Solo Bitcoin Mining Setups Compared

Solo mining is a lottery. One honest block can change your life — and the setup or pool you pick actually matters. This is my straight-up comparison of the solo options that real hobby miners are using today, based on firsthand experience instead of marketing.

Focused on Bitcoin solo mining Template / trust model called out where it matters Based on my own solo-mining experience since 2015.

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Glossary: What “Template Control” Means

When you solo mine, someone has to create the block template your miner is hashing on. That template includes your payout address, the chosen transactions (mempool selection), and the exact block structure.

  • Pool-built template: A remote pool (like CKPool) generates the template on its servers. You provide a payout address, but the pool constructs the actual block your miner works on.
  • Node-built template: Your own full node produces the template locally via getblocktemplate. Some setups (like Ocean+DATUM, Umbrel, and fully DIY stacks) rely on software running next to your node to manage mining logic, but they still use your node’s view of the chain and mempool instead of a remote pool’s template.

For context: miners iterate through a nonce (a 32-bit field in the block header), while an extraNonce-style value lives inside the coinbase transaction and is set by whoever builds the block template. With pool-built templates, the pool controls that coinbase/extraNonce space on their servers. With node-built setups, your local software (Ocean+DATUM, Umbrel app stack, or DIY code) manages it on top of your node’s getblocktemplate results.

Both approaches can pay your reward directly if you find a block — the key difference is who builds and controls the template itself.

1. CKPool — The OG Solo Pool

solo.ckpool.org

  • Status: One of the longest-running dedicated solo pools
  • Fee: 2%
  • Template control: Pool builds templates server-side
  • Setup difficulty: Very easy
  • Operator: “Con”, running this since the early days

I’ve used CKPool off and on since around 2015. I even hit two blocks on CKPool back when they were worth peanuts — and just to be clear so nobody imagines I’m quietly sitting on millions, I don’t still have those coins. Life was messy; they’re gone.

Pool-wise, CKPool has always been rock solid and extremely simple to use: you point your miner(s) at the pool, set your payout address, and if you win the lottery, the block pays directly to that address (minus the 2% fee) without a separate payout system.

Pros

  • Dead-simple configuration for miners
  • One of the longest-running solo pools with real history
  • Solid uptime and reliability
  • Great beginner solo pool
  • Direct payouts to your address if you hit a block

Cons

  • You don’t build or verify the block template yourself — CKPool handles it entirely on their side
  • Single-person operation
  • 2% fee
  • Limited advanced features compared to node-backed setups

2. Ocean + DATUM — Modern, Transparent, High-Performance

ocean.xyz  ·  DATUM Gateway (GitHub)

  • Status: Newer, cutting-edge tech stack
  • Fee: 1% with DATUM
  • Template control: Built from your own full node
  • Setup difficulty: Medium
  • Best for: People who care about decentralization, template transparency, and propagation speed

Ocean handles the pool coordination and block relay. DATUM Gateway, together with your own full node, builds the actual block template locally, inserts your payout address, and serves work to your miners. When you hit a block, payouts are non-custodial: your reward (minus the 1% OCEAN fee when you’re mining on OCEAN with DATUM) is paid directly in the coinbase transaction instead of sitting in a pool wallet. You pair this setup with a full node — Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots. I personally like Knots for the extra policy transparency and features, but both work great.

Pros

  • Your node builds the block template → trust-minimized payouts
  • Excellent propagation for solo mining
  • Actively developed by people who care about decentralization
  • Clean dashboard and good metrics
  • Can support more advanced setups if you’re comfortable with custom configs

Cons

  • Requires a full node and some Linux comfort
  • More moving parts than a simple hosted pool

3. Umbrel Solo Mining App — Zero-Fee, Point-and-Click

umbrel.com

  • Status: Node-in-a-box with a friendly UI
  • Fee: 0%
  • Template control: Node-built (your node), but app-managed rather than hand-edited
  • Setup difficulty: Easy
  • Best for: Zero-fee, self-sovereign solo mining without touching the command line

Umbrel wraps a Bitcoin node and solo-mining stack into a point-and-click environment. A typical setup is running their Bitcoin node app (Core or Knots) plus a solo mining / pool app on top. Your Umbrel app stack talks to your full node via getblocktemplate instead of a remote pool, but it does not give you a GUI to hand-edit the template itself.

Pros

  • Zero pool fee — you keep 100% of the block reward if you hit one
  • Your node’s view of the chain and mempool drive the block template
  • Much easier to install and manage than a raw Linux stack
  • Nice UI for monitoring and managing your node

Cons

  • Requires an Umbrel device or compatible server
  • Umbrel builds templates using your node’s getblocktemplate, but the selection logic is handled automatically by the app in most cases.
  • You still need to care about node health and uptime

4. Fully Self-Hosted Solo Mining (DIY)

  • Status: The purest, most sovereign option
  • Fee: 0%
  • Template control: Full — you build everything yourself
  • Setup difficulty: Advanced
  • Best for: Purists, hackers, and anyone comfortable with Linux and networking

Fully self-hosted solo mining means you run everything yourself: a full node (Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots), your mempool, your block templates, your own stratum proxy, and all miner connections.

Pros

  • Fully trustless and private
  • 0% fee — nobody taking a cut of your block
  • Maximum control over policies and templates
  • Perfect if you want full sovereignty over your mining setup

Cons

  • Requires real Linux/server and networking skills
  • You own all uptime, propagation, and configuration risk
  • Easy to misconfigure if you rush it or copy/paste blindly

More from me

I’m Mike (Proof Of Mike), running a small home Bitcoin mining setup and sharing the real numbers — not datacenter marketing slides.

You can find more write-ups and tools at ProofOfMike.com, or come say hi on X: @ProofOfMike.

© Proof Of Mike.