NiceHash vs Mining Rig Rentals: Which Pays More Right Now?
Updated May 2026 · Rates refreshed 24 minutes ago
NiceHash and Mining Rig Rentals (MRR) are the two live hashpower marketplaces a miner can realistically point a rig at in 2026. Both pay in BTC, both cover the major algorithms, and both have long enough track records that they aren't going anywhere. They differ in how they pay — NiceHash is an order book that auto-matches, MRR is peer-to-peer contracts. On any given day one of the two pays more; this page tracks which.
Headline differences
| NiceHash | Mining Rig Rentals | |
|---|---|---|
| Business model | Order book · auto-matched | P2P · fixed-term contracts |
| Host fee | ~2% | 3% (renter-paid) |
| Payout | Every ~1 hour in BTC | End-of-contract BTC |
| Idle time | ~0% | ~55% |
| You set price? | No | Yes |
| Withdrawal min | 0.001 BTC | 0.0005 BTC |
| Algorithms covered | ~35 | ~60 |
Live rate comparison (top algorithms)
For each algorithm: NH's 24h paid rate vs MRR's recent clearing price (floor of actual rentals in the last period). Both in BTC / standard_hash_unit / day. The ★ marks who pays more per hash right now. Remember MRR's number is what rented rigs earn — ~55% of listed rigs sit idle, so the expected-value comparison shifts toward NH.
| Algorithm | NH 24h | MRR floor |
|---|---|---|
| Scrypt | 0.00000770684 | 0.00000891000 ★ |
| KHeavyHash | 0.00000307294 | 0.00000396000 ★ |
| NeoScrypt | 0.00000063011 | 0.00000320000 ★ |
| Sha256 | 0.00000049713 | 0.00000069000 ★ |
| RandomX | 0.00000037869 | 0.00000039500 ★ |
| KAWPOW | 0.00000007866 | 0.00000012128 ★ |
| Etchash | 0.00000000652 | 0.00000001320 ★ |
| Equihash | 0.00000000074 ★ | 0.00000000070 |
Why MRR's sticker price is misleading
MRR posts four prices per algo: suggested (MRR's own recommendation, nobody listens), asking (what sellers list at, rarely matched), lowest / floor (the cheapest live listing), and last_10 / recent (average of the last 10 actual rentals). The only two that reflect real market value are floor and recent. Don't compare NH's 24h paid rate to MRR's suggested — it'll look like MRR pays 2x when actual clearing is much closer.
Full breakdown in our MRR pricing guide.
MRR liquidity right now
Across all MRR listings for YespowerR16: 0 of 11 rigs are currently rented (0% utilization). Thin markets mean even a "high" recent-rent price translates to low expected income.
When NiceHash wins
- Common algos (SHA-256, Scrypt, KawPow) where buyers are always active.
- You want hourly payouts in BTC to stack sats.
- You don't want to manage contracts or think about pricing.
- Your rig is too small for MRR's typical contract minimums (most contracts are ≥ 1 TH).
When MRR wins
- Niche or new algorithms where buyer demand spikes occasionally (Etchash during a chain split, Kadena during a mempool surge).
- You have a large rig and can list a slice near the floor to accept marginal rentals on top of a NiceHash baseline.
- You want to set a reserve price and simply accept contracts above it.
Strategy: run both
Serious miners list on NH as their default income floor and keep a standing MRR listing at the current floor price. When a renter snipes the MRR listing at a premium, you switch that portion over; when the contract ends, you're back on NH. The two work together — don't treat it as either/or. Start with NiceHash and add MRR once your rig is profitable and you've got the operational headroom.
See this for your specific rig
Every rig on MiningBoard has a Market Hashrate tab showing today's NH vs MRR rates, the MRR spread, live liquidity, and the 30-day price chart — in dollars per day, not raw BTC. Start with the top rigs leaderboard or hit the Starting Miner wizard.