How to mine cryptocurrency: the most relevant ways in 2025

Mining digital currency has long been one of the most trending ways of earning money in the blockchain sphere. Every year, mining cryptocurrency becomes more and more complicated, because this process requires a huge amount of electricity, expensive hardware and decreasing every 5 years the reward paid to participants for protecting the network, if we are talking about bitcoin.

So is it worth it? It's unequivocally worth it. According to Dune Analytics, as of July 2022, the total revenue generated by bitcoin miners has held steady at $20 million per day.

The global cryptocurrency mining market size was $2.45 billion in 2024, grew to $2.77 billion in 2025, and is projected to exceed $8.24 billion by 2034.

And according to a report by Statista, cryptocurrency mining has been generating more and more revenue over the years, and in 2021, it was worth $63 million in a single day. Currently, the daily revenue of miners is around $52-53 million per day.

The rise of top cryptocurrencies including bitcoin and ether is fuelling the popularity of mining around the world. Let's take a look at its main types, which can suit any participant of the crypto market.

Cryptocurrency mining: where to start and whether it's worth it

History of mining: how cryptocurrency mining began

Mining is the process of obtaining/mining cryptocurrency using special high computing power equipment that verifies transactions in the blockchain by calculating complex mathematical problems. It is the basis of ensuring that many blockchain platforms function correctly. So this process is beneficial for both companies and users who want to earn regular income through this process.

Mining started with the creation of Bitcoin, of course, and the first miner was Satoshi Nakamoto, who used a standard computer's central processing unit (CPU) for mining. However, CPU PC mining soon faded into oblivion, as computers could be attacked by malicious viruses.

Soon, miners started using the power and capabilities of the graphics processor to mine cryptocurrency. The first miners to use the GPU processor were ArtForz and Laszlo Hanech. And the first GPU mining farm started on 18 July 2010.

The number of video cards in one mining farm is unlimited. Usually miners use 6-8 cards, in more rare cases - up to 10-15. At the moment it is possible to mine such coins as Bitcoin (BTC), Monero (XMR), Litecoin (LTC) and many others.

What is mining on a computer/laptop?

Cons of mining on a computer/laptop

As we have already mentioned, mining cryptocurrency on a computer/laptop requires powerful central and graphics processors. That's why standard PCs usually lack the power to calculate complex mathematical problems - they simply don't have special mining equipment such as ASICs.

Well, powerful calculations in the absence of proper power on a laptop can lead to overheating of the entire system and damage to important elements of the computer.

The fact that your computer is constantly switched on is also bad for the battery, which will quickly run down due to constant work.

Pros of mining on a computer/laptop

These are all pretty big disadvantages. However, you can mine cryptocurrency on a computer if you focus on low complexity coins. Coins like Monero (XMR) and Electroneum (ETN) don't require a lot of processing power. They are specifically designed to be mined on a PC/laptop. However, such coins are expected not always give a good profit. So before mining cryptocurrency on a laptop, it is worth making preliminary calculations to understand how profitable mining of this type will be. Sometimes it is easier to join a mining pool or use the cloud option, which we will talk about a little later.

Is your PC suitable for mining?

If you do decide to choose mining on your computer/laptop, make sure your PC has a new battery that you don't have to constantly charge. Also check your computer for potential viruses.

To make it easier on yourself, download software like XMRig (suitable for Monero) or Kryptex to mine cryptocurrency on your laptop. Be sure to check the software for viruses.

Download additional software to monitor the performance of the computer itself. Monitor your computer's heat level regularly so that you don't harm the process. If your PC overheats, stop mining or purchase a special cooling pad.

Which cryptocurrency is worth mining?

At the moment bitcoin is still the best cryptocurrency to mine. BTC is mined on ASIC devices (SHA-256). An ASIC-miner is a ready-made mining rig, which has a fairly high price. For example, Bitmain Bitcoin Miner S19 XP costs about $4,600. And this is far from the limit for installations of this type, the high performance of which has long since rechristened itself.

Monero (XMR) is an anonymous cryptocurrency that has gained popularity among miners due to the privacy of transactions, good profits and the possibility of mining on standard CPUs and GPUs.

Litecoin (LTC) is the first fork of BTC. The cryptocurrency can be mined using ASIC devices.

Dash (DASH) - the cryptocurrency can be mined on both ASICs and GPUs.

Ethereum Classic (ETC) - a very lucrative mining option that requires a 4-6 GB graphics card.

What is the process of mining cryptocurrency?

Installing the hardware

You will need a cryptocurrency wallet to store the keys to the tokens or coins you mine. A unique address allows you to send and receive tokens securely. If you plan to mine cryptocurrency in large volumes - it is worth buying a cold storage wallet, which is not connected to the internet and is thus protected from viruses and hacker attacks.

