If you’re a mac user, you don’t need to turn your device into a mining rig to earn some crypto. All you have to do is join a mining pool and use some of your Mac resources to make money for you when idle.
So, which mining pool can you join to earn some quick coins? Let’s look at some below.
Best Mining Pool for Mac Users
Slush Pool
Slush Pool was created in the Czech Republic back in 2010. Back then, it was still named Bitcoin Pooled Mining Server.
As I write this, it’s currently the oldest available mining pool in the world. In its lifetime, Slush Pool has mined over 1.30 million BTC.
Also, it has created close to 35,500 blocks.
Slush Pool can reach hash rates of above 5.33Eh/s and you can mine either ZCash (ZEC) or Bitcoin (BTC).
Slush Pool lets you choose what type of mining you want your Mac to perform. For instance, you can choose Bitcoin Core Strict Rules only.
Besides that, you also get access to advanced remote monitoring and Slush Pool’s mobile app.
This mining pool is quite flexible, and you can set your minimum payout threshold to 0.001. But for any payment below 0.01, Slush Pool will charge you a fee of about 2%. Although that’s a little higher than other pools in the market, it’s quite fair if you consider their benefits.
Slush Pool is only available in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, and China.
How to Sign Up
- Open the Slush pool website
- Click on the ‘Account Registration’ page
- Fill in all required information, including your email address and a password.
- Click on the Sign Up button.
Pros
- Has a transparent payout and fee system
- It comes with a support team that is well versed in crypto
- An outstanding and convenient website with clear navigation and features
- Has a huge number of positive feedback and an excellent reputation.
Cons
- The fee is relatively high
- No variety of available coins
CryptoTab
Crypto Tab browser is a Chrome-like Browser that can mine bitcoin. It’s the youngest mining software we’ve covered so far.
Founded in the United States in 2018, Crypto Tab now has over 25 million users from all over the world.
Crypto Tab has a unique mining algorithm built into its browser that also provides you with all tools you need to navigate the web.
Once you activate mining, you can lean back as the Crypto Tab algorithm takes over. It delivers high-speed performance for the mining process without slowing down the device.
Using this browser, you can generate multiple income streams and earn your first Bitcoin. You can also invite new users to the mining network via a private link and earn rewards.
The minimum withdrawal amount is 0.00001 BTC, which is roughly $0.065. Crypto Tab processes the payments twice a day manually, although with plans to switch to an automatic mode in the coming days.
Crypto Tab does not charge you anything to register.
How to Sign Up
To mine, you first need to set up your mining account with Crypto Tab. Here’s how:
- Open your Crypto Tab Browser, find Settings in the right drop-down menu.
- Log in with your preferred social media account.
Doing this saves your referral data and earnings in case of lost cache files, operating system reinstallation, or computer crashes.
Pros
- The referral program is enticing,
- You can import data from another browser and sync it across multiple devices
- It offers user accessibility over mobile phones
- The user interface is easy to use
- Comes with in-built mining features
Cons
- It doesn’t block trackers and advertisements
- It starts automatically every time you open the browser
- Crypto Tab automatically becomes the default browser without permission
- It overwrites google chrome after sync
P2Pool
P2Pool is a decentralized Bitcoin mining pool that works by creating a peer-to-peer network of miner nodes. They’ve been in operation in the United States since 2011.
P2Pool helps to secure the Bitcoin network against a double-spending 51% attack. The initial setup requires a little more effort, but provides equal payouts with a higher discrepancy.
With SegWit already activated, ensure you download the latest version of P2Pool. It’s incompatible with older versions.
Also, avoid mining SegWit blocks until the hash rate reaches 95% to prevent the network from producing invalid blocks.
P2Pool charges a fee of 1% for all their withdrawals.
How to Sign Up
- Set up a Bitcoin-Qt or Bitcoind. This may take up to a day to complete.
- Download P2Pool and run python run_p2pool.py on your mac.
