How to mine Litecoin
GUIDE · 10 MIN READ
How to mine Litecoin
Scrypt ASICs, mining pools, hashrate, profitability. The full 2026 picture — what equipment to pick, which pools to consider, what to expect in payouts, and how to receive them into self-custody.
Litecoin mining secures the Litecoin blockchain by solving scrypt proof-of-work puzzles. Miners who find valid blocks receive the block reward — 6.25 LTC per block as of 2026, halving to 3.125 LTC in August 2027. Practical Litecoin mining requires a scrypt ASIC (Antminer L7, Antminer L9, or equivalent); GPU and CPU mining are not profitable at current network difficulty. Miners typically join a mining pool to smooth out block luck and receive regular payouts. Payouts go directly to a Litecoin address — a Lite Wallet address works for users who want self-custody of mining rewards.
What is Litecoin mining?
Litecoin mining is the process by which new Litecoin blocks are created and new LTC enters circulation. Miners compete to find a valid proof-of-work — a nonce value that, combined with the block contents, produces a hash below the current network difficulty target. The first miner to find a valid block broadcasts it to the network; other nodes verify the solution, accept the block, and move on to the next puzzle. For this work, the winning miner receives two things: the fixed block reward (6.25 LTC today) and any transaction fees from the transactions included in the block. Mining serves two network functions: it creates new Litecoin supply according to the halving schedule, and it secures the chain against double-spending attacks by making it computationally expensive to rewrite history. The security budget of Litecoin — the dollar value of the hashrate dedicated to securing the chain — is essentially what keeps the network honest.
The scrypt algorithm
Scrypt is the proof-of-work algorithm Litecoin uses instead of Bitcoin's SHA-256. Charlie Lee chose scrypt because it is memory-hard — computing it requires not just CPU work but also significant RAM. The original intent was to make Litecoin mining resistant to dedicated ASIC hardware; a mining algorithm that demanded memory was thought to favor general-purpose CPUs and GPUs over specialized silicon. That intent did not fully hold. Scrypt ASICs emerged around 2014, initially from Alpha Technology and BW, then dominated by Bitmain's Antminer L3 series and later the L7 and L9. Today, Litecoin mining is firmly ASIC-dominated — the same economic pressure that specialized Bitcoin mining around SHA-256 ASICs specialized Litecoin around scrypt ASICs. CPU and GPU mining of Litecoin is no longer profitable. Scrypt is also used by Dogecoin, which merges mining with Litecoin — a process called merged mining, where a scrypt miner can earn both LTC and DOGE rewards simultaneously without additional hashrate. This effectively subsidizes Litecoin mining economics with DOGE revenue.
Mining hardware
Current scrypt ASIC options. Values are approximate and change with new model launches.
| Feature | Hardware | Hashrate | Power draw | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antminer L9 | ~17 GH/s | ~3,400 W | Current flagship | |
| Antminer L7 | ~9.5 GH/s | ~3,400 W | Widely available | |
| Goldshell LT6 / LT7 | ~3-6 GH/s | ~3,000-3,500 W | Smaller operations | |
| Older Antminer L3+ | ~504 MH/s | ~800 W | Not profitable at current difficulty | |
| GPU mining | Single-digit MH/s | 300-500 W | Not profitable | |
| CPU mining | Sub-MH/s | 50-100 W | Not profitable |
Antminer L9
Antminer L7
Goldshell LT6 / LT7
Older Antminer L3+
GPU mining
CPU mining
Mining pools
A mining pool combines the hashrate of many miners and shares block rewards proportionally. This smooths out the variance of solo mining — with an 11 GH/s miner running solo, you might find a block once every few months on average with high variance around that number. In a pool, you receive a steady stream of small payouts based on your contributed hashrate. Common payout schemes: PPS (pay-per-share — the pool takes on variance risk and pays you a fixed amount per share; highest fee); PPLNS (pay-per-last-N-shares — payouts depend on pool luck; lower fee); FPPS (full-pay-per-share — PPS plus transaction fees; most miner-favorable). Major Litecoin pools: F2Pool, ViaBTC, Litecoinpool, Binance Pool, and Antpool. Pool fees typically range from 1% to 4%. Many pools support both Litecoin and Dogecoin mining simultaneously through merged mining — you earn both in the same hashrate. For Litecoin specifically, check that the pool's Litecoin payout address option accepts arbitrary Litecoin addresses (it should) — that's where you enter your Lite Wallet address for self-custody payouts.
Setup walkthrough
Once you have the hardware, the setup takes an afternoon.
Unbox and power the ASIC
Scrypt ASICs typically need a dedicated 220V-240V circuit for their 3,000+ watt power draw. Some units run on 110V with reduced performance. Noise is significant (60-75 dB); a garage, basement, or dedicated space is usually required.
Connect to network
Ethernet cable into your router. The miner's built-in web interface (accessible at the IP address shown on its display) lets you configure settings.
Open the miner's web dashboard
Navigate to the miner's IP in your browser. Log in with default credentials (change them immediately). Find the 'Configuration' or 'Miner Configuration' page.
Enter pool credentials
Add your chosen pool's stratum URL (e.g., stratum+tcp://ltc.f2pool.com:3335). Enter your worker name, typically formatted as YOUR_LITECOIN_ADDRESS.WORKER_NAME where YOUR_LITECOIN_ADDRESS is a Lite Wallet address and WORKER_NAME is any identifier you like.
Save and start hashing
Save the configuration. The miner begins hashing and submitting shares to the pool. The pool dashboard will show your hashrate within minutes.
Verify payouts
After the pool's minimum payout threshold is reached (varies — typically 0.001 to 0.1 LTC), payouts automatically go to the Lite Wallet address used as your worker. Confirm receipt in your LiteWallet.
Profitability
Mining profitability is revenue minus costs. Revenue = hashrate × network LTC-per-GH-per-day × LTC price. Costs = electricity × power draw × hours per day + amortized hardware + operational overhead. A rough profitability calculation for an Antminer L9 in 2026: 17 GH/s hashing at network difficulty produces approximately 0.05-0.12 LTC per day (highly variable with difficulty and price). Power cost at $0.10/kWh for 3,400W running 24/7 = $8.16/day. At LTC prices above $100, the math typically favors mining; below $60, the margin thins significantly. Key variables: your electricity rate is the single biggest factor — profitable mining generally requires electricity at $0.06/kWh or below for new hardware, or significantly cheaper for older hardware. Climate matters — cooling costs add 10-30% to electricity in warm environments. Difficulty adjustments — if network hashrate spikes, difficulty follows and your LTC-per-day drops. Halving impact — after August 2027, revenue drops 50% in LTC terms unless offset by price or DOGE merged-mining income. For serious mining economics modeling, use a calculator like WhatToMine or NiceHash's profitability tool with your actual electricity rate and hardware.