Is small-scale Bitcoin mining still profitable in 2026?

Sometimes — and almost never at residential electricity rates. The math works for operators with sub-7¢/kWh power, efficient newer-generation ASICs, and disciplined firmware tuning. At 12¢+/kWh on legacy hardware, you are paying to mine.

What's the biggest variable in mining ROI?

Electricity cost, by a wide margin. A 2¢/kWh swing changes the break-even more than any other single input. After that: network difficulty, then ASIC efficiency (J/TH), then BTC price.

How long should I expect to wait for break-even?

On a properly sited, efficient operation in 2026: 14-22 months. Anything claiming faster than that is making aggressive assumptions about price or difficulty.

Resource · Interactive calculator

Crypto Mining ROI Calculator

Tell us the rig, the power cost, and the market assumptions. We'll show you the honest break-even and where the math is most sensitive.

2026 difficulty & subsidy model · Bitcoin only

Hashrate per miner (TH/s)

e.g., Antminer S21 ≈ 200 TH/s

Power draw per miner (W)

S21 ≈ 3500 W · efficiency drives ROI

Number of miners

Electricity cost ($/kWh)

commercial PA rate ≈ $0.09–$0.13

BTC price ($)

Network hashrate (EH/s)

2026 baseline ≈ 750–820 EH/s

Pool fee (%)

Hardware cost per miner ($)

S21 new: $3000-$4500

What the calculator actually does

Daily BTC mined is computed as: (your hashrate / network hashrate) × blocks per day × block subsidy, using the current post-halving subsidy of 3.125 BTC and 144 blocks/day. We do not model transaction fees because they are too volatile to forecast usefully at this resolution.

Net daily revenue subtracts pool fee and power cost. Break-even = hardware cost ÷ daily net (rounded to months, clamped at 60 months / "never").

Real operations have additional costs we don't model here: facility lease, cooling, network gear, monitoring, on-call labor. Plan on 10-20% overhead on top of the bare power-and-pool figure.

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Thinking about a real buildout?

We design and operate small-to-mid-scale Bitcoin mining sites: thermal, power, firmware, monitoring, and operational policy. Honest math, no hype.

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