Bitcoin is a dominant force in the cryptocurrency industry, boasting the largest market cap out of all cryptocurrencies by a huge margin. It maintains its security by relying on a decentralized network of miners to validate transactions. These miners use specialized hardware known as “mining rigs”, and they play a pivotal role in the functioning of the Bitcoin ecosystem.
However, these machines are commonly large, power-hungry, and most importantly, expensive. For someone who cannot afford to wait years for their multiple thousand dollar miner investment to pay off, they aren’t a viable option. As such, USB Bitcoin miners(also known as stickminers) present themselves as an affordable alternative that virtually anyone could use. But does this affordability come at a cost?
In this article, we’ll explore the 5 best options for USB Bitcoin mining and whether or not they are the right option for you.
Key highlights:
- GekkoScience Compac F – The most popular USB miner
- NanoFury 2 – USB miner designed for longevity
- GekkoScience A1 – The most powerful USB miner available
- Luckyminer LV03 – Cheapest USB Bitcoin miner option
What are USB Bitcoin miners?
USB Bitcoin miners are a simple and affordable option for those looking to get into the world of Bitcoin mining. In principle, they are a plug-and-play device that barely takes up any space and they barely require any electricity to function. In theory, this makes them an attractive option for those looking to mine Bitcoin for cheap.
However, they cannot compare to the efficiency of the best Bitcoin miners, and even the best USB Bitcoin miners barely generate any profit.
As such, USB miners are not a good option for those looking to make a profit. Instead, they are a cheap introduction to Bitcoin mining, helping people learn the basics to make better use of the more expensive ASIC machines. Another alternative for experiencing Bitcoin mining for cheap is using cloud mining platforms, which often offer bonuses and exclusive deals for new users.
Bitcoin USB miner (un)profitability
Sadly, the costs of operating such devices outweigh the potential profits you’d gain from using them. In fact, even if we ignore the price of electricity, if we take the most powerful USB miner available, the Compac A1, and overclock it to its maximum potential, it would only mine about 0.00012775 BTC in a year.
This would amount to a mere $8.70, meaning it would take you nearly 30 years to break even on your investment at Bitcoin’s current price. Hopefully, this puts into perspective how unprofitable these devices actually are. Even with our bullish long-term Bitcoin price prediction, these miners are best left to remain as learning tools for those who want to study the mining process before committing to buying a proper Bitcoin miner.
Best USB Bitcoin miners
Now that we’ve gone over the basics, we can dive into our list of the 4 best USB Bitcoin miners available in 2024.
GekkoScience Compac F – The most popular option
The GekkoScience Compac F is powerful for its size, but it requires active cooling to work properly.
The Compac F is a compact USB miner that stands out with its 400 GH/s hashrate and low 10W power consumption, thanks to its AntMiner BM1397 ASIC chip. However, while it’s impressive for its size and can be overclocked for better performance, this miner, like most USB miners, won’t pay off your investment. The cost of electricity outweighs any potential earnings, making it more of a hobbyist tool than a profitable venture. Even with overclocking and a USB hub for expansion, the returns simply aren’t there to justify its use for serious mining.
NanoFury 2 – Designed for longevity
NanoFury 2 is another USB miner requiring active cooling
The NanoFury 2 boasts a hashrate of 5 GH/s, which seems almost pitiful in comparison to the Compac F, let alone a proper mining rig from Bitmain. However, its comparatively large heat sink, in combination with a cooling fan will likely keep the miner up and running for a long time.
GekkoScience Compac A1 – Most powerful USB miner
The Compac A1 is the most powerful USB miner available
The Compac A1 builds on its predecessor with a higher hashrate of up to 500 GH/s when overclocked, using the powerful AntMiner BM13962 ASIC chip. However, despite this improvement, it falls into the same trap as other USB miners. Even with the increased power, the miner is far from profitable. It demands a dedicated USB hub and active cooling just to function optimally, which adds to the setup cost. Combining all this with a frankly outrageous price of $249, this USB miner has no real uses, as it’s too expensive to even be a learning tool.
Luckyminer LV03 – Cheapest USB Bitcoin miner
The Lucky Miner LV03 is the cheapest option available
The Lucky Miner LV03 is the cheapest USB Bitcoin miner available, but in terms of profitability, it’s also the worst one. Offering a low hashrate of 75 KH/s, this miner’s only purpose is to be a cheap learning tool for new Bitcoin miners. Don’t expect any real monetary value out of this one or any other USB miner for that matter.
The bottom line
USB Bitcoin miners are not profitable at current Bitcoin and electricity prices. While they might serve as a good entry point for people looking to get into the world of Bitcoin mining, their price and hashrate don’t really give them any other use case. If you’re looking to make a profit, you should probably look into proper ASIC miners instead.
Another option for learning about Bitcoin mining is to use your GPU for the task. This is generally an unprofitable process, but the best GPUs for mining could give you a small profit, along with being able to play all of the best games.
