MB
Michal Beno
Chief Executive Officer, OneMiners · 2 September 2026
"Most profitable" is not one ranking. It is three, and they disagree almost completely. Rank by profit per day and the list is dominated by the largest and most expensive machines. Rank by how fast the hardware repays itself and a different set wins. Rank by profit per dollar invested and the order inverts again. All three are published below, computed from the same live data, so you can see which machine wins on the definition that matches how you actually buy.
THE SHORT ANSWER
What is the most profitable ASIC miner in 2026?
It depends which question you are asking. Highest profit per day: the Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s at $36.31 net at $0.0480/kWh. Quickest payback: the Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s at 7.0 months. Most profit per dollar invested: the Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s at $4.68 per $1,000 per day. Only one machine appears near the top of all three lists, and the biggest earner is not the best investment.
ON THIS PAGE
Three definitions, three answers
A machine that nets thirty dollars a day sounds better than one netting five. But if the first costs six times more, the second is the better use of capital, and if the first takes three years to repay itself while the second takes nine months, the second is the better business. These are not the same question and they do not have the same answer.
1Profit per day. Useful if you have unlimited capital and limited space or megawatts. Favours the largest machines.
2Payback period. Useful if you want your money back before conditions change. Favours cheap machines with acceptable efficiency.
3Profit per dollar invested. The purest measure of capital efficiency, and the one most private buyers should optimise.
How every number on this page was produced
Bitcoin figures use a hashprice of $37.85 per PH/s per day, derived from a BTC price of $76,768 and a network hashrate of 912.6 EH/s (difficulty 125.81T) on 2 September 2026. That is block subsidy only — transaction fees are excluded, so the revenue side is deliberately conservative. Zcash uses 1,440 ZEC per day to miners (80% of emission after the development fund) against a 24.48 GSol/s network. Scrypt credits both chains a merged-mining unit actually earns, Litecoin and Dogecoin. Electricity is charged at the OneMiners network average of $0.0480/kWh unless a table states otherwise, with no performance or management fee, because OneMiners charges none. Payback assumes difficulty and price hold still, which they never do — treat it as a ranking tool, not a forecast.
Ranked by profit per day
| # | Machine | Coin | Net/day | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s |
Zcash | $36.31 | $9,999 |
| 2 |  Antminer S23 Hyd 3U 1.16 PH/s |
Bitcoin | $31.22 | $28,399 |
| 3 |  Antminer S23e Hyd 2U 865 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $22.78 | $19,440 |
| 4 |  Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s |
Zcash | $21.83 | $4,669 |
| 5 |  Antminer S21e XP Hyd 3U 860 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $19.68 | $7,499 |
| 6 |  Antminer Z15 420 KSol/s |
Zcash | $18.02 | $4,199 |
| 7 |  Antminer S23 XP Hydro 600 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $16.56 | $15,300 |
| 8 |  Antminer S23 Hydro 580 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $15.61 | $12,299 |
| 9 |  Antminer L11 Hyd 2U 35 GH/s |
LTC + DOGE | $11.80 | $16,415 |
| 10 |  Antminer S21 XP Hyd 473 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $11.37 | $6,199 |
Top ten by net profit per day at $0.0480/kWh, across every algorithm. Altcoin machines rank high here because their networks are small, which is a risk as well as a return — see the risk section below.
₿ MINES ZCASH (ZEC)
Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s
840 KSol/s2,780 W3.31 W/KSolAir
The highest daily earner in the catalogue at $36.31 net per day.
$9,999
View on OneMiners →
Ranked by payback speed
Now the same machines, ordered by how long the hardware takes to repay its own purchase price. The list changes substantially.
| # | Machine | Coin | Net/day | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s |
Zcash | $21.83 | 7.0 months |
| 2 | Antminer Z15 420 KSol/s |
Zcash | $18.02 | 7.7 months |
| 3 |  Antminer S21e Hyd 310 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $5.66 | 8.7 months |
| 4 | Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s |
Zcash | $36.31 | 9.0 months |
| 5 |  Antminer S21+ Hyd 395 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $8.13 | 10.5 months |
| 6 |  Antminer S21 Air 151 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $2.63 | 10.6 months |
| 7 |  Antminer S21 188 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $3.33 | 11.0 months |
| 8 |  Antminer S21+ 235 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $4.43 | 11.1 months |
| 9 | Antminer S21e XP Hyd 3U 860 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $19.68 | 12.5 months |
| 10 |  Antminer S21e XP Hyd 430 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $9.84 | 12.7 months |
Top ten by payback period at $0.0480/kWh. Payback assumes today's difficulty and prices hold, which they will not — treat it as a ranking tool.
