Best Bitcoin Mining Software 2022 Join the cryptocurrency craze with these top bitcoin mining programs
While some dismiss Bitcoin as a passing fad, many more are beginning to see it as the future of the trade. A 2020 survey found that 36% of small and medium-sized businesses already embrace cryptocurrency, as do many large businesses and organizations, including Microsoft, AT&T, and Wikipedia.
Although Bitcoin can be bought with real cash, it is usually "mined" using a combination of specialized hardware and software. In this article, we review the best bitcoin mining software based on reputation, features, ease of use and much more. Here are our top four picks.
The Best Bitcoin Mining Software for 2022
- Best Overall: CGMiner
- Best for customization: BFGMiner
- Best for ease of use: Multiminer
- Best Centralized Management: Extraordinary Minor
CGMiner
As one of the oldest bitcoin mining software, CGMiner's open-source build, our ability to run on any computer, and compatibility with multiple mining hardware has made us the best overall choice.
Pros
- Open source
- Runs on Mac, Windows and Linux
- Compatible with ASIC, GPU, and FPGA
Cons
- Good for advanced users
- Obscure command line interface
- Windows 10 is difficult to install on a computer
CGMiner was created in 2011 by Australian anesthetist and programmer Con Colivas for mining cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Light coin. Due to its open-source nature, simple interface with direct control, and cross-platform and cross-hardware compatibility, it is widely regarded as one of the best bitcoin mining software available.
CGMiner uses a command-line interface that allows users to mine their rigs remotely and control fan speeds and other settings with simple keyboard commands. The software also offers improved identification of new blocks and makes it easier to increase hashing power without delay.
The lack of a graphical user interface in CGMiner can be daunting for beginners, making it a good choice for advanced users. The software is known to be difficult to install on a computer running Windows 10. Antivirus software, including Windows Defender, can give users a hard time. CGMiner is free to download and use and available on GitHub.
BFGMiner
Although it is Linux-based, CGMiner is cross-platform compatible and can run on Mac and Windows computers. It is open-source and written in C, making it easy for anyone to verify the code of the software. In addition to being cross-platform compatible, CGMiner works with a variety of mining hardware, including FPGAs, GPUs, and CPUs, in addition to ASICs.
Designed for FPGA and ASIC mining, BFGMiner allows advanced users to change many aspects of their mining process, including dynamic cloaking, monitoring and remote mining rig interfaces, making the software our best choice for customization.
Pros
- Simultaneously multiple cryptocurrency mines
- Runs on Mac, Windows and Linux
- Compatible with ASIC and FPGA
Cons
- Good for more advanced users
Published by developer Luke Dashjr in 2012, BFGMiner has become one of the most popular mining software, second only to CGMiner. This allows users to monitor hardware temperature, detect and start inactive threads, and manage rigs remotely, leaving it in the category of the best software for customization.
Since BFGMiner was originally created to add FPGA support to a popular GPU Miner, the software is only compatible with FPGA and ASIC. Like CGMiner, the software is written in C and runs on Linux, Mac and Windows machines and even offers the option to install on Raspberry Pi.
One of the most popular features of BFGMiner is its support for mining multiple cryptocurrencies at the same time. Simultaneously by hashing in mining algorithms like Scrypt and SHA256d, the software allows users to mine, hedge and redistribute their risk with multiple cryptocurrencies.
Like CGMiner, BFGMiner uses a command-line interface with customizable hotkeys. Although easy to use for advanced users, the lack of a GUI can make the software inaccessible to newcomers. BFGMiner is free to download and use.
MultiMiner
Developed using BFGMiner's mining engine, Multiminer has a clean GUI, automatic hardware detection and mining features and cross-platform compatibility, which makes it our clear choice for ease of use.
Pros
- Graphical user interface
- Features of automatic mining
- Optimized for Windows computers
Cons
- For advanced usersLess customization options
- Linux and MacOS require additional software
Multiminer was created in 2013 by BFGMiner developer Nate Wools. Although built into the BFGMiner engine, the software features an easy-to-use GUI and quick-start mining feature, making it our favorite choice for the best for ease of use.
Although most mining software requires some coding skills, newcomers can start with Multiminer without any technical skills. The software takes users through the installation process and then scans hardware details, including average hashing power and Linked Pool.
