$/kWh
This category covers ASIC hardware for proof-of-work blockchains outside the main SHA-256, Scrypt, and Kaspa categories. The 89 models on offer span seven distinct algorithms: Blake2S (Kadena), Eaglesong (Nervos CKB), Blake2B and SHA3 hybrid (Handshake), Blake2B (Siacoin), Blake256 (Decred), Equihash (Zcash), and accelerators for RandomX (Monero CPU mining). Notable hardware in this category includes the Bitmain Antminer KA3 for Kadena, the Bitmain Antminer K7 for Nervos, the Goldshell HS Box for Handshake, and the Antminer Z15 Pro for Zcash. Some models support multiple algorithms within the same hardware family. For example, certain Blake-based ASICs can switch between Blake2B (Siacoin) and Blake2S (Kadena) to follow profitability shifts across networks. Buyers in this category typically have a specific coin in mind, whether for ideological reasons, geographic regulatory advantages, or simply because difficulty on smaller networks remains favourable for new entrants relative to Bitcoin or Litecoin. Every miner ships DDP and qualifies for hosting at MillionMiner's US facilities.
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Not every profitable mining opportunity has a dedicated category. The ASIC mining hardware market extends far beyond Bitcoin, Kaspa, and Litecoin — covering dozens of algorithms and coins, each with its own technology, community, and economic model. This section covers the rest: purpose-built ASIC miners for Zcash, Monero (XMR), Nervos CKB, Kadena, Handshake, Sia, Tari (XTM), Initverse (INI), and other specialised proof-of-work networks where dedicated silicon dramatically outperforms general-purpose hardware. If you're looking for something specific and can't find it above, this is where to look.
Algorithms Covered
10+
Equihash, RandomX, Eaglesong, Blake2b, HNS, CuckooCycle & more
Why Alt-ASICs?
Early network positions, lower hardware cost, diversified PoW income
Manufacturers
Bitmain, iPollo, Goldshell, Jasminer, A-Tech & more
Entry Points
Low
Many alt-ASICs cost a fraction of flagship BTC miners
A plain-English overview of each coin or algorithm in this section — what it is, what hardware mines it, and why it might belong in your operation.
Zcash pioneered zero-knowledge privacy on a mineable blockchain using zk-SNARKs — the same technology Aleo later built an entire smart contract platform around. ZEC uses Equihash, a memory-hard proof-of-work algorithm originally designed to be ASIC-resistant, but purpose-built Equihash ASICs (Bitmain Z15 series, iPollo V1 Mini) now dominate. Zcash has a fixed 21 million coin supply and a halving schedule similar to Bitcoin. Mining ZEC gives you exposure to the longest-running privacy coin in production, backed by the Electric Coin Company and a well-funded research team.
Monero is the gold standard of on-chain privacy — ring signatures, stealth addresses, and confidential transactions make XMR transactions genuinely untraceable. Crucially, the Monero community has repeatedly hard-forked the mining algorithm to break ASIC dominance, most recently adopting RandomX — an algorithm specifically designed to favour CPUs over custom silicon. Dedicated Monero ASICs exist (released briefly by Bitmain and others) but are quickly outpaced by each fork. If you stock XMR hardware, verify it is current-generation and compatible with the latest RandomX specification before purchase.
Nervos uses its own custom hash function — Eaglesong — designed specifically for ASIC mining from day one. CKB (Common Knowledge Base) is a layer-1 blockchain whose storage model makes it complementary to layer-2 networks like the Lightning Network and RGB++. The Nervos RGB++ protocol has driven significant developer and DeFi activity on CKB, making it one of the more interesting "infrastructure layer" PoW coins. Eaglesong ASICs from Bitmain (CK3, CK5) are purpose-built for CKB and offer reliable, predictable performance on a coin with a dedicated and growing ecosystem.
Kadena is a sharded PoW smart contract platform — one of very few blockchain projects that attempted to combine Proof-of-Work with a scalable multi-chain architecture well before Alephium. Its Chainweb consensus runs 20 chains in parallel, each producing blocks simultaneously using Blake2s hashing. KDA ASICs from Goldshell (KD-BOX, KD6 SE) and Bitmain (KD-MAX) are widely available and relatively affordable. KDA is a mid-cap speculative mining target — lower barrier to entry than Bitcoin, higher ceiling than many micro-cap alt-ASICs.
Handshake is a decentralised DNS root zone and certificate authority alternative — a genuinely novel PoW use case where miners secure ownership of top-level domain names rather than just currency transfers. HNS uses a hybrid Blake2b + SHA3 (SHA3d) algorithm, and dedicated ASICs from Goldshell (HS5, HS6) and iPollo (iSea) provide far superior hashrate to GPU mining. Handshake is a long-term infrastructure bet — its real-world utility beyond speculation is tangible in a way many altcoins cannot claim.