₿ MINES ZCASH (ZEC)
Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s
525 KSol/s2,483 W4.73 W/KSolAir
The quickest payback in the catalogue at 7.0 months.
$4,669
View on OneMiners →
Ranked by profit per dollar invested
| # | Machine | Coin | Net/day | Net per $1k/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s |
Zcash | $21.83 | $4.68 |
| 2 | Antminer Z15 420 KSol/s |
Zcash | $18.02 | $4.29 |
| 3 | Antminer S21e Hyd 310 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $5.66 | $3.78 |
| 4 | Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s |
Zcash | $36.31 | $3.63 |
| 5 | Antminer S21+ Hyd 395 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $8.13 | $3.13 |
| 6 | Antminer S21 Air 151 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $2.63 | $3.10 |
| 7 | Antminer S21 188 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $3.33 | $3.00 |
| 8 | Antminer S21+ 235 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $4.43 | $2.95 |
| 9 | Antminer S21e XP Hyd 3U 860 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $19.68 | $2.62 |
| 10 | Antminer S21e XP Hyd 430 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $9.84 | $2.59 |
The honest capital-efficiency ranking: net profit per $1,000 of purchase price per day. This is the list to use if capital rather than space is your constraint.
What the three lists agree on
Comparing the three rankings is more informative than any one of them.
| Machine | Profit/day rank | Payback rank | Capital rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s |
1 | 4 | 4 |
| Antminer S23 Hyd 3U 1.16 PH/s |
2 | — | — |
| Antminer S23e Hyd 2U 865 TH/s |
3 | — | — |
| Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s |
4 | 1 | 1 |
| Antminer S21e XP Hyd 3U 860 TH/s |
5 | 9 | 9 |
| Antminer Z15 420 KSol/s |
6 | 2 | 2 |
| Antminer S21 Air 151 TH/s |
— | 6 | 6 |
| Antminer S21e Hyd 310 TH/s |
— | 3 | 3 |
| Antminer S21+ Hyd 395 TH/s |
— | 5 | 5 |
A machine strong on all three columns is genuinely the best buy. A machine strong on only one is optimised for a constraint you may not have.
The pattern that holds across all three lists
Efficiency wins the profit-per-day ranking and loses the capital rankings, because manufacturers price new hardware against the profit it is expected to produce. The Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s repays itself in 7.0 months while the Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s earns 1.7 times more per day. Neither is wrong. They answer different questions.
The risk the rankings hide
Every profitability list has the same blind spot, and it is worth stating plainly in an article that puts altcoin machines at the top. Your revenue is a share of a fixed daily emission, so when a network grows your income falls by the same proportion. On a small network, one machine is a measurable fraction of the total.
| Machine | Coin | Net/day | Parts per million of network | Units to halve revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s |
Zcash | $36.31 | 34.31 ppm | 29,147 |
| Antminer S23 Hyd 3U 1.16 PH/s |
Bitcoin | $31.22 | 1.27 ppm | 786,724 |
| Antminer S23e Hyd 2U 865 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $22.78 | 0.95 ppm | 1,055,029 |
| Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s |
Zcash | $21.83 | 21.44 ppm | 46,635 |
| Antminer S21e XP Hyd 3U 860 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $19.68 | 0.94 ppm | 1,061,163 |
| Antminer Z15 420 KSol/s |
Zcash | $18.02 | 17.15 ppm | 58,294 |
| Antminer S23 XP Hydro 600 TH/s |
Bitcoin | $16.56 | 0.66 ppm | 1,521,000 |
The top of the profit-per-day list is also the top of the dilution-exposure list. Bitcoin machines earn less per day and cannot be diluted by any individual buyer.
The Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s leads on daily profit and is 27 times more dilution-exposed than a Bitcoin flagship. Only 29,147 more units would halve every Zcash miner's revenue, a quantity the market can deliver in months when returns look like this. That is not an argument against buying one. It is an argument against buying five.
₿ MINES BITCOIN (BTC)
Antminer S23 Hyd 3U 1.16 PH/s
1,160 TH/s11,020 W9.50 J/THHydro
The highest-earning Bitcoin machine at $31.22 a day, and just 1.27 ppm of its own network.
$28,399
View on OneMiners →
The verdict
IF YOU WANT THE BIGGEST NUMBER
Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s
$36.31 net per day at $0.0480/kWh — the highest in the catalogue, with the concentration risk that comes with a small network.
