In March 2025, someone running a Bitaxe Ultra, an open-source mining device smaller than a smartphone, solved Bitcoin block #887,212 and collected 3.15 BTC. At the time, that was roughly $258,000. The device cost about $100 and produced around 480 GH/s of hashrate. For context, the entire Bitcoin network was pushing past 800 EH/s. This miner contributed 0.00000006% of global computing power and still won the whole block reward.
That is solo mining in one sentence: you mine alone, you keep everything, and the odds are absurd.
This guide breaks down how solo Bitcoin mining works, what you actually need to do it, what kind of math you are up against, and whether it makes any sense for you in 2026.
How mining works (the short version)#
Bitcoin runs on a network of computers that agree on who owns what. Every 10 minutes or so, someone bundles a batch of new transactions into a "block" and adds it to the shared ledger, the blockchain.
The catch: you cannot just add a block whenever you want. You have to prove you spent computational effort by finding a specific number (called a nonce) that, when combined with the block's data and run through a hash function, produces a result below a certain threshold. The network adjusts that threshold every 2,016 blocks (roughly two weeks) so that blocks keep arriving at a steady pace regardless of how much computing power is online.
The miner who finds a valid hash first gets to add the block and collect the reward. Right now, that reward is 3.125 BTC per block (it was cut in half during the April 2024 halving), plus whatever transaction fees users attached to the transactions inside that block. At today's Bitcoin price of about $70,700, a single block is worth roughly $220,000 to $250,000, depending on fees.
What makes it "solo"#
There are two ways to mine Bitcoin.
Pool mining means you join thousands of other miners, combine your computing power, and split the rewards proportionally whenever your pool finds a block. You earn small, frequent payments. Most miners do this because it smooths out income.
Solo mining means your hardware works alone. You run your own full Bitcoin node, your miner talks directly to that node, and if your machine finds a valid block, you get the entire reward. No splitting, no pool fees, no middlemen. But if you do not find a block, you earn exactly zero. There is no consolation prize.
The tradeoff is simple: pools give you predictable small payments; solo gives you nothing or everything. If you want consistent daily income, join a mining pool. If you want a shot at the full prize, mine solo.
How solo mining actually works#
Here is the process, step by step:
- You run a full Bitcoin node. This means downloading and verifying the entire Bitcoin blockchain (over 600 GB as of 2026). Your node connects to the Bitcoin network, receives pending transactions, and stays synchronized with every new block.
- Your mining hardware asks the node for work. The miner uses a protocol called getblocktemplate to request a bundle of unconfirmed transactions and a block header template. This tells the hardware exactly what puzzle to solve.
- The hardware starts guessing. Your ASIC miner tries different nonce values, billions of them every second, hashing each one and checking if the result meets the network's difficulty target. Modern ASIC miners do this at rates measured in terahashes per second (TH/s). A single Antminer S21, for example, runs at 200 TH/s, meaning it tries 200 trillion hashes every second.
- If you find a valid hash, your node broadcasts the block. The new block propagates across the network, other nodes verify it, and the 3.125 BTC reward plus fees land in your wallet.
- If you do not find it, someone else does. A new block appears every 10 minutes on average. When that happens, the cycle resets: your node gets the new batch of unconfirmed transactions, your miner starts over.
That is the entire loop. Your hardware guesses as fast as it can, and either you win the block or you do not.
What you need to start solo mining#
Hardware#
You need an ASIC miner, a machine built specifically for SHA-256 hashing (Bitcoin's algorithm). General-purpose computers, including gaming GPUs, are not competitive here. Any serious Bitcoin miner in 2026 runs purpose-built ASICs that are millions of times faster than consumer hardware.
Your options range from hobby-grade to industrial:
| Device | Hashrate | Power draw | Approximate price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitaxe Gamma 601 | 1.2 TH/s | 15 W | ~$100 | Open-source, fits on a desk. Pure lottery play. |
| NerdQAxe++ Rev 6 | 6 TH/s | 100 W | ~$380 | Higher odds, still home-friendly. |
| Antminer S21 | 200 TH/s | 3,550 W | ~$5,000 | Serious machine. Runs hot, runs loud. |
| Antminer S21 XP | 270 TH/s | 3,645 W | ~$8,000+ | Top-tier current-gen ASIC. |
A Bitaxe at 1.2 TH/s against a network doing 900,000,000 TH/s is exactly what it sounds like: a lottery ticket. But lottery tickets do occasionally win.
