Bitcoin is the world's largest crypto asset, and its security and global distribution are unmatched in the cryptocurrency world. However, Bitcoin mining is not going through the best of times, and miners are looking for alternative ways to monetize their computing power.

In this context, Alephium emerges, an emerging network and token that promises greater energy efficiency than Bitcoin thanks to a more “modern” consensus algorithm.

In this article, we will compare the costs, benefits, and challenges of mining both cryptocurrencies: BTC and ALPH.

The data: These are ALPH's three most profitable teams

Currently, ALPH, the native token of the Alephium layer-one network, has three ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) for mining, which generate net daily earnings of $25. Two other machines cost up to $23 and $22. 

At the time of writing, the Alephium token is trading at $1.17 per unit, up from $1.33 on September 30. Meanwhile, the top earning team is making nearly $ 12 per day net.

At first glance, then, mining the Alephium network cryptocurrency appears to be more profitable than mining bitcoin, at least for now.

Initially, the most profitable ALPH mining rig is the Bitmain Antminer AL1 PRO, launched in August 2024. It has a processing power of 16.60 TH/s (terahashes per second) and an electrical consumption of 3730 watts. This rig produces an estimated net profit of $25 per day and the purchase price of this rig is $9,800.

The most profitable ALPH rig currently has a value of $9,800. 

Secondly, the Bitmain Antminer AL1, also from August, has a processing power of 15.60 TH/s (terahashes per second) to mine ALPH. Its power consumption is 3510 watts and it generates a daily net income of 23 dollars. The purchase price of this mining equipment is currently 9,500 dollars.

Thirdly, the Iceriver AL3 mining rig, released in October, has a hash rate of 15.00 TH/s (terahashes per second) and a power consumption of 3500 watts mining ALPH. The earnings of this ASIC are estimated at $22 per day net. This ASIC is worth $10,000.

The data: These are the most profitable Bitcoin miners

Among the most profitable Bitcoin mining ASICs is the Bitmain Antminer S21E XP Hyd 3U (November 2024). It has a hash power of 860.00 Th/s (terahashes per second) and a power consumption of 11180 watts. The profits offered are around $12 per day net. This ASIC is priced at $20,000.

The Bitmain Antminer S21 XP Hydro BTC mining rig is worth $20,000. 

Next up, the Bitmain Antminer S21 XP Hydro (September 2024) has a hash rate of 473.00 Th/s ( terahashes per second) and a power consumption of 5676 watts. It provides a daily net income of almost $8. The purchase of this ASIC costs $11,500 at the time of writing.

Finally, the Bitmain Antminer S21 Hydro (April 2024), with a computing power of 335.00 Th/s ( terahashes per second) and a consumption of 5360 watts, produces $2 daily in net profits. If a user wanted to acquire one of these mining rigs, they would have to shell out around $6,000.

The bottom line: which mining rigs have the advantage

Bitcoin ASICs are more powerful machines and are adapted to the higher hashrate requirements of a more complex network with more participants; however, their power consumption (measured in watts) is, at best, almost identical, and at worst, almost double that consumed by ALPH mining equipment.

While ASICs for different cryptocurrencies may have similar power consumptions, the efficiency with which they convert that energy into processing power can vary. In terms of efficiency, Alephium mining uses 1/8 the power used to mine Bitcoin, according to Alephium's whitepapers.

In a context where profit margins in Bitcoin mining have been squeezed by increasing mining difficulty and rising Bitcoin production costs , the difference in performance and energy efficiency in favor of ALPH makes its ASICs a more profitable alternative, at least temporarily.

In addition, another incentive in favor of ALPH mining is that mining this currency requires a more accessible initial investment. For example, buying the most profitable BTC miner currently costs around $20,000, and currently generates almost half the profits produced by the most profitable ALPH ASIC. The difference between the prices of one and the other implies a much longer delay in recovering that investment.

However, the momentary profitability of these machines in ALPH mining would not represent a sustained advantage over the Bitcoin network, whose mass adoption and security continue to position it as the industry standard in the field of cryptocurrency mining. Recovering the investment of a machine to mine bitcoin is a matter of time and patience, while obtaining the return on an Alephium ASIC involves more uncertainty, even if it is a faster process.

Most profitable ALPH miners vs. ASICs of other cryptocurrencies

According to the Whattomine website, all three ASICs manufactured for mining Alephium are ranked among the top 5 of all equipment specialized for this task (the ASIC that leads the net profit measurements is $3 above the most profitable ALPH).

That is to say, the three ALPH ASICs are more profitable today than the vast majority of mining equipment for the most mined cryptocurrencies today, such as Dogecoin, Kaspa, Litecoin, Fractal Bitcoin (FB) and Ethereum Classic (ETC), among others.

For example, the most profitable DOGE mining rig currently, the Bitmain Antminer L9, yields a net income of $23, which is $2 per day below the most profitable ALPH.

Regarding the most profitable ASICs from FB and ETC, the difference in relation to the Bitmain Antminer AL1 PRO is 10 and 11 dollars net per day, respectively, in favor of the ALPH miner.

Finally, the most profitable mining equipment for the KAS cryptocurrency currently leaves miners with a net profit of almost $5 per day, while that of LTC, according to Whattomine, was at a loss in the last 24 hours, by $0.49