
If you want to mine from a laptop or a computer, this is a good alternative, since, as in the previous post, its configuration is automatic. In this way, the program will be in charge of determining the algorithm that best suits the limitations of your computer.
Betterhash is compatible with the Windows operating system and can be run on computers with different characteristics. But keep in mind that the level of profit we obtain will be subject to the technical and computing capacity of the PC.
Easy Miner
In the next post, we find open-source mining software.
This means that Easy Miner can be modified by the user himself to add functionalities. For this reason, this program is among the most chosen by both professional and novice miners.
It works on Windows operating systems and offers the possibility to mine with AMD and Nvidia video cards.
With Easy Miner you can obtain cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Litecoin, among others.