Multiminer goes further and shows users exactly how to connect to a pool, where information related to the pool has to be entered. The software offers users remote access to their mining rigs, allows them to choose their mining strategies, and automatically mine the most profitable or least-difficult cryptocurrency with an estimated profit margin.
Multiminer was created for Windows, so users need to install additional software for Mac and Linux machines. Fortunately, there are simple instructions for doing this. The software makes it easy to replace mining rigs with GPU, ASIC and FPGA. Despite its appeal to newcomers, Power users can also access advanced features of Multiminer, including direct access to API settings and engine arguments. The software is free to download and use.
Awesome Miner
Awesome Miner is a powerful mining software that allows users to manage multiple mining rigs and miner pools, all from a single dashboard. As a result, it tops our list of best central management software.
Pros
- Supports more than 50 mining engines
- Customized triggers and actions
- Access from any computer, tablet or smartphone
Cons
- No MacOS software
- Not for novice users
The remarkable minor was created in 2014 by the Swedish software company IntelliBreeze as a cryptocurrency mining management application for Windows machines. It supports large-scale mining with a dashboard that allows users to manage multiple mining engines and pools in one operation, making it the best software for centralized management.
Awesome Miner offers a number of powerful features to help users maximize profits and reduce downtime. The software can handle multiple mining hardware types simultaneously (including ASIC and FPGA), supports more than 50 mining engines (cgminer, bfgminer, xmrig, srbminer, etc.), and is compatible with popular mining algorithms (SHA-256, Scry Ethereum, and Zcash).
Extraordinary Minor makes it easy for users to add, switch and manage multiple minor pools with one click so they can start digging in less time. All of this is managed on Awesome Miner's extensive dashboard, which also displays hardware features such as fan speed, temperature, and more. The software has a built-in C # script engine miners can use to create customized triggers and actions.
Although Awesome Miner is designed for Windows and Linux, the web version of the software can be accessed on any computer or browser. Awesome Miner is free to download and use.
Final Verdict
While new bitcoin mining software is evolving every year, only a handful have caught our attention because of their reputation, features and ease of use.
At the top of our list is CGMiner, which we have chosen as the best overall because its open-source platform can be used on any computer and virtually any mining rig.
Advanced users will prefer BFGMiner, our choice for customization, because of its ability to detect and inactivate passive threads and mine multiple cryptocurrencies, while new ones will feature multiminer's friendly graphical user interface (GUI) and automated hardware detection and mining features. Choose us as the best for convenience.
Finally, we chose Extra Minor as the best centralized management because it is compatible with popular mining algorithms and allows users to manage multiple rigs and mining pools from a wide dashboard.
What Is Bitcoin Mining Software?
Bitcoin mining software basically works with bitcoin. By tracking and securing transactions known as blockchains, users are able to earn bitcoin instead of paying for them with real currency.
Bitcoin mining software can only be used by specialized hardware that is needed to create new secure blocks Powerful enough to run complex calculations. The software connects the hardware directly to the bitcoin mine or, more often than not, to a mining pool where multiple users share the power of their hardware and earn shares of bitcoin.
How Long Does It Take to Mine One Bitcoin?
Typically, it takes about 10 minutes to mine a bitcoin. However, it takes a standard hardware and software setup that very few users can afford. A more reasonable estimate for most users who have a large setup is 30 days for a single bitcoin mining.
Can You Mine Bitcoin for Free?
Although bitcoin mining is a free warehouse, there is a lot of cost involved with both hardware and power costs. Special mining hardware can cost from a few hundred dollars to $ 10,000.
Mining equipment is also very energy-hungry. Depending on the cost of electricity in a mining area, processing a bitcoin in a month can cost up to $ 73,000. One way to reduce this cost is to join a mining pool that uses the computational power of hardware owned by multiple miners. The downside is that every miner gets a small fraction of every bitcoin mined.
How We Chose the Best Bitcoin Mining Software
We've seen about a dozen bitcoin mining software for this review. At the top of our list was the oldest and most widely used software, which we analyzed for features and ease of use.
Since then, we've differentiated between the best mining software for beginners and advanced power users. In most cases it breaks down the type of interface (command-line vs. GUI) and the ability to automate or customize mining features.
Finally, we were looking for software that could be used on as many platforms as possible and that would be compatible with a wide array of mining rigs to give users maximum flexibility in their mining operations.