HeroMiners vs ViaBTC
HeroMiners and ViaBTC compared feature by feature: exchange-linked account mining versus a direct, anonymous GPU pool, and what each one mines.
The comparison at a glance
ViaBTC sits inside an exchange-linked platform; this pool is mining only. The table states verifiable structural facts and our own current numbers; read ViaBTC's live numbers from its own pages.
| Feature | HeroMiners | ViaBTC |
|---|---|---|
| Mines Pearl (PRL) | Yes | No, not on its coin list |
| Founded | Direct GPU pool | 2016, large account-based pool |
| Main focus | GPU coins, per-miner transparency | Bitcoin, Litecoin with Dogecoin, other majors |
| Sign-up | None. Your wallet address is the login | Account registration required |
| Custody | Non-custodial, straight to your wallet | Balances in the account, exchange-linked |
| Pearl fee | One flat fee, pool and solo alike, shown live on the pool statistics | Not applicable, Pearl not offered |
| Reward scheme | PROP | A choice of schemes on its major coins |
| Merged mining | modelOS (MDL) alongside Pearl | LTC with DOGE, a similar idea on other coins |
| Verification | Every payout checkable by transaction hash | Published stats, account-side balances |
ViaBTC's LTC plus DOGE merged mining is the same idea as our Pearl plus modelOS, on different coins.
Mining next to an exchange, or on its own
ViaBTC's ecosystem places mining, account balances and trading close together, which is convenient if you sell often. This pool keeps mining separate: coins land in a wallet only you control, and selling is your own later step. Neither is wrong; they are different answers to where your coins should sit.
Compare them fairly
If you mine a coin both pools support, read each pool's current fee, scheme options and minimums from its own pages on the same day. For Pearl, start from the short list of pools that actually mine it and compare within that list.