Categories: Featured

Bitfury vs F2Pool vs Antpool

There are quite a few bitcoin mining pools in existence, all of which play a critical role when it comes to solidifying the bitcoin network. Antpool, Bitfury, and F2Pool are some of the more prominent mining pools, as they have all been around for quite some time now. What makes these three pools so intriguing is how they have taken different paths along the way, yet still manage to remain large players in the grand scheme of things.

3. Antpool

Most people are well aware of how the Antpool bitcoin mining pool is operated by Bitmain Tech Ltd. It makes a lot of sense for bitcoin mining hardware manufacturers to run their own pool, as they have easy access to additional hardware. Over the past few years, Antpool has tried to support bitcoin alternatives, including

Bitcoin Classic and Bitcoin Unlimited. It is evident this particular pool feels there is room for additional branches of bitcoin development, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Moreover, Bitmain also added Ethereum mining to Antpool in Q2 of 2016. This goes to show large bitcoin mining pools have their sights set on popular alternative cryptocurrencies as well. Antpool was first announced in November of 2014, with pool nodes around the world to reduce latency for miners. It is quite interesting to see such a long-standing pool jump through several hoops and still remain one of the largest in the world.

2. F2Pool

Another popular Chinese mining pool goes by the name of F2Pool, also known as Discus Fish.

Related Post
F2Pool is slightly older than Antpool, as the pool opened its doors to the public in May of 2013. As one would expect from one of the oldest pools, they are not just mining bitcoin. Other supported currencies include Litecoin, Zcash and Ethereum. F2Pool also offers merged mining, which has become somewhat of a novelty these days.

It is also worth nothing F2Pool has been signaling Bitcoin Classic for quite some time now. Even though very few of the pool’s overall blocks signal BIP109 these days, they were one of the few pools to give miners an active say in the Core vs Classic debacle. One thing is certain, though: F2Pool will never support Bitcoin Unlimited. In fact, the pool owner recently stated how “Bitcoin can’t and won’t fork”. A very strong statement that leaves little to the imagination.

1. Bitfury

As the name suggests, the Bitfury pool is operated by one of the world’s largest bitcoin mining hardware manufacturers. They operate a private mining pool, indicating it is not possible for regular miners to mine on the BitFury pool right now. That is not entirely surprising, although most bitcoin mining pools are designed to welcome users from all over the world. That said, BitFury still controls over 10% of the total bitcoin network hashrate.

It is evident Bitfury has no desire to support alternative bitcoin development solutions as of right now, they went as far as to claim that they would sue developers

if they implement a certain change. Bitfury has been loyal to Bitcoin Core over the years, and that situation will not change anytime soon. In fact, the pool recently mined a block signaling the activation of the user-activated soft fork. Actions like these may eventually get the ball rolling so we can end this scaling debate once and for all.

If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @themerklenews and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and technology news.

JP Buntinx

JP Buntinx is a FinTech and Bitcoin enthusiast living in Belgium. His passion for finance and technology made him one of the world's leading freelance Bitcoin writers, and he aims to achieve the same level of respect in the FinTech sector.

Share
Published by
JP Buntinx

Recent Posts

Best Altcoins to Invest in Today: Qubetics Sets the Stage for Blockchain’s Future as Bitcoin Hits $108K and Litecoin Soars

The cryptocurrency world has always been a hotbed of innovation, attracting both seasoned investors and…

8 hours ago

Dogecoin Millionaire Predicts This Undervalued Altcoin Could Match DOGE’s 2021 Gains

Dogecoin's 2021 rally was a historic one, turning ordinary investors into overnight millionaires. This magnificent…

9 hours ago

Qubetics Presale Skyrockets to $7.5M as XRP and Arbitrum Lead Best Altcoins for Exponential Returns

The crypto market is always evolving, with big names like Bitcoin and Ethereum leading the…

10 hours ago

Over 300K Users Actively Mine Crypto On BlockDAG’s X1 Miner App While BNB Bulls Eye $3K; What’s XRP’s Price Target?

The crypto market is ablaze with excitement as altcoins like XRP and BNB make major…

10 hours ago

Best Crypto Presale To Buy Now: Rollblock Delivers For Holders With New License, Record Sign Ups and 7000+ Games

Rollblock is quickly becoming the best crypto presale to buy, delivering unmatched value for its…

13 hours ago

Polkadot And Uniswap Gearing For Post-Christmas Jump As Rollblock Raises $7.4 Million in Presale

While Rollblock's continues its crypto presale, with its value increasing regularly, Polkadot (DOT) and Uniswap…

14 hours ago