Which pool to mine Ethereum Classic (ETC) on in 2026

There is no single best ETC mining pool, because the right one depends on your hardware, payout size and location. F2Pool and 2Miners lead by hashrate in every public aggregator we checked. For small balances, Kryptex (0.05 ETC) and 2Miners or WoolyPooly (0.1 ETC) have the lowest published thresholds, and none of the three asks for an account.

This is a decision guide, not a ranking. For the basics (the Etchash algorithm, block reward, hardware and setup), see our Ethereum Classic mining guide. Here we assume you already mine ETC and need an Ethereum Classic mining pool. We are an independent comparison site and not a pool, so everything below comes from what pools publish on their own pages, checked on 2026-11-05. Where a page was unreadable or a figure is missing, we say so.

What does the ETC network look like right now?

ETC pays 1.6384 ETC per block. Under ECIP-1017 the reward drops 20% every 5,000,000 blocks, and ethereumclassic.com estimates the next cut, to 1.31072 ETC, around August 2028. Network hashrate is disputed: on 2026-11-05 sources gave anywhere from about 139 to 180 TH/s.

Sources take snapshots at different moments and over different windows. 2Miners showed about 180 TH/s on its own page, WoolyPooly about 147 TH/s, and a third-party aggregator about 139 TH/s over the last 100 blocks, so we give the range rather than pick one.

Pool shares are just as fuzzy. No pool publishes a primary, verifiable share table, but all the public aggregators we checked put F2Pool first and 2Miners second by ETC hashrate. We give no percentages, because the aggregators disagree with each other and with the pools' own numbers. K1Pool and GTPool also appear in their top lists, but we did not research them, so they are not in our table. For daily income, use the mining calculator with your own hashrate and power cost; we quote no earnings.

How do PPLNS, PPS+ and FPPS differ for ETC?

PPLNS pays you from blocks the pool actually finds, split by your recent shares, so income is lumpy but carries no pool-side risk premium. PPS+ and FPPS pay a fixed amount per share regardless of luck, which smooths income. Which scheme a pool uses matters more for a small rig than a 0.1% fee gap.

In PPLNS (Pay Per Last N Shares) a dry spell at the pool is a dry spell for you, though it tends to even out over months. PPS+ splits transaction fees proportionally, while FPPS folds them into the fixed payment. Of the pools we checked, 2Miners and EMCD use PPLNS, Kryptex uses PPS+, and F2Pool does not state its scheme on the official pages we could read.

How do the ETC pools compare?

Seven pools have enough published data for a side-by-side view. The table uses only figures from official pages unless marked. "Not stated" means the official page we read did not give it on 2026-11-05.

Three more pools have partial data. HeroMiners names "PPS+ and PROPX" on its ETC page, but fee, ports and minimum payout are not stated, and it mentions a configurable minimum without a value. Tpool does not state the ETC fee on the official site, requires registration, and offers a Russian interface with a Ru region. For AntPool and Coinhold we found no ETC terms on pages we could read, so they are not in the table. The full list of pools, with data for other coins, is on our pools comparison page.

Which pool fits an ASIC owner?

2Miners is the safest documented choice for Etchash ASICs, because its help page lists ASIC settings for the Antminer E9, E9 Pro and Innosilicon A10 Pro. Kryptex also publishes an SSL port for ASICs. We have no confirmed hardware specs from manufacturers, so check your device against the pool's own help page.

F2Pool publishes both TCP (8008, 8118) and SSL (8180, 8181) endpoints, which suits miners who run many devices and want an account dashboard. Its fee is the open question, since the official pages do not state it and aggregators give figures from 1% to 3%. Read the number in your account before you point hardware at it, and compare real payouts after a few days against what the calculator predicted.

Which pool suits a GPU rig?

For a GPU rig, 2Miners is the one that names software: T-Rex and GMiner for Nvidia, lolMiner and GMiner for AMD. Any of the pools above accepts a standard Etchash miner, so the choice comes down to payout threshold, scheme and server location. We do not claim GPU mining of ETC is widespread or profitable today.

A small GPU hashrate makes two things matter more than a fraction of a percent in fees. One is a threshold you can actually reach: at 0.1 ETC or 0.05 ETC you get paid in reasonable time, while Nanopool's default of 1 ETC (adjustable) keeps a small balance waiting. The other is how the pool pays for luck. PPS+ at Kryptex smooths payouts, while PPLNS at 2Miners is lumpier but is the scheme most small miners know. Whether a given GPU covers its electricity depends on your own tariff, so run it through the calculator first.

Which pool has the lowest payout threshold for a small miner?

Kryptex has the lowest published threshold, 0.05 ETC, with an hourly automatic payout according to its ETC guide. 2Miners and WoolyPooly set 0.1 ETC, and F2Pool lets you choose from 0.1 ETC upward. Nanopool defaults to 1 ETC but allows 0.1 to 100 ETC per its help page.

On frequency, 2Miners pays every 2 hours and covers the payout fee, Kryptex pays hourly and the pool pays the fee, WoolyPooly pays automatically at the threshold with no fixed schedule, and F2Pool pays daily at a threshold you choose from 0.1, 1, 5, 20 or 50 ETC.

Which pool works best from Russia and the CIS?

