Which Bitcoin pool fits your hashrate
Short answer: at low hashrate the payout threshold matters more than the fee; at scale it flips. One 200 TH/s ASIC reaches a 0.001 BTC threshold in about 9 days, but a 0.005 BTC threshold takes a month and a half; a 1 TH/s device would need about five years for 0.001 BTC, so a regular pool simply does not fit it. Below is a recommendation for each size. All fees and thresholds were verified against official pool documentation on 2026-08-10; calculations assume August 2026 network difficulty (~800 EH/s), before pool fees.
I have a Bitaxe or USB miner (under 5 TH/s) - which pool?
Pick the lowest payout threshold you can find, or you will not see a payout for years: at 1 TH/s a 0.001 BTC threshold takes ~5 years, 0.0001 BTC about half a year. The lowest threshold in our ranking is NiceHash: 0.00001 BTC to the internal wallet (~18 days at 1 TH/s), RTPPS, 2% fee. EMCD and Promminer pay out from 0.0001 BTC. The enthusiast alternative is solo mode (for example ViaBTC SOLO): you will almost certainly never get paid, but you hold a lottery ticket for a whole block.
I have 1-3 ASICs at home (200-700 TH/s) - which pool?
Prioritise predictable income and a reachable threshold: FPPS or PPS+ and a 0.001 BTC threshold. Among verified pools: Trustpool (1%, PPS+, 0.001 BTC) has the lowest confirmed fee in the ranking; Luxor (2.5% FPPS, 0.001 BTC). Note: AntPool and F2Pool default to 0.005 BTC, which at 200 TH/s means ~44 days to your first payout.
I have 3-50 ASICs (0.7-10 PH/s) - which pool?
The threshold stops mattering (0.001 BTC accrues in hours); the effective fee and stability decide. Compare the rate of your actual scheme, not the headline: ViaBTC's default PPS+ costs 4% on block rewards plus 2% on transaction fees, while its PPLNS is 2%; F2Pool is 4% FPPS or 2% PPLNS. For a farm running 24/7, 2% PPLNS usually beats 4% FPPS over time. Run both through the calculator with your power rate.
I run 1+ PH/s or industrial mining - which pool?
At this scale rates are negotiated and public percentages no longer describe you: Foundry USA onboards by application with KYC/AML and quarterly pricing tiers based on hashrate (0.01 BTC payout threshold), Luxor's API exposes an individual pool_discount_rate, AntPool does not publicly disclose its fee. Request terms from at least two pools and compare not just the percentage but how transaction fees are credited in the FPPS rate.
I want to mine solo - does it make sense?
Solo mining is a lottery: at 1 PH/s you find a block roughly once in 15 years at current difficulty. If a lottery is what you want, ViaBTC has a SOLO mode. For steady income at any farm size, pick an FPPS/PPS+ pool.
Table: days to first payout
At August 2026 difficulty (~800 EH/s), before pool fees:
| Your hashrate | 0.00001 threshold | 0.0001 threshold | 0.001 threshold | 0.005 threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 TH/s (Bitaxe) | ~18 days | ~6 months | ~5 years | ~24 years |
| 100 TH/s (1 older ASIC) | <1 day | ~2 days | ~18 days | ~3 months |
| 200 TH/s (1 modern ASIC) | <1 day | ~1 day | ~9 days | ~44 days |
| 600 TH/s (3 ASICs) | <1 day | <1 day | ~3 days | ~15 days |
| 10 PH/s (farm) | <1 day | <1 day | <1 day | ~1 day |
Fees and thresholds: official pool documentation, manually verified 2026-08-10. Terms change - verify with the pool before connecting. Affiliate links on this site are marked and do not affect positions in the ranking. The formula is documented in the methodology.
Updated: 10 August 2026