Sia is a decentralised cloud storage network where SC tokens are used to pay for storage contracts. Miners secure the Sia blockchain using Blake2b PoW — the same family of hash functions used by Handshake and Kadena, but with Sia's own implementation. Sia ASICs from Obelisk and the Antminer SC series (now largely absorbed into multi-algo machines) mine SC directly. For miners who want exposure to a genuine utility-driven blockchain with real paying users (decentralised storage demand), Sia offers an interesting differentiated thesis compared to pure currency coins.
Tari is a new layer-1 blockchain built by some of the same team behind Monero, focused on digital assets, gaming items, and NFTs with privacy guarantees. XTM uses a hybrid mining approach combining RandomX (Monero's CPU-friendly algorithm) with SHA3 — making it merge-mineable with Monero, meaning XMR miners can earn Tari simultaneously at no extra power cost. Tari is at an early stage — it launched mainnet in 2024 and purpose-built ASIC hardware is emerging. Early-stage positioning with merge-mining economics makes this one to watch closely.
Initverse is a newer proof-of-work network positioning itself as decentralised cloud infrastructure — compute, storage, and networking resources secured and incentivised through its IniPoW mining algorithm. Dedicated ASIC hardware for INI has emerged from smaller manufacturers targeting this early-stage network. The appeal for miners is the same as any early-era PoW coin: low network difficulty, meaningful per-machine network share, and speculative upside if the project gains traction. Verify hardware specifications carefully and check community channels for current network status before investing.
The case for alternative ASIC mining is not that these coins are better than Bitcoin — it is that they offer a different risk-reward profile. Bitcoin mining is the most competitive, capital-intensive, and margin-compressed mining market in the world. Alt-ASIC networks are smaller, less competitive, and often at earlier stages of their ASIC adoption curve. This means more network share per machine, lower hardware acquisition costs, and asymmetric upside if the coin appreciates.
The classic alt-ASIC strategy is early positioning: identify a PoW network with genuine utility or community, acquire hardware before institutional capital arrives, and hold accumulated coins through price discovery. The risks are real — smaller coins are more volatile, ASIC hardware depreciates faster, and some projects fail outright. But miners who held Kaspa ASICs through 2022 and 2023 experienced this dynamic first-hand on the upside.
The practical approach: use Bitcoin ASICs as your operational base (predictable revenue, deepest liquidity, most proven technology) and allocate a portion of capital to one or two alt-ASIC positions where you have genuine conviction in the underlying project. This is how the most sophisticated mining operations run their hardware portfolios.
Deepest liquidity, most proven, lowest volatility, most competitive margins. The bedrock.
Established coins, mature ASIC markets, decent liquidity. Good balance of stability and upside.
Growing ecosystems, active development, meaningful ASIC markets. Higher upside, higher volatility.
Early-stage networks, limited liquidity, hardware risk. High potential, real possibility of zero.
Most professional operations anchor with Bitcoin, then layer 1–2 growth or speculative positions based on available capital and conviction in specific projects.
A fast-reference summary of every algorithm and coin in this section.
Alt-ASIC purchases require more due diligence than flagship Bitcoin miners. Four questions to answer before any purchase.
Some communities (most notably Monero) have a strong ideological commitment to ASIC resistance and will fork the algorithm to break new hardware. Before buying any alt-ASIC, check the coin's governance history and community stance on ASICs. Coins like Nervos (Eaglesong was designed FOR ASICs) and Zcash (pragmatically ASIC-tolerant) are far safer hardware investments than coins that have forked before.
Small networks can have their difficulty double in a matter of weeks if a single large manufacturer ships a batch of hardware. Always check the historical difficulty chart for your target coin before purchasing. A network where difficulty has grown 10× in the past year is a very different proposition from one where it has been stable. Current profitability at flat difficulty tells you almost nothing about profitability in 6 months.
Mining a coin that is not listed on any major exchange — or only on thin, low-volume markets — creates serious exit problems. Even if your hardware mines efficiently, earned coins have no value if you cannot sell them. Before buying any alt-ASIC, verify the coin is listed on at least one reputable exchange with meaningful daily trading volume. For newer coins (Tari, INI), check whether mainnet tokens are yet tradeable or whether you are accumulating pre-market coins with uncertain listing timelines.
The alt-ASIC space has more hardware manufacturers than Bitcoin mining, and not all of them have the track record of Bitmain or MicroBT. Goldshell, iPollo, and Jasminer are well-established with real support infrastructure. Smaller or newer manufacturers targeting niche coins should be evaluated carefully: check community forums for reviews, verify the company has shipped previous hardware successfully, and be cautious of pre-orders for machines from unknown vendors with no delivery history. We only stock hardware from manufacturers we have verified and worked with directly.
Common questions about alternative ASIC mining hardware.
Browse the hardware listed above or contact our team directly. We stock more than what's always visible on the site, and we can source specific machines on request. Tell us what you want to mine and we'll point you to the right hardware — honestly, not just whatever has the highest margin.