Several ETC pools have servers close to Russia: WoolyPooly lists a Russia region, Kryptex has an etc-ru host, Tpool lists a Ru region and a Russian interface, and 2Miners has a Russian help page. None of the pools published statements on blocks, rubles or SBP, so check local rules and your payout route yourself.

• WoolyPooly: regions include USA, EU, Turkey, Brazil, Asia, China, Russia and Australia. The page lists no restrictions.
• Kryptex: regional hosts include etc-ru.kryptex.network on port 7033, alongside EU, US, Brazil, Singapore, Hong Kong and Middle East ones. The text carries no restrictions.
• Tpool: regions are Ru, Kz, Kg, Abh, UAE, EU and Ir. Registration is required, and the ETC fee and ruble payouts are not stated.
• 2Miners: Russian help at etc.2miners.ru/help. Payouts are in ETC, BTC or TON, with no ruble payouts.
• EMCD: its help mentions endpoints for EU, China, Iran and Kazakhstan, and the rest of the access picture is not stated.

A nearby server mostly buys lower latency and fewer stale shares. It does not settle whether you can withdraw or sell the coins in your country, so confirm that before you buy hardware.

Do you need an account, or is a wallet address enough?

2Miners, WoolyPooly and Kryptex work with just a wallet address as your login, and Nanopool lets you add an optional email. F2Pool, ViaBTC, EMCD and Tpool require a registered account, which brings dashboards and 2FA but also personal data.

Kryptex wants a wallet and worker name, with an account only for auto-conversion to BTC or USDT. Nanopool takes an address plus optional email, per its official page (the site was in maintenance at our check). F2Pool asks for email, phone and 2FA. A 2023 article on ethereumclassic.org says identity verification is not required, but it is three years old, so confirm the current rules at signup. ViaBTC's stratum login is your ViaBTC username or sub-account, not a wallet. EMCD uses your username as the worker name, and for Tpool registration is the first step of its quick start.

A wallet-only pool is easier to leave, since you change one config line, while an account pool gives you history, alerts and easier multi-device management.

How do you check a pool before connecting?

Check the pool's own site before pointing hardware at it. The basics are the fee and payout scheme, the payout threshold and schedule, the stratum host and port for your region, whether registration is required, and live pool hashrate against network hashrate. If any item is missing, treat that as a warning.

1. Fee. Is it printed on the official ETC page? F2Pool, ViaBTC, HeroMiners and Tpool do not state it on pages we could read.
2. Scheme. EMCD's own help has said both FPPS and PPLNS at different times, so look at the account.
3. Stratum address. Copy it from the pool's page, not from a forum. Nanopool shows why: our checked help page gives 10100, while third-party guides give 19999.
4. SSL. Use it if your firmware supports it. 2Miners, F2Pool, Nanopool (per help) and Kryptex (ASIC section) publish a port; WoolyPooly does not state one.
5. Test payout. Run a small amount of hashrate for a few days and wait for the first payout before moving a full rig.

Does the pool's size matter?

A big pool finds blocks more often, so PPLNS payouts come in smaller, steadier pieces. A small pool has fewer blocks but is not worse at paying. Size is no safety proof on its own, since our share figures are only secondary estimates. When a single pool holds a large part of the network, that is bad for ETC, because Etchash security depends on hashrate being spread out. That is a reason for a small miner to consider a smaller pool with the same fee, not to avoid the biggest one. Our sources give no verified share, so we put no number on it.

FAQ

What is the best ETC mining pool in 2026?

There is no single best ETC mining pool. F2Pool and 2Miners rank first and second by hashrate in the aggregators we checked. Pick by hardware, payout size and whether you want an account.

What is the lowest payout threshold?

Kryptex has the lowest published one at 0.05 ETC. 2Miners and WoolyPooly set 0.1 ETC, and Nanopool allows 0.1 to 100 ETC per its help page.

Can I mine ETC without registration?

Yes. 2Miners, WoolyPooly and Kryptex work with a wallet address as login, and Nanopool makes email optional. F2Pool, ViaBTC, EMCD and Tpool require an account.

Is the F2Pool fee 1% or 3%?

We cannot say. The official F2Pool pages we read do not state an ETC fee or scheme, and aggregators give figures from 1% to 3%. Check your F2Pool account before you connect.

Which ETC pool works from Russia?

WoolyPooly, Kryptex, Tpool and 2Miners all offer Russia-oriented access in some form. None of them published statements on blocks, rubles or SBP, so verify your payout and sale route separately.

What was the ETC network hashrate in November 2026?

Sources disagree. On 2026-11-05 we saw figures from about 139 to 180 TH/s.

Is picking an ETC pool worth the effort in 2026?

Yes, and the decision is simple. ASIC owners should start with a pool that documents their device, such as 2Miners. Small miners should look for a low threshold: Kryptex, 2Miners or WoolyPooly. Those three plus Nanopool work with just a wallet, while F2Pool and EMCD need registration but offer dashboards.

Before you commit a full rig, confirm the fee and scheme in the pool's own interface and run a test period. More options are on our pools page and in the calculator; algorithm and hardware background is in the pillar guide on mining ETC.

This article contains referral links to mining pools (marked as sponsored). We may receive a reward if you register through them. This does not change the figures or the order of rows in the tables: the terms are taken from the pools' official pages.