Antpool vs Foundry USA vs F2Pool: Pool Comparison July 2026
The three largest Bitcoin mining pools together control more than half of the entire network's hashrate. Whether you're choosing a pool for the first time or considering a switch, the difference in fees, payout schemes, and minimum thresholds directly affects your daily income. Here are the current parameters for Antpool, Foundry USA, and F2Pool as of July 2026.
The Big Picture: Who Controls How Much Hashrate
As of July 2026, the breakdown among the largest pools looks roughly like this:
- Antpool - the largest pool by hashrate, operated by Bitmain. Historically holds around 20-25% of network hashrate
- Foundry USA - an American pool focused primarily on institutional and large-scale miners in the US. Second largest, at around 15-20% of network hashrate
- F2Pool - one of the oldest active pools, founded in 2013. Popular among miners in Asia and the CIS region, around 10-15% of network hashrate
Concentration of hashrate in the top-3 pools sparks ongoing debate about network decentralization. For most individual miners, however, the practical parameters matter more: fee, payout scheme, and reliability.
Antpool: Hashrate Leader
- Fee: 0% under FPPS scheme (the fee is embedded in the spread between nominal and actual block reward), with effective fee around 2-3% in practice
- Payout scheme: FPPS+ (includes transaction fees)
- Minimum payout: 0.001 BTC
- Support languages: Chinese, English
- Notable: tight integration with Bitmain hardware, proprietary liquidity pool, hardware monitoring tools
Foundry USA: Institutional Miners' Choice
- Fee: 0% (Foundry monetizes through miner financing and hardware sales, not direct pool fees)
- Payout scheme: FPPS
- Minimum payout: 0.005 BTC
- Support languages: English
- Notable: focused on large and institutional US miners, provides equipment financing, ACH payouts available for US clients, 24/7 support
F2Pool: Veteran With a Global Audience
- Fee: 2.5% under PPS+ scheme
- Payout scheme: PPS+ (includes transaction fees)
- Minimum payout: 0.005 BTC
- Support languages: Chinese, English, Russian
- Notable: one of the few large pools with Russian-language support, supports 40+ coins beyond BTC, detailed statistics and mobile app
How to Choose Between the Three Pools
The key criteria depend on your situation:
- If you're in Asia or CIS and need Russian-language support - F2Pool has a Russian-language interface and support, which simplifies day-to-day management
- If you're a large-scale miner in the US - Foundry USA offers institutional terms and access to equipment financing
- If minimizing fees matters and you use Bitmain hardware - Antpool with FPPS+ and native Bitmain integration may be the optimal choice
- If you have a small hashrate - pay attention to the minimum payout threshold. Antpool's lower threshold (0.001 BTC) means more frequent payouts at low hashrate levels
For more on the difference between FPPS and PPLNS schemes, see our payout scheme breakdown. How to calculate real profitability accounting for pool fees - in our hashprice breakdown.
Calculate your hardware's profitability factoring in your chosen pool's fee using our profitability calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I switch between pools?
Yes, switching pools takes a few minutes - you just change the pool address in your ASIC miner's settings. Any accumulated but unpaid balance in the old pool will be paid out once it reaches the minimum threshold.
Does pool size affect my income?
Under FPPS and PPS+ schemes - no. Payouts are calculated based on the theoretical probability of finding a block and don't depend on pool luck. Under PPLNS, pool size affects payout stability: a larger pool produces more predictable earnings.
Which pool is best for a beginner miner?
F2Pool is convenient for Russian-speaking users thanks to its localized interface and support. Antpool is attractive for its low minimum payout threshold. Foundry USA is better suited for experienced miners running large-scale operations.