How to mine Litecoin: The comprehensive guide

Litecoin (LTC) is one of the first altcoins (all cryptocurrencies except Bitcoin are called so). The creator of the project is Charles Lee, formerly worked in Google. He wanted to create a cheaper alternative to Bitcoin by lowering the transaction fees on the network. And for this was developed a new mining algorithm based on Bitcoin – Scrypt, the block formation time was reduced – to 2.5 minutes (against 10 for BTC), the emission increased – up to 84 million LTC (4 times more than BTC) and halvings became more rare.

In this review, I considere the current Litecoin mining methods, what you will need to mine Litecoin, and also compiled a step-by-step instruction on how to mine LTC.

What is Litecoin mining?

Litecoin mining is the process of creating and validating new blocks and adding them to the Litecoin blockchain.

How does Litecoin mining work?

In terms of its architecture, Litecoin is very close to Bitcoin, so mining and confirmation of blocks in both networks are almost the same.

Litecoin mining works like this:

Users fill a block in the network’s meme pool with transactions;
Miners use computing power to solve a cryptographic puzzle using the Scrypt mining algorithm;
A miner (or a group of miners) finds the correct block solution, confirms it and adds it to the blockchain;
The “miner” of the block receives 6.25 LTC as a reward;
Then the process repeats.

How difficult is it to mine Litecoin?

The difficulty of mining in the Litecoin network is growing every 2.5 days. Higher difficulty makes LTC mining less profitable (especially as total network hashrate grows).

Increasing mining difficulty have made solo mining LTC on a home farm unprofitable. Next, we will analyze the main ways of mining LTC and their features.

Types of Litecoin mining

There are several ways to mine Litecoin. Each of them provides a different level of profitability, depending on the equipment used and its total power, the total network hashrate, mining difficulty and consumables (mining equipment, electricity payment, etc.).

Litecoin solo mining

At the current level of hashrate of the Litecoin network, solo mining brings the smallest profit. Even if a solo miner uses high end equipment, he will not be able to achieve the income that other types of LTC mining can provide.

Litecoin pool mining

This type of mining involves users pooling their computing power, increasing the chances of finding a block. If the pool finds a new block, then the reward is divided among all participants. Pools provide the maximum profitability from LTC mining today.

Largest pools for LTC mining

When choosing a mining pool, you should pay attention to the following main parameters: pool size, supported algorithms and cryptocurrencies, fees, reward distribution methods, geographic location of servers, reputation and reviews.

Int the table below there is a list of major proven services that can provide high and stable earnings from Litecoin mining.

Name	Address	Pool fees	Foundation year
Binance Pool	https://pool.binance.com	3%	2020
AntPool	https://antpool.com	3%	2014
F2Pool	https://www.f2pool.com	4%	2013

Litecoin cloud mining

You don’t have to buy mining equipment for cloud mining. The user can simply uses the special services. The level of earnings in this type of mining directly depends on the amount of money spent on the purchase of mining slot for LTC, providing by cloud mining companies.

Often mining rewards are paid in Bitcoin, so read you contract attentively.

What do you need to mine Litecoin?

Let’s consider tools that will be required to start mining Litecoin.

Litecoin mining equipment

To mine LTC, you can either build a farm from several video cards or purchase ASIC equipment. Here is the list of top ASIC miners for mining Litecoin cryptocurrency:

Miner	Hashrate	Power consumption	Noise level	Approximate price
Bitmain Antminer L7 9050	9.1 Gh/s	3425 W	82 dB	$6500-7000
Innosilicon A+ LTC Master	2.2 Gh/s	2100 W	75 dB	$3500-4000
Goldshell LT5	2.05 Gh/s	2080 W	80 dB	$2000-2500
Bitmain Antminer L3++	596 Mh/s	800 W	70 dB	$500-1000

Litecoin mining software

To mine LTC with GPUs, you will need mining software. Choose a miner depending on features it offers and compatibility with the hardware. The main feature you should consider is the Scrypt algorithm support.

The most popular software miners for Litecoin:

Miner	Official website	Fees
EasyMiner	https://www.easyminer.net/	Free;
СGMiner (up to version 3.7.2)	https://cgminer .info/	Free;
BFGMiner	https://github.com /luke-jr/bfgminer	Free;
Awesome Miner	https://www.awesomeminer.com /	2.8%.

Please note that the latest versions of the CGMiner miner are only suitable for ASICs and doesn't support graphic processors (GPU). The last version you can download for Litecoin mining on GPU is СGMiner 3.7.2.