- Point your miners to http://HOST:9332/ with HOST being your mac’s IP address
Pros
- Control over your pool node
- No need to trust a pool operator
- Immediate payouts
- Helps protect and keep the Bitcoin network decentralize
Cons
- The initial setup is a little complicated
- Requires more CPU and RAM
- High payout variance
Cudo Miner
If you’re looking to make some extra bucks on the side using your mac, Cudo Miner is an excellent option for you. It’s one of the easiest software to install and is secure to use. Cudo has over 100,000 users serving everyone, including mining farms.
It supports using both CPU and GPU, and it provides you with a dedicated web console that helps you monitor and manage all your mining devices online, including your mac or PC.
With Cudo Miner for ASICs, you have a complete management and automation tool for your ASIC environment. This miner provides you with greater efficiency, less power usage, higher hash rates, higher profits, and longer uptime.
The service includes everything from custom firmware to mining pool optimizations, giving you access to a more efficient management platform.
You’ll enjoy some advanced features which include auto-switching, auto-tuning, monitoring, auto exchanging, and full remote management.
All payments are made in Bitcoin provided your account has a minimum of 0.0025 BTC
The Cudo software is free to download, although it comes with mining and withdrawal fees.
- 0.5% for less than 0.005 BTC
- 5% for greater than or equal to 0.005 BTC
- 4% for greater than or equal to 0.01 BTC
- 3% for greater than or equal to 0.05 BTC
- 2.5% for greater than or equal to 0.1 BTC
- 2% for greater than or equal to 1 BTC
- 1.5% for greater than or equal to 10 BTC
How to Sign up
To sign up for the Cudo Miner account,
- Click the Sign-up button on the website or app.
- Create a new account with your name and username. (It will display this in the Cudo web console and on the Cudo Miner application).
- Click Save to continue.
- Go to your email to verify your account.
- Click on the Get Started button to proceed. Now you’ll be ready to go.
Pros
- The software is easy to download and to set up
- Has a good interface to manage your mining activities
Cons
- No fixed withdrawal rate
BTC.com
BTC.com is a popular mining pool invented in 2016. Before then, they already had established a Bitcoin wallet, and also a Blockchain explorer. They have servers in Germany, the US, and China.
BTC.com supports the mining of multiple cryptocurrencies, such as
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum
- Litecoin
- Decred
- Nervous CKB
They use a Full Pay Per Share method that rewards miners. FPPS calculates a standard transaction fee within an estimated time, adds it to the block reward, then goes farther to distribute the whole to miners as with traditional PPS (Payment Per Share).
Splitting the transaction fees, especially when they are high, makes mining much more lucrative.
Here is the fee charge
- 4% – Bitcoin (Payment threshold- 0.005) FPPS
- 4% – Nervos CKB (Payment threshold–200) PPS
- 2% – Litecoin (Payment threshold–0.001) FPPS.
- 2% – Ethereum (Payment threshold–0.2) PPS+
- 2% – Decred (Payment threshold–0.1) PPS.
You need to note that minimum payments of BTC can be adjusted to
- 0.005
- 0.01
- 1
depending on your request.
Learn how you can use your GPU to earn Litecoin here
How to Sign Up
- Click on the Sign Up button on the homepage of BTC.com
Choose between using your phone number or email address - Accept the terms and conditions
- Set up your account and password
Pros
- Support multiple coins besides bitcoin
- It’s been in the market for too long, making it more reliable
Cons
- Fee charges are higher
Final Thoughts
Mining pools are an excellent way to earn tokens and rewards for participating in validating cryptocurrency blocks and keeping the networks alive.
Having a mac doesn’t lock you out of the market. You can take part by joining any of these mining pools to earn some crypto on the side.
All these pools are free to join, although each has a unique way to set up. For most pools, the withdrawal fees are minimal, and you can withdraw as little as 0.05BTC with ease.
