Ethereum is the second-largest by market capitalization surpassed only by Bitcoin. As entire decentralized applications and ecosystems can be built on its blockchain, Ethereum has rapidly risen in popularity with investors. With this in mind, it is natural to wonder how you can mine and the best programs to mine Ethereum.
If you already have Ethereum mining hardware and a valid wallet, the only thing left to do is find the best ETH mining software to help you efficiently manage your mining efforts.
If you are considering jumping into the Ethereum mining arena in 2021 or starting for the first time, one of the most important factors to consider is the mining software client you will use.
Luckily for you, we took care of searching the internet and analyzing hundreds of users’ opinions to present you with the best Ethereum mining software options that you can use.
7+ Best Software Programs To Mine Ethereum Windows 10
- Claymore
- ETHminer
- PhoenixMiner
- EasyMiner
- Minergate
- Geth
- CGMiner
- Claymore
1. Claymore
Claymore is another trendy mining client that is widely used due to its dual mining mode. Claymore allows Ethereum to be mined at the same time as other cryptocurrencies (Decred, Lbry, Pascal, Siacoin) with negligible performance impact. This makes Claymore one of the best Ethereum mining programs.
Claymore also offers detailed hash rate statistics, and you can monitor or control a broad spectrum of things like temperature, GPU selection, overclocking, etc.
Claymore recently introduced an update (V12.0) that gives 2 and 3 GB cards a zero development rate and lowered the commission for dual mining mode from 2 to 1 per cent. The V12.0 update also slightly lowered the minimum GPU VRAM requirements.
That said, the miner doesn’t work on Mac and currently only works on Linux and Windows. But it is compatible with Nvidia and AMD cards.
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2. ETHminer
As you can deduce from its name, ETHminer is a mining software explicitly designed to mine Ethereum and currently supports Linux, Mac, and Windows. This is an ideal solution for many miners who are just starting with Ethereum mining, and it is relatively easy to install and use.
Ethminer is entirely open source and doesn’t charge any fees – unlike options like Claymore. Besides Ethereum, you can also use ETHminer to mine all the coins based on the Ethash algorithm, including Expanse, Ellaism, Metaverse, Musicoin, Pirl, Ethereum Classic, and others.
ETHminer is a command-line software. This implies that it can be launched from a Linux console or from the Windows command prompt, or shortcuts to preset command lines can be created using the Windows cmd/batch file or the Linux Bash script.
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3. PhoenixMiner
PhoenixMiner will not provide you with the dual mining option, but it does offer lower development rates and a high level of stability. This Ethereum mining software is compatible with AMD and Nvidia cards and can work on Windows and Linux. You can also use PhoenixMiner to mine other coins based on the Ethash algorithm (Ethereum Classic, MOAC, etc.)
PhoenixMiner can be run using the command line options or without using the configuration file. There is also an additional configuration file called “epools”, which is a list of Ethash pools that the miner uses.
The development fee is 0.65%, which is the lowest today among competitors, and it supports graphics cards from the two major manufacturers – AMD and Nvidia.
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3. EasyMiner
EasyMiner is an open-source graphical version of BFGMiner and CGMiner created specifically for those who hate mining on command-line-based Ethereum mining rigs.
Very easy to operate, thanks to its clean interface, EasyMiner offers you real-time analysis and statistics on your mining performance, such as profit potential, total shares in the last hour, accepted / invalid, hash rate, and much more.
The program also allows you to mine other cryptocurrencies, including Litecoin and Bitcoin.
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4. Minergate
Minergate’s software was the first program that offered the ability to perform combo mining, which means mining two different coins simultaneously without reducing the hash rate of the leading coin. The program even reports which cryptocurrencies are the most profitable on the market at the moment.
Minergate is not only one of the best programs to mine Ethereum; You can also use it to mine other cryptocurrencies, such as Litecoin, Zcash, Monero, Dash, Ethereum Classic, BTC. It also supports other not-so-popular cryptocurrencies such as Infinium-8, Aeon coin, FantomCoin, and others.
The three most important things to keep in mind: MinerGate offers its users reliable 24/7 support, has a detailed FAQ section, and currently supports different languages (Czech, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Chinese, English, and plus).
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5. Geth
If you are an experienced miner and want to improve your programming skills while mining ETH, then Geth is your best option. Geth stands for “Go-Ethereum” and is processed by the “Go” scripting language. Ethereum’s official implementation of the “Go” protocol can run on multiple desktop platforms, including Mac, Windows, and Linux.
This mining solution is considered to be the original Ethereum miner as the Ethereum team itself developed it. So if you are going for a reliable solution, then this is what you are looking for.
The program gives you a portfolio and allows you to view the blocks’ history, create contracts, and transfer funds between different addresses. The original developers also continually release bug-free updates. It currently supports iOS, Linux, and Windows.
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6. CG Miner
CG miner is an open-source Ethereum miner written in C and comes with support and binaries for OpenWrt routers, RPi, and more. The program works with a simple command interface to work with multiple pools and mining devices.
Released in 2011, this program remains one of the most popular mining software options available today, thanks to its compatibility with three different mining rigs: ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs. Also, note that CGMiner is geared towards AMD cards and not Nvidia. The software is available for Mac, Linux, and Windows.
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Frequently Asked Question and Answers
In this section are answers to common questions on the best software you can use to mine ethereum and other related topics.
How Long Does It Take To Mine 1 Ethereum?
There is no definitive answer but we can make some educated guesses based on the following assumptions: if you are mining without specialized hardware, you will be making less than $0.01 per day which would take an estimated 3-4 years to mine 1 ETH.
But if you have a decent GPU then it could take anywhere from 20 minutes to 24 hours depending on your luck in finding Ethereum blocks, or if you use ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) the time taken for 1 ETH is around 10 -12 days.
Which Algorithm is Best for Ethereum Mining?
It doesn’t matter which you choose, but there are some pros and cons to each one.
-Ethash is the most popular choice because it can be mined on GPUs (graphics cards). The downside is that if ASICs come out then miners will have no control over their own destiny since they’ll need to purchase or rent an ASIC in order to continue mining Ethereum with any efficiency.
While the Equihash algorithm relies on memory-intensive calculations which makes it less appealing for GPU miners, but more difficult for ASIC manufacturers. However, Equihash has been shown to be very energy efficient.
Is Mining Ethereum Worth It?
Mining Ethereum can be profitable, but it depends on what kind of hardware do you have, do you live in a place with cheap electricity rates or expensive electricity rates, how much does your equipment cost to run per month (or year)?
What’s the current value of one Ether coin in USD? Is there an increased demand for Ether coins right now?, are other currencies such as Bitcoin more profitable than Ether when mined at this time due to increased demand/low supply vs high supply/high demand for Bitcoin?
How Much Ethereum Can I Mine with a GTX 1060?
It’s hard to know the answer to this question. The GTX 1060 is an entry-level card, so it won’t be able to mine Ethereum as well as a more expensive GPU like the AMD Radeon RX 580. But if you’re looking for something that will handle games on lower settings than your current card, then the GTX 1060 might just do the job.
