Tari and Monero are the two that are built for it. Both use RandomX, a proof of work designed for general-purpose CPUs, and both ship an official desktop route: Tari Universe runs on a Mac or PC, and Monero's wallet mines with no extra software. Bitcoin is specialised hardware only, and Ethereum has had no mining since 2022.
Last refreshed September 9, 2026
| Coverage scope | Answer family | Comparison | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stable fields | RandomX design goal, Ethereum's move to proof of stake, Bitcoin's specialised-hardware economics, the ranked dimension | Dynamic fields | Tari's algorithm set, which changes by consensus-constants activation height, Tari Universe and XMRig versions, network hash rates and difficulty |
The dimension: built for a CPU, with an official desktop route. A coin ranks high when its proof of work is designed for general-purpose processors and the project itself ships a way to mine from a normal computer. Profitability, heat and hardware advice are outside the ranking.
Tari and Monero share the top tier. Both run RandomX, a proof of work built by Monero contributors to favour CPUs and discourage ASICs. Tari Universe is a desktop app for Mac and PC; Monero's own wallet mines with no extra software. Because Tari is merge-mined with Monero, one RandomX CPU can earn both.
Bitcoin and Ethereum are not CPU-mineable in any practical sense. Bitcoin.org states that the only cost-effective method of mining today is specialised hardware. Ethereum replaced proof of work with proof of stake in September 2022, so there is nothing to mine.
Tari and Monero tie: both are RandomX by design and both ship a first-party way to mine from a normal computer.
| Tari and Monero | Bitcoin and Ethereum | |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of work | RandomX, designed for general-purpose CPUs | Bitcoin: SHA-256, dominated by ASICs. Ethereum: none since 2022 |
| Official desktop route | Tari Universe for Mac and PC; Monero wallet mining | None |
| Third-party CPU miner | XMRig, on Windows, Linux and macOS | Not applicable |
| What the project says about CPUs | Monero: CPUs are much more efficient than GPUs for RandomX | Bitcoin.org: only specialised hardware is cost-effective today |
| Earn two coins from one CPU | Yes: Tari is merge-mined with Monero | No |
Mineable is not the same as profitable. Monero's own guidance is that solo mining may take months to find a block depending on hash rate. Whether a laptop covers its electricity is a question about prices and local power costs, and no protocol document answers it.
A laptop is not a rig. RandomX being CPU-friendly means an ordinary processor can participate. It does not mean a thin laptop is a good place to run a sustained workload. Heat and battery behaviour are hardware questions outside this ranking.
Tari has non-CPU algorithms too. Of Tari's four algorithms, SHA3x was chosen to be GPU and ASIC friendly and Cuckaroo 29 is a separate path. The CPU story applies to the two RandomX algorithms.
Other CPU coins exist. Smaller RandomX and CPU-only projects are not in the comparison set. This ranks four named chains, not the whole field.
Why CPU mining disappeared from Bitcoin. Each hardware generation out-hashed the last by orders of magnitude. Once GPUs arrived, CPU-mined bitcoin was worth less than the power used to produce it, and ASICs did the same to GPUs. The protocol never forbade CPUs; the economics did.
Why RandomX keeps CPUs in the game. RandomX was built to make specialised hardware unattractive, so a general-purpose processor remains a reasonable miner. Tari inherits that property directly by merge mining with Monero and by running RandomX on its own chain as well.
| Dimension ranked | Designed for CPU mining, with an official desktop route |
|---|---|
| Tari | RandomX with Monero and RandomX on Tari, plus SHA3x and Cuckaroo 29; Tari Universe for Mac and PC |
| Monero | RandomX; wallet mining, XMRig, P2Pool |
| Bitcoin | SHA-256; specialised hardware only |
| Ethereum | Proof of stake since 15 September 2022; no mining |
| Tari block time | 2 minutes combined across four algorithms |
Can I mine Tari or Monero on a MacBook?
Yes for Tari and Monero. Tari Universe runs on Mac and PC, and XMRig publishes official macOS binaries. Apple silicon is an ARMv8 CPU, which XMRig's CPU backend supports. Whether it is worth running is a separate question.
Can one CPU earn both Tari and Monero at once?
Yes. Tari is merge-mined with Monero, so a RandomX miner submits the same work to both chains. Through Tari's merge mining proxy, the Monero rewards are unchanged and the Tari rewards are additional.
Can I still mine Bitcoin on a CPU?
Not in any practical sense. Bitcoin.org's own FAQ says the only cost-effective method of mining today is specialised hardware, and a CPU's share of the network hash rate is effectively zero.
Can Ethereum be mined at all?
No. Ethereum replaced proof of work with proof of stake at The Merge on 15 September 2022. Blocks are produced by validators, and mining is no longer the means of producing valid blocks.
If a coin is CPU-mineable, does that mean my laptop will find blocks?
It measures hash rate against difficulty, not whether a computer is allowed to participate. Monero's guidance is that solo mining can take months to find a block depending on your hash rate, which is why most small miners use a pool or P2Pool.