Zcash Mining Rewards Surpass Bitcoin's on Per-Rig Basis

Zcash mining has become more attractive than Bitcoin mining on a per-machine and energy-use basis, according to data published by Grayscale Research. The report found that a typical ZEC mining rig generates close to twice the daily reward of a comparable Bitcoin machine.

The shift emerged as Zcash hashpower expanded sharply during 2026, increasing more than 2.5 times since January. This expansion coincided with rising block rewards and a brief window for existing miners to capitalize on increased revenue before network difficulty adjusted.

While Bitcoin remains far larger in absolute mining revenue, generating close to $35 million in rewards each day compared to Zcash's approximately $2 million, the current data indicates that Zcash provides higher gross revenue per rig and per megawatt-hour. This advantage is due in part to the distinct algorithms used by each network, SHA-256 for Bitcoin and Equihash for Zcash.