Solo Mining vs Pool Mining: Which is More Profitable?

April 11, 2026 10 min read By SoloFury

One of the most common questions in cryptocurrency mining is: should I mine solo or join a pool? The answer depends on your hashrate, risk tolerance, and goals. Let's break it down with real numbers.

The Math: Expected Value is the Same

Here's a fact that surprises most miners: over a long enough period, solo mining and pool mining have the same expected value. The difference is in variance (risk).

Consider a miner with 1 PH/s mining BCH:

Metric	Pool Mining (PPS)	Solo Mining
Daily expected revenue	~$2.30 (guaranteed)	~$2.30 (average)
Monthly revenue	~$69 (steady)	$0 or $1,400+ (variable)
Pool fee	1.5-3%	1% (SoloFury)
Risk	Low (predictable)	High (lottery)
Block reward	Split among miners	100% yours (minus 1% fee)

When Solo Mining Makes Sense

Solo mining is the better choice when:

You mine altcoins with lower difficulty — BCH, BC2, BCH2, and XEC have much lower difficulty than BTC, making solo blocks realistic
You have patience and capital reserves — You don't need daily payouts to cover electricity
You want the lowest fees — SoloFury charges 1%, most PPS pools charge 2-4%
You value privacy — No registration, no KYC, no account needed
You enjoy the thrill — Finding a block is an incredible experience

When Pool Mining Makes Sense

Pool mining is better when:

You need steady cash flow — To pay electricity and hosting bills
You mine only BTC — Bitcoin's difficulty makes solo blocks extremely rare
You have low risk tolerance — You prefer guaranteed small payouts

The Fee Advantage of Solo Mining

One overlooked advantage of solo mining is lower fees. Most PPS/FPPS pools charge 2-4% in fees. SoloFury charges only 1%. Over time, this fee difference adds up significantly:

Pool PPS at 3% fee: you keep 97% of expected value
SoloFury at 1% fee: you keep 99% of expected value
That's a 2% edge that compounds over months and years

The Hybrid Strategy

Many experienced miners use a hybrid approach:

Mine BTC on a PPS pool for steady income
Point some hashrate to SoloFury for BCH or BC2 solo mining
Rent extra hashrate from MiningRigRentals for short solo mining bursts

This gives you the safety of regular BTC payouts while still having a shot at winning a full block reward on an altcoin.

Conclusion

Solo mining isn't for everyone, but for miners who understand the math and have the patience, it offers the lowest fees, the highest potential rewards, and the purest form of mining. SoloFury makes it easy with 5 SHA-256 coins, global servers, and a 1% fee.

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