SHA-256 coins: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, BSV, eCash and more
Today, four coins are mainly worth mining on the SHA-256 algorithm: Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Bitcoin SV (BSV) and eCash (XEC). The same ASIC miner mines all of them – you switch between them just by changing the pool. Earnings per 1 TH/s differ between them by only a few tens of haléř a day. The big difference, however, lies in network size, how easily you can sell the mined coins, and risk.
Summary
- SHA-256 is the hashing algorithm Bitcoin is built on. It is mined exclusively with ASIC miners.
- BCH, BSV and XEC are offshoots of Bitcoin. They share the same foundation, with a smaller network and lower liquidity.
- Today, per 1 TH/s per day: BTC 0,84 Kč, BCH 0,81 Kč, BSV 0,68 Kč, XEC 0,89 Kč.
- Most miners mine Bitcoin for its liquidity. The other coins are useful as an add-on or for solo mining.
- With tiny SHA-256 coins that have no exchanges or community, there is a risk that there will be no one to sell the mined coins to.
What SHA-256 is and why only ASICs mine it
SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function from the SHA-2 family. It was designed by the US NSA and published as a standard by NIST in 2001. It turns any data into a 256-bit fingerprint (64 hexadecimal characters). Change a single character of the input and the fingerprint comes out completely different. It is impossible to work back from the fingerprint to the data.
Bitcoin hashes the 80-byte block header, twice in a row. The miner changes a number in the header (the nonce) and looks for a hash smaller than the target value set by the network difficulty. There is no other method than trial and error – which is why hashrate is what counts.
Computing SHA-256 consists only of simple bitwise operations and additions. Such a task can be “burned” directly into a chip, which is why today it is computed only by ASIC miners. An Antminer S21++ at 235 TH/s tries 235 trillion hashes per second. A graphics card manages at most a few GH/s on SHA-256, roughly a hundred thousand times less.
Comparison of the main SHA-256 coins
| Coin | Launched | Block reward | Network hashrate (as of 18 Oct 2026) | Earnings per 1 TH/s per day | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | 2009 | 3.125 BTC | ~1,100 EH/s | 0,84 Kč | 1 767 033 Kč |
| Bitcoin Cash (BCH) | 2017, split from BTC | 3.125 BCH | ~3 EH/s | 0,81 Kč | 5 968 Kč |
| Bitcoin SV (BSV) | 2018, split from BCH | 3.125 BSV | ~0.25 EH/s | 0,68 Kč | 390 Kč |
| eCash (XEC) | 2020, split from BCH | 3,125,000 XEC (58% to miners) | ~0.034 EH/s | 0,89 Kč | 0,00014 Kč |
All four networks have a target block time of 10 minutes and a maximum supply of 21 million coins (21 trillion XEC for eCash after conversion). All of them went through the halving in April 2024 at block 840,000.
What this means for a single machine
Take the Antminer S21++ at 235 TH/s. Gross earnings differ little between the coins, but its share of the network differs enormously. That matters if you are considering solo mining, where you either get the whole block yourself or nothing.
| Coin | S21++ gross earnings per day | Share of network hashrate | Solo: one block on average every |
|---|---|---|---|
| BTC | CZK 197 | 0.00002% | about 90 years |
| BCH | CZK 190 | 0.008% | about 100 days |
| BSV | CZK 160 | 0.1% | about 7–8 days |
| XEC | CZK 209 | 0.7% | about 1 day |
Calculated at network hashrates as of 18 Oct 2026 and today's earnings per 1 TH/s, excluding electricity and fees. This is a statistical average – a block may come tomorrow or take three times as long. Electricity consumption is the same for all coins, so the profit calculation from our article Bitcoin mining applies in the same way.
The four main coins in brief
Bitcoin (BTC)
The largest and most liquid cryptocurrency, bought and sold on every exchange. Because of the network's huge hashrate, it is mined only in pools. For most miners it is the default choice.
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
A 2017 offshoot with larger blocks and low fees, focused on payments. Earnings per TH/s are almost the same as BTC today, and the coin is widely traded. It is the most common “second” SHA-256 coin.
Bitcoin SV (BSV)
A 2018 offshoot of Bitcoin Cash with no block size limit. It has the lowest earnings of the four, lower liquidity and suffered several 51% attacks in 2021. It is mined rather marginally.
eCash (XEC)
A 2020 offshoot of Bitcoin Cash (formerly BCHA) with Avalanche consensus and staking. The network is small, so even a single machine has a real chance of finding a block solo. However, part of the reward goes to development and staking, and it can only be mined in pools that explicitly support eCash.
Other SHA-256 coins
| Coin | What makes it special | For miners |
|---|---|---|
| Namecoin (NMC) | one of the oldest Bitcoin offshoots (2011), originally for decentralised .bit domains | mined alongside BTC (merged mining) as a small bonus in some pools |
| Syscoin (SYS) | a platform for tokens and smart contracts | also merged-mined with Bitcoin |
| DigiByte (DGB) | mined with several algorithms, SHA-256 is just one of them | low earnings, rather a marginal choice |
| Peercoin (PPC) | has combined proof of work and proof of stake since 2012 | small network and low liquidity |
What to watch out for with small SHA-256 coins
New SHA-256 coins keep appearing, and many of them have no official website, developers or community. With coins such as Litecoin Cash, Bitcoin Vault or Super Bitcoin, we have previously pointed out the negligible trading volume – you can mine them, but often you cannot sell them.
The second risk is network size. Where total hashrate is small, a single large miner is enough to rewrite history (a 51% attack). So before mining, check three things: which exchanges the coin trades on, what the daily volume is, and how many pools mine it.
Which SHA-256 coin to mine
- You want to be sure you can sell: Bitcoin. The highest liquidity, the most pools and wallets.
- You want to spread risk: put part of your hashrate on Bitcoin Cash. Earnings are similar and BCH is widely traded.
- You want to try solo with one machine: eCash, or possibly BSV. Expect lower liquidity and volatility.
Neither the miner firmware nor the machine settings change when you switch; only the pool address and payout address do.
What next
- Bitcoin miners (SHA-256) – machines that mine all the coins in this article.
- ASIC miner profitability – current earnings and payback for specific models, recalculated every hour.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Can I mine Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash at the same time?
Do I need to change firmware for a different SHA-256 coin?
Why does eCash have higher revenue per TH/s than Bitcoin?
Are Litecoin or Dogecoin also SHA-256?
This text was prepared with the help of AI. Facts, figures and procedures were checked by Yegor.
