Cloud Mining – Is It Worth It?
In case you are fond of mining and staying as far as possible from all the hardware, you will endorse every aspect of the cloud mining idea. In the next few paragraphs, you will get familiar with the main elements to consider and how cloud mining functions. There are also positive and negative sides explained further in the article.
What is Cloud Mining?
Let me say that mining is a cost intense activity, but there is a less pricy way of doing it. That is the cloud mining option. But how does cloud mining work? Simply, a third party lends you the hardware and mines on your behalf before pay the earned rewards in your preferred coins.
The process is not that complicated. As a start, make a really good research on the top cloud service providers on the crypto scene or simply go through the suggestions in the table below. Then, pick a crypto wallet and install it. It is the access to your funds. When you have picked a third party, all you need to do is sign a contract. Make sure you read the fine print very carefully. Pay attention to the terms, conditions, fees and length of the agreement. When everything is up and running, you will be mining indirectly and get your earnings regularly.
The main idea behind that service is the chance it gives for people with not so much crypto knowledge or investment money, to be able to participate in the world of digital assets. What is more, things like gigantic electricity bills, hardware puzzles plus the produced noise and heat will not be your problem.
Name | Features | Supported Coins | Server Location |
---|---|---|---|
Genesis Mining |
|
BTC, DASH, LTC, UNO, ZET, XMR, START, DOGE, PPC, ZEC, ETH, ETC, REP, CURE | Hong Kong |
Hashnest |
|
BTC | China |
Hashflare |
|
BTC, LTC, ETH, ZEC, DASH | Tallin, Estonia |
To take part in the whole renting and earning cycle, you have to pay hashing power charges. They are calculated using the hash rate of your coin of choice plus the time it’s mined for. Each cloud mining service provider has different policies regarding the minimum thresholds for payouts. Moreover, as the hash rate increases, fees don’t wait for a bit to follow that pattern.
Hardware vs Cloud Mining
- Equipment is a must and requires maintenance.
- Must pair the mining machines to the algorithm of your chosen coin.
- Technical knowledge is needed.
- You have to build or integrate rigs and machines.
- Mining hardware creates noise and heat while working.
- Large investments are made, in order the mining to be profitable.
- More reliable, because you have a real access to the mining gear, monitoring the progress.
- Calculable investment.
- Electricity costs are high.
- Hardware is rented.
- When signing the cloud mining contract, you choose which coin the provider should mine.
- All you need to do is open a cloud mining account and buy hash.
- No mining algorithm setup.
- The provider of the service takes care of the troubleshooting aspects.
- With minimum investments, you can end up with daily payout earnings.
- Sharing information about the process is entirely up to the cloud mining company.
- Not clear results from your renting investment. Lack of transparency. You don’t know what will happen and how the provider will react with your coins.
- High bills are not your concern.
There you have it, a bit for every crypto enthusiast. In case you are on a low budget and don’t have time to deal with operational issues, maintain machinery plus electricity costs, cloud mining is for you. On the other hand, for those of you with a good budget, knowledge about mining and coding, accompanied by involving time and efforts, then the best thing to approach is hardware mining.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Mining on the Cloud
The whole process of buying hash rate from others brings along different positives and negative elements. That is why the research for such providers counts a lot. Here are the main aspects in that direction, which is advised for you to consider:
Advantages
- Buying equipment is not your concern
- No noise, heat and boosted electricity bills
- Investing in it is an affordable step
Disadvantages
- Scams might come your way
- Control, flexibility and transparency are on the provider’s plate
- Paying fees
Types of Cloud Mining
On one side, cloud mining facilitates computing services reachable via the internet (databases, servers, software, storage). On the other, mining is the backbone of crypto. Through it, coins are created, and transactions are executed. When combined, the world of mining is opening to people at remote locations with little or no technical knowledge and hardware infrastructure. Bear in mind, that the existence of such remote providers depends on the local government crypto regulations of each country. You can benefit from tree kinds of cloud mining models on the market at the moment, based on the server:
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Hosted
The rented hardware is hosted by the cloud mining provider. There are rigs and machines available.
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Virtual hosted
The virtual private server is for rent. The provider takes care of the software installation and support.
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Lease
Hashing power is offered for you to use. Such cloud mining method is widely used and offered by Hash Flare and Genesis cloud mining providers.
Why is Mining Risky?
In the digital world of crypto, profit and risk are more of alliances than rivals. There are numerous factors affecting the profitability of cloud mining. What is cloud minig`s biggest risk factor? Arguably, this is the service provider – the price and quality. The reputation of each company will help you stay away from scams. Imagine that the time period you have signed a contract for, is suddenly shortened without any explanation and you can even not get payed. More on such shady deals will be explained in the next paragraph.
Furthermore, exchanges are involved in the profitability as well. Their rates can play either with or against you. Let’s not forget that everything is happening online. The number of actions on a network per second, can render influence on the speed things are operating. Nonetheless, you can still do an indicative calculation of the profit from cloud mining using any crypto calculator. Don’t forget to place your monthly tax instead of the hardware price. This way you will know which provider will be more profitable.
Think ahead before deciding which way to go. Here comes the risk factor. As an example, BTC calculations will show eventual profit for the next few months. This coin has constantly rising network difficulty, which will turn the earnings into losses at some point. Investing in cloud mining is always risky thanks to the common fraud cases and mismanagement. This shouldn’t stop you from choosing this path though. If you are ok with the risks, go for it. After all, you should invest only amounts you are willing to lose.
How to Avoid Scams
Scam | What Gives it Away |
---|---|
Offering high return in a shortest possible time | Real providers offer thin profit. Guaranteed profits are usually looking fake in the cloud mining world. |
Ponzi schemes | Crazy returns are red flags. Avoid providers offering to double, triple your coin or to return profit of 100%. |
Phishing scams | Such providers approach you with emails, containing fake URLs. Once clicked, their hackers steal your privacy details and all assets. Always check the hyperlinks and web URLs. |
Sites with http | Http sites without “S” are not secured. Avoid them. |
Domain registration & public mining address | Illegitimate cloud mining company will not provide full contact details during the registration process. |