Is P2Pool better than SupportXMR?

P2Pool is better than SupportXMR if you want more control, no pool fee, and payouts without a pool holding your mining balance. SupportXMR is usually better if you want an easier setup and fewer things to maintain. If you mine only in a web browser, the first thing to check is whether your mining tool actually supports either option.

What makes P2Pool different?

A mining pool combines your computing work with work from other miners, giving you more frequent chances to earn Monero than mining alone.

P2Pool does this without a central operator holding everyone’s rewards. It uses a sharechain, a separate record of miners’ accepted work, to decide who gets paid when the group finds a Monero block.

With P2Pool, you get:

• No pool fee: P2Pool itself does not take a percentage of your rewards. Your mining software may have a separate developer donation.
• Direct payments: Your share of a block reward goes directly to your wallet.
• No withdrawal threshold: You do not wait for a balance to reach an operator’s minimum withdrawal amount.
• Less dependence on one operator: You help spread mining activity across a decentralized system.

“No withdrawal threshold” does not mean instant or guaranteed earnings. You still need qualifying work in the reward window when P2Pool finds a block. Those direct mining rewards also remain locked for 60 blocks—roughly two hours at Monero’s average block time.

Where SupportXMR is easier

SupportXMR is a conventional, centrally operated pool. You connect compatible mining software to its server, supply your wallet address, and let the pool handle the reward accounting.

That is simpler than running P2Pool yourself. A typical P2Pool setup involves running P2Pool software and connecting it to a Monero node—a program that checks and shares the blockchain, Monero’s transaction history. Running your own node adds storage, bandwidth, and maintenance needs.

SupportXMR handles more of that infrastructure for you. In exchange, you accept its pool fee, payout rules, and responsibility for holding unpaid balances. Check its current fee and payment threshold before you start, since those settings can change.

Your private wallet keys are not needed for either option. Treat any mining service asking for your wallet’s recovery phrase as a serious warning sign.

Which gives you better earnings?

P2Pool’s lack of a pool fee is an advantage, but it does not guarantee higher earnings over a short period.

Your results also depend on:

• Your hashrate, meaning how much mining work your device performs each second.
• Connection reliability and rejected work.
• Pool luck and how often blocks are found.
• Electricity costs and any extra node-running costs.

For a small miner, P2Pool mini can be a more suitable choice than its main sharechain, though payouts can still be uneven. A larger conventional pool may offer steadier credited rewards, but reaching its withdrawal threshold can take time.

Use a live mining calculator for estimates, not promises of exact daily income.

The bottom line

Choose P2Pool if you are comfortable maintaining the setup and value direct payments and decentralization. Choose SupportXMR if simplicity matters more to you than avoiding a pool fee.

For browser mining, verify compatibility and the actual payout arrangement first. Neither pool is automatically usable just because a website says it mines Monero.