You will also need to install the necessary software in order to mine cryptocurrency. Carefully research the cryptocurrency you want to mine to understand what equipment is suitable for mining it. The mining hardware can be the most expensive component of the setup.

Customize the software

To make their job easier, miners often install specialized mining software, such as CGMiner. Choose versatile programs that can work with both ASICs and GPUs and on any operating system.

Starting the process

During cryptocurrency mining, the transaction is traditionally validated and the block is assembled. Validation happens by solving complex problems. Whoever finds the solution first is the one who gets the block reward. The solution to the problem is the target hash that the Bitcoin network creates for the block. Mining is based on cryptography, encryption, distributed computing, and transaction verification and protection technology.

Thus, by correctly completing a calculation, a miner is authorized to add a new block to the blockchain, for which he or she is rewarded. This process is at the heart of the proof of work algorithm.

Is it possible to mine cryptocurrency without investment?

If your budget does not allow you to buy expensive equipment - it is worth paying attention to alternative mining methods, such as cloud mining and mining pools, which allow you to mine cryptocurrency with minimal investment.

What is cloud mining of digital currency?

Cloud mining is a mechanism for mining cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin, using rented cloud computing power without installing and directly running software in a physical format. You can open an account and participate in mining completely remotely by paying a monthly fee. This lowers the threshold for entry into mining - and makes it accessible to a wider range of people, as it reduces the need to purchase and maintain equipment or pay direct electricity costs.

Miners buy a certain amount of “hash power” - and after a successful computation, all pool members receive a share of the profits that is commensurate with the hash power they have purchased.

Most providers charge a set fee for each terahash of computational power purchased and set minimum contract terms.

This approach has a number of undeniable advantages, including the absence of high equipment costs and the ability to start mining without a deep dive into the topic.

Before choosing a site, it is worth familiarizing yourself with all the terms and conditions, including commissions for hashes, regularity of payments and much more.

Mining pool: how to join

Many miners prefer to join mining pools to increase the chances of successful block mining and subsequent rewards, which they then share among themselves under pre-agreed terms.

The definite advantage of such a pool is the low cost - a person will definitely not spend as much effort on the initial setup as they would if they bought an ASIC or were assembling a mining rig with multiple GPUs. On the other hand, you would expect to make much less money from the process as you will be sharing the mining rewards with all the members of the mining pool.

Pools are divided into single-coin and multi-coin pools. These pools differ in the number and types of coins mined, as well as the method of energy collection.

In a single-coin pool, you simply choose which single cryptocurrency you will be mining. This approach can be quite risky for beginners, because if the coin is high-risk, the chances of a high profit will be negligible. In this case, you should still choose a multi-monetary option to diversify your portfolio and minimize risks.

A multi-coin pool allows miners to mine not just one cryptocurrency, but several at the same time, maintaining efficiency between digital assets. Some pools have a great option to focus on the most profitable mining in the moment, which then automatically translates into, for example, bitcoin.

How long does it take to mine 1 bitcoin?

Bitcoin mining time can depend on a variety of factors. The average time to create a block on the network is 10 minutes, for which miners receive a reward of 3.125 BTC. The distribution of rewards always depends on the rules of their distribution in each individual pool.

Since the reward is shared between participants, accumulating one full coin can take a significant amount of time. For example, a miner with two RTX 4090 graphic cards mining 0.000065 BTC per day would take over 84 years to earn 1 BTC. It is important that the reward, hash rate and payout terms do not change.

So if you want to speed up the process, it's worth getting a lot of powerful devices.

How much does 1 mining farm earn per month?

The income of a farm always depends on several factors, including the yield of the coin, its exchange rate and the complexity of the network.

A standard mining farm may consist of 6-8 graphics cards. So, if we take the same RTX 4090 graphics card mining 0.000065 BTC per day, the income per month can be around $968-1000 (if we are talking about 6 graphics cards) and around $1290 per month if the farm will consist of 8 graphics cards of this type.

Considering the cost of an RTX 4090 graphics card (about $2816 as of 2025), you will be able to recoup your costs in 2-3 months. However, this is a rather rough calculation, which does not include power charges, additional software to maintain the installation and many other factors.

Conclusion

Is mining still a profitable business? Unambiguously yes. Of course, there are many factors to consider, including the choice of efficient equipment, the choice of mining method, the cryptocurrency to mine, and diversifying your mining portfolio.

With ever-increasing competition, mining requires a competent professional approach. It is worth remembering that mining is the basis for the smooth operation of most blockchains. Thus, this process is not only a great way to earn money, but also a cornerstone of the functionality of the entire cryptosphere.

By developing a sound investment plan that includes cryptocurrency price and hashrate predictions, you can achieve excellent results.