Full Bitcoin node#
You need a computer running Bitcoin Core (or an equivalent implementation) with at least 600 GB of disk space, a stable internet connection, and enough RAM to handle blockchain validation. Many home miners run their node on a Raspberry Pi with an external SSD, or use plug-and-play solutions like Umbrel or Start9.
Mining software#
Your ASIC needs mining software that connects it to your node and manages its hardware and software operations. Options include CGMiner, BFGMiner, and Braiins OS. Some newer devices like the Bitaxe run their own firmware (AxeOS) and connect to a solo mining pool like Solo CKPool, which acts as a lightweight relay between your hardware and the network. You still mine solo. The pool just handles block template delivery and submission.
A Bitcoin wallet#
You need a wallet address where block rewards will be sent. A hardware wallet (Ledger, Trezor, Coldcard) is the standard recommendation for securing large payouts.
Electricity and cooling#
This is the hidden cost. An Antminer S21 running 24/7 draws about 3,550 watts. At the US average residential electricity rate of $0.13/kWh, that is roughly $335 per month. A Bitaxe, by comparison, draws 15 watts and costs about $1.40 per month to run. The difference in hashrate is proportional: you pay less, but your odds drop by orders of magnitude.
Large ASICs also produce serious heat and noise. An S21 sounds like a vacuum cleaner running nonstop. Home miners often put them in garages, basements, or purpose-built enclosures with ventilation.
The math behind your odds#
This is the part most articles gloss over, so let us be direct.
Your chance of finding the next block equals your hashrate divided by the total network hashrate. As of March 2026:
- Total network hashrate: approximately 900 EH/s (900,000,000 TH/s)
- Mining difficulty: 133.79 trillion
If you are running a single Antminer S21 at 200 TH/s, your share of the network is:
200 / 900,000,000 = 0.000000222, or about 0.0000222%
That means your expected time to find one block is roughly 76,000 years. Not a typo. Seventy-six thousand years.
A Bitaxe at 1.2 TH/s? Divide that by 166. You are looking at about 12.6 million years in expectation.
But "expected time" is a statistical average, not a guarantee. Every single hash you compute has the same tiny probability of being valid. You could find a block in your first hour. You could run the machine for 50 years and never find one. This is pure variance, the same math that governs lotteries.
To put it differently: if 76,000 people each ran one S21, on average one of them would find a block every year. But which one? Nobody knows.
Improving the odds#
More machines help, but the math stays brutal:
| Setup | Hashrate | Expected time per block |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Bitaxe Gamma | 1.2 TH/s | ~12.6 million years |
| 1 Antminer S21 | 200 TH/s | ~76,000 years |
| 10 Antminer S21 XP | 2,700 TH/s | ~5,600 years |
| 100 Antminer S21 XP | 27,000 TH/s | ~560 years |
Even with 100 top-tier ASICs (a six-figure investment in hardware alone, plus enormous electricity bills), you are still measuring expected time in centuries.
Solo mining vs pool mining#
| Factor | Solo mining | Pool mining |
|---|---|---|
| Reward per block | 100% (3.125 BTC + fees) | Split proportionally among all members |
| Income frequency | Extremely rare (possibly never) | Regular (daily or weekly payouts) |
| Fees | None | 1-3% of earnings, depending on pool |
| Variance | Maximum | Low (smoothed by pooling hashrate) |
| Privacy | High (no KYC, no pool account) | Varies (some pools require accounts) |
| Decentralization | You support the network directly | Concentrates power in pool operators |
| Technical setup | Harder (run your own node) | Easier (connect to pool server) |
| Minimum hardware | Any ASIC works (odds scale with hashrate) | Any ASIC works |
Pool mining dominates for a reason. A Bitcoin miner with 200 TH/s in a major mining pool earns roughly $5-8 per day (at current difficulty and BTC price). The same miner running solo earns $0 per day for potentially decades, then collects the full block reward of $220,000+ in a single moment, if that moment ever comes.
