Choosing a Bitcoin Mining Pool for Your Bitaxe or NerdQaxe: A Comparison of 4 Options

A Bitcoin mining pool is the first real decision after you have a Bitaxe or NerdQaxe at home. Which pool or solo setup do you run your miner on? In this guide I compare four options: Ocean, Braiins, Parasite Space and Noderunners. Two for pool mining, two for solo mining.

Bitcoin Mining Pool vs. Solo Mining: The Difference

At pool mining you work together with thousands of other miners on the same block. If the pool finds one, you get a proportional share of the reward, based on how much hashrate you contributed. Predictable, low variance, small but regular sats coming in.

At solo mining Try to find a block on your own. The odds are minuscule (with a Bitaxe Gamma, we’re talking about a lottery ticket that’s drawn again every ten minutes), but if you succeed, you’ll receive the full reward of 3.125 BTC plus all transaction fees. No pool takes a cut.

Which one is right for you? Pool mining is for those who want to earn a few sats to cover their electricity costs. Solo mining is for those who participate for the philosophy, the chance of a miracle, and the idea that you’re making the Bitcoin network more decentralized by not contributing a pool share.

Pool mining option 1: Ocean

Ocean is currently the most talked-about Bitcoin mining pool. Founded in 2023, co-funded by Jack Dorsey, and built by people concerned about mining centralization. What makes Ocean unique:

• Non-custodial payoutsYour sats go directly into your own wallet, without Ocean having custody in the meantime
• DATE templateminers build the block template themselves instead of the pool, which increases censorship resistance
• No KYC: Just enter your Bitcoin address and run it
• Low fee: approximately 2%, depending on the payout schedule

For whom? For anyone who wants pool mining but does not want custodial trust. Reasoning from the Bitcoin philosophy, this is the logical choice. For pool mining, I recommend Ocean.

Stratum URL for your Bitaxe or NerdQaxe: stratum+tcp://mine.ocean.xyz:3334. Enter your Bitcoin address as your username; no password is required.

Pool mining option 2: Braiins (formerly Slush Pool)

Braiins is the world's very first Bitcoin mining pool, founded in 2010 by Marek Palatinus (Slush). It has literally been part of the blockchain's history from the very beginning. What Braiins offers:

• Score-based payoutanti-pool-hopping mechanism that rewards loyal miners
• Stratum V2 supportthe most modern mining protocol
• Pool fee: 2% with standard PPLNS
• Custodial payoutsBraiins holds your sats until you reach your minimum payout threshold

Who is it for? For people who like a long track record and have no problem with a custodial setup. High uptime, a mature operation, supporting mining at scale since 2010.

Stratum URL: stratum+tcp://stratum.braiins.com:3333.

Solo mining option 1: Parasite Space

Parasite Space It is not a traditional Bitcoin mining pool but a hybrid solo mining solution. You share the infrastructure (Stratum server, monitoring), but if you find the block, you receive the full reward. No pool share, no distribution among thousands of miners.

• Solo via shared infrastructure: You don't need to run your own Bitcoin Core
• No minimum payoutyou get the whole block reward or nothing
• Low fee: approximately 2% of a potential block reward
• Transparent dashboardsee exactly how many shares you have submitted

I recommend this for anyone who wants to mine solo. You do it for the chance at a block, which, however minuscule, is real. I have a separate blog about Parasite Space in which I delve deeper into how it works and why solo mining, despite the poor odds, is beneficial for the network.

Stratum URL: stratum+tcp://parasite.space:2018 using your Bitcoin address as your username.

Solo mining option 2: Noderunners

Noderunners is a community-oriented Bitcoin mining pool for solo miners, focused on European and Dutch Bitcoiners. Just like Parasite Space, you share infrastructure but receive the full reward when a block is mined.

• Community-drivensupported by bitcoiners, not a commercial operation
• Solo-onlyno confusing pool/solo modes mixed together
• Low fee
• Transparent statslive monitoring of all participants

For those who value the community vibe and want to participate in an ecosystem close to home. Anyone sending hashrate here directly supports the community.

Which Bitcoin mining pool is right for you?

Four options, four profiles:

• Ocean: pool mining, non-custodial. For those who share the Bitcoin philosophy.
• Braiins: pool mining, custodial. For people who like established pools.
• Parasite Spacesolo mining. For those who want to join the block lottery.
• Noderunnerssolo mining. For those who want to support the community.

My advice: put a Bitaxe Gamma on Parasite Space (solo, just for fun and the network) and a NerdQaxe++ op Ocean (pool, to pull in some sats). Hybrid, then. No law says it has to be one or the other.

Which miner is best suited for which Bitcoin mining pool?

All four pools support the standard Stratum protocol used by the Bitaxe (AxeOS firmware) and NerdQaxe (NerdMiner firmware). Configuration is as simple as entering the correct Stratum URL and your Bitcoin address as the username. It's not rocket science.

• Bitaxe Gamma: 1.1 TH/s, great for all four. Ideal starting point for anyone who wants to learn.
• NerdQaxe++approximately 4 TH/s. Clearly yields more shares, resulting in a relatively higher payout in a pool and a relatively greater chance of finding a block solo.

Switching between pools is easy: in AxeOS or NerdMiner firmware, go to the Pool settings, enter the new Stratum URL, reboot, and you're done. No fees, no lock-in, no penalties. Feel free to shop around until you find what works best for you.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to start mining? Start at the Bitaxe Gamma as a starter, or go straight to the NerdQaxe++ For serious hashrate. Have questions about which Bitcoin mining pool is right for you? Send a message, I like to think along. Read also who I am and why I do this.