Litecoin wallet

To store mined coins, one should get a crypto wallet that supports the Litecoin blockchain.

How to mine Litecoin? Step-by-step guide

The Litecoin mining process consists of 5 main steps. Let’s take a look at each one.

Step 1: Buy Litecoin mining equipment

At the current hashrate level, mining profit can be obtained in two cases: using ASIC equipment or assembling a farm of several video cards. The second method is less profitable than ASIC mining.

Key points to consider at this stage:

GPU/ACIS purchase costs;
Payback period of mining equipment;
Electricity price in your area.

When choosing video cards, consider: hashrate, memory size, power consumption, cooling system type, warranty. When choosing ASICs, pay attention to: supported consensus algorithms (Scrypt for Litecoin), hashrate, power consumption, noise level.

Step 2: Set up a wallet to receive Litecoin

To receive mined coins, you will need to have a crypto wallet that works with the Litecoin blockchain. Download, install and set up any wallet supports LTC, and get an address for receiveing LTC. You’ll will need this address on the stage of setting up miner software.

Step 3: Install Litecoin mining software

The sequence of actions on this step depends on the type of mining:

For GPU: download the miner program → create a login and password → configure the program;
For ASICs: download the software, if it is not included in the equipment kit → connect the ASIC to the computer → install mining software, if necessary → create a login and password → configure the miner.

Step 4: Join the pool

This stage involves the following steps: find the port numbers and pool URLs → enter them in the miner interface.

LTC mining on Binance Pool — LTC Mining in Binance Pool

Step 5: Start mining

Go to the miner interface and start the LTC mining process.

After starting mining, you need to check the state internet connection and cooling system constantly. It is also important to control the state of connection to the blockchain. This information is shown in pools or miners interfaces. ASIC interfaces have the connection status indicators for this purpose.

Pros and cons of Litecoin mining

Litecoin is a coin from the TOP-10 by capitalization;

High block creation speed: 2.5 min (instead of 10 min in the Bitcoin network);

High supply - 84 million;

Halvings happen less often compare to other top coins;

An option of mining in pools and in the clouds;

Merged mining with other assets functioning on Scrypt.

Profitable mining is only possible when using expensive ASICs or powerful GPU farms;

Mining pools fees are high (up to 4% and higher).

Conclusion

Litecoin (LTC) is a popular alternative coin based on the Bitcoin blockchain. Despite the ever-increasing complexity of the network, LTC remains one of the best coin for mining.

To mine Litecoin, you will need: a farm of GPUs or ASICs, appropriate software, and a crypto wallet. Because of current complexity of the network, it is most profitable to mine Litecoin together with other miners by joining one of mining pools. But in this case, you’ll have to purchase equipment. Without buying your own equipment there is a way to mine LTC on rented capacities (“in the cloud”). Solo mining LTC is already unprofitable.

FAQ

Is Litecoin mining still profitable?

Yes. The recommended mining method is ASIC mining. Mining GPU can be profitable, but earnings will be significantly lower. It is no longer profitable to mine LTC alone, so you need to join a mining pool.

How much can I earn from mining LTC?

There are special services for getting such information - mining calculators. However, keep in mind that the result obtained is relevant only at the time of calculation.

For example, using a hashrate rig of 9500.00 MH/s, the profitability of LTC mining will be $0.51$ per day or $15.3 per month.

What is the best miner for Litecoin?

I recommend to choose one of the following miners: Bitmain Antminer L7 9050, Innosilicon A+ LTC Master, Goldshell LT5, Bitmain Antminer L3++.

How many LTC coins can I mine in a day?

Depends on the hardware used and the network hashrate your results may vary in wide range. For example, with a hash rate of 9500.00 MH/s, you can mine $0.56 per day.

Agatha Redich

Articles author, editor

Articles author and website editor. Works with texts for over 12 years. Among Agatha’s clients: Rossman, Zara, Bosch, ING Bank, Lexus and others. Crypto journalist since 2018. She wrote more than a hundred articles about cryptocurrencies and the crypto market. Agatha's professional credo is to reveal complex topics in an accessible and simple way.

Emil Rabin

Site expert

Cryptocurrency expert and financial analyst. Emil has working experience in Bain and KPMG, collaborated with PayPal and Revolut, organized more than 30 educational events about blockchain and cryptocurrencies in Eastern Europe. An expert of the TGDRatings.com portal since 2022.