Pool miners pay fees for the privilege of predictable income. Solo miners pay nothing but accept total uncertainty.
Is solo mining profitable?#
It depends on what you mean by "profitable."
In pure expected-value terms, solo mining and pool mining produce roughly the same returns over an infinite time horizon. A pool takes 1-3% in fees, so solo mining has a slight mathematical edge. But "infinite time horizon" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. In practice, you could run an Antminer S21 for 20 years, spend over $80,000 on electricity, and never find a single block.
Here is a rough breakdown for a single Antminer S21 running in the US:
- Electricity cost: ~$335/month ($4,020/year)
- Hardware cost: ~$5,000 (one-time)
- Expected block reward if found: ~$220,000-$250,000
- Expected time to find a block: ~76,000 years
At those numbers, you would spend $305 million on electricity before statistically expecting to earn $220,000. Obviously, nobody approaches it this way. Solo miners either accept the gamble (small device, low running costs, very small chance of a big win) or run large enough mining operations that the probability becomes less astronomical. A miner may spend years running hardware at a loss before deciding the experiment was worth the education alone.
The sweet spot for hobbyist solo mining seems to be low-power devices like the Bitaxe. At 15 watts and $1.40/month in electricity, losing is cheap. If you happen to find a block, the block reward dwarfs your total investment by several thousand times. That is why many people who want to mine Bitcoin solo start with these small, inexpensive ASIC miners rather than going all in on industrial hardware.
Real solo miners who actually won#
The "lottery" is not purely theoretical. People do win.
In 2025, at least 22 solo miners successfully found Bitcoin blocks. Some ran full-scale mining operations with industrial hardware. Others used tiny open-source devices that had no business finding anything.
A few documented cases:
- March 2025: A miner running a cluster of six Bitaxe devices (~3.3 TH/s combined) found block #887,212 through Solo CKPool. Payout: 3.15 BTC (~$258,000).
- 2025 (date varies): A single Bitaxe Gamma at 1.2 TH/s captured block #889,975. Payout: 3.149 BTC.
- September 2025: A NerdQAxe++ miner won a block worth over $348,000.
Combined, open-source home mining hardware (Bitaxe and NerdQAxe devices) has earned over $1 million in confirmed solo block rewards. These are machines that cost between $100 and $400.
The math says each of these wins was incredibly unlikely. The winners would agree. But someone has to find the next block, and occasionally that individual miner is running a $100 gadget in their living room. That is what makes solo Bitcoin mining so compelling as a concept, even when the numbers say you probably should not bother.
Who should consider solo mining in 2026#
Solo mining makes sense for a specific kind of person:
You are comfortable with a gamble. You understand you are almost certainly buying a very long streak of nothing, with a small chance of a massive payout. You are fine with that outcome distribution.
You care about Bitcoin's decentralization. Every solo miner running a full node strengthens the Bitcoin network by reducing the influence of large mining pools. If the philosophy of Bitcoin matters to you, solo mining is a way to participate directly.
You want to learn how mining actually works. Setting up a full node, configuring an ASIC, and watching your machine compute hashes teaches you more about Bitcoin than any article ever will.
Your electricity is cheap or free. If you have solar panels, live in a region with very low energy costs, or can use waste heat from the miner to warm a room, the running costs become negligible.
You are not counting on the income. This is a hobby, not a business plan. If you need mining revenue to pay bills, join a pool.
Who should not solo mine#
If you need predictable income, have expensive electricity, are not comfortable with technical setup, or are investing money you cannot afford to lose on hardware that might never pay for itself, pool mining or simply buying Bitcoin is a better fit.
Why people choose to mine Bitcoin solo#
Most solo miners know the math. They have seen the expected-time-per-block numbers. They run their Bitaxe anyway. In the wider crypto community, these people are sometimes called "lottery miners," and the label fits.
Part of it is the gamble. Same reason people buy lottery tickets, except this lottery has a known and verifiable probability, no middleman, and a prize pool that adjusts with the market.
But part of it is something else entirely. Running your own node, pointing your own hardware at it, and competing directly with industrial mining farms that spend millions on infrastructure. That is the original vision of Bitcoin. One CPU, one vote. The hardware has changed, but the principle has not.
You probably will not find a block. But the act of trying is, for some people, the point.
