Which Monero pools charge no fee at all, and what is the catch?

P2Pool is the clearest genuinely fee-free option for mining Monero: it takes no pool fee, and payouts go directly to your wallet. Its smaller-miner version, P2Pool Mini, also charges no pool fee; the catch is that you handle more setup yourself, and “zero pool fees” does not mean mining has no costs.

Which options really charge zero?

P2Pool is a decentralized mining pool. Instead of sending your work to one company that controls the payouts, you join other miners through a shared system that records everyone’s contributions.

P2Pool has:

• No pool operator fee.
• No withdrawal fee.
• No minimum withdrawal balance that you must reach before requesting payment.
• No operator holding your mining balance on your behalf.

P2Pool Mini uses the same approach but groups miners on a separate sharechain—a record of contributed mining work. It is designed to make participation more practical for lower-powered miners. It is not a different coin, and it does not make your computer produce more work.

Centralized pools sometimes advertise 0% fees, too. However, those offers can change, expire, or apply only to a particular payout method. Without checking their current terms, you should not treat an old “zero-fee pool” list as reliable for 2026.

What is the catch with P2Pool?

The main trade-off is convenience.

You normally need Monero mining software, P2Pool software, and access to a Monero node. A node is software that checks the network’s transactions and blocks. Running your own requires storage, internet traffic, and some maintenance. Using a remote node reduces some setup but adds reliance on someone else’s service.

Payments are also uneven. You earn eligible shares, which are proof that your computer contributed mining work. You receive a payout when the pool finds a Monero block while your shares qualify under its payout rules.

That means:

• A weak computer can wait a long time between qualifying shares.
• A qualifying share does not guarantee a payment before it expires.
• Mini can make shares more frequent for smaller miners, but payments still depend on luck.

P2Pool payouts are newly mined coins, so they remain locked for 60 blocks, roughly two hours on average.

Where can “free” still cost you?

A pool fee is only one part of your total cost.

Your mining software may have a developer donation that sends a small portion of mining time to its developers. For example, standard XMRig builds normally include a default donation. That is separate from P2Pool’s zero fee.

You also pay for electricity, cooling, and any extra equipment. Sending your earned XMR later normally requires a Monero network transaction fee.

For a centralized “0%” pool, check:

• Whether zero fees are permanent or promotional.
• Whether withdrawals carry charges or minimum balances.
• Whether inactive balances can be forfeited.
• Whether the operator clearly explains how the service is funded.

A free offer is not automatically a scam. But demands for a deposit to “unlock” mining earnings are a serious warning sign.

The bottom line

Choose P2Pool or P2Pool Mini if you want zero pool fees without trusting an operator to hold your earnings—and you accept the setup and irregular payments. If you mine through a browser service, check its separate charges: using a fee-free pool underneath does not automatically make the browser service free.