IF YOU WANT YOUR CAPITAL BACK SOONEST
Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s
7.0 months to payback and $4.68 per $1,000 invested per day.
IF YOU WANT THE BEST BITCOIN MACHINE
Antminer S23 Hyd 3U
$31.22 a day, 9.5 J/TH, a break-even hashprice of $10.94 and negligible dilution exposure.
| Electricity rate | Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s | S23 Hyd 3U 1.16 PH/s | Z15 K 525 KSol/s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nigeria (lowest) $0.0364/kWh |
$37.08 | $34.28 | $22.53 |
| USA / Georgia $0.0455/kWh |
$36.48 | $31.88 | $21.98 |
| Network average $0.0480/kWh |
$36.31 | $31.22 | $21.83 |
| Home power $0.1200/kWh |
$31.51 | $12.17 | $17.54 |
Net profit per machine per day, after electricity, before any other cost. Green is profitable at that rate; red is not. Home power is the reason so many machines only work inside an industrial facility.
Run the ranking that matches your constraint
Every figure here moves with coin prices, network difficulty and the rate you pay. The method is what to keep: rank by profit per day if space is scarce, by payback if time is, and by profit per dollar if capital is.
Open the mining calculators →
Frequently asked questions
What is the most profitable ASIC miner right now?
By net profit per day, the Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s at $36.31 at $0.0480/kWh. By payback the Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s leads at 7.0 months, and by profit per dollar invested the Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s leads. The honest answer is that the question needs a definition before it has an answer.
Why do altcoin miners top the profit-per-day list?
Because their networks are small and have repriced recently. The same property that produces the high return produces the risk: one Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s is 34.3 parts per million of the Zcash network, so only 29,147 more units would halve everyone's revenue. Bitcoin machines earn less and cannot be diluted by any individual buyer.
Which miner gives the quickest return on investment?
The Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s at 7.0 months, earning $21.83 a day against a purchase price of $4,669. A quick payback generally comes from previous-generation hardware priced below its remaining earning power.
Does the electricity rate change the ranking?
It changes it completely. Efficient machines climb as the rate rises, because power cost is a larger share of their economics. At $0.1200/kWh most of this list is unprofitable outright. Every figure here is at $0.0480/kWh with no management fee.
How long do these rankings stay valid?
Weeks, not months. Coin prices, network hashrate and hardware pricing all move continuously, and a difficulty rise lowers every figure at once. The rankings were computed on 2 September 2026 and the method matters more than the snapshot.
Is a more expensive miner more profitable?
More profitable per day, usually. More profitable per dollar, usually not. The Antminer Z15 Pro 840 KSol/s earns 1.7 times more per day than the Antminer Z15 K 525 KSol/s but takes 1.3 times as long to repay itself.
Should I buy the top machine on this list?
Only if its ranking matches your constraint. If megawatts or rack space limit you, buy from the profit-per-day list. If capital limits you, buy from the capital list. If you want your money back before market conditions change, buy from the payback list. Most private buyers should be reading the third list, not the first.
What about machines not on this list?
Anything omitted either has no live catalogue price or ranks outside the top ten on all three measures. The full catalogue-wide comparisons by price tier and by algorithm cover the machines that fall below these cut-offs.
Data sources
- Bitcoin network hashrate and difficulty: mempool.space mining API, 2 September 2026.
- BTC, ZEC, LTC, DOGE, KAS and ALEO spot prices: CoinGecko, 2 September 2026.
- Zcash, Litecoin and Dogecoin network hashrate: Blockchair chain statistics, 2 September 2026, cross-checked against difficulty.
- Kaspa network hashrate and block reward: Kaspa public API, 2 September 2026.
- Hardware specifications, pricing and product photography: the OneMiners live catalogue.
- Manufacturer specifications: Bitmain and IceRiver product documentation.
- Efficiency-tier revenue spreads and hashprice history: Hashrate Index research.
- Share of the global fleet running at a loss: CoinShares mining research.
DISCLAIMER
This article is published for informational and educational purposes only and is not financial, investment or tax advice. Every profitability figure is a scenario built on the market data stated above, captured on 2 September 2026. Cryptocurrency prices, network difficulty, mining rewards and hardware pricing all change constantly, and a change in any one of them changes every result on this page. Mining returns are not guaranteed and no fixed profit guarantee applies. Hardware specifications reflect the OneMiners catalogue and manufacturer documentation at the time of writing. Always run your own numbers against current market conditions and your own electricity rate before purchasing mining hardware.
