Crypto mining in 2025: profitable or a pipe dream? The complete beginner's guide

Cryptocurrency mining, the mysterious process that breathes life into assets like Bitcoin, has long been seen as a digital gold rush. In 2025, with Bitcoin having flirted with the $120,000 mark, the question is no longer whether mining is a mere technical curiosity, but whether it still represents a viable investment opportunity. Is it still possible for a beginner to get started and turn a profit? And from an ethical and Islamic perspective, where does this activity stand?

This comprehensive guide dives into the heart of crypto mining in 2025 to answer these crucial questions: profitability, a practical guide, and an ethical perspective.

Mining in 2025: A Professional's Game

The short answer is no, mining Bitcoin at home with a personal computer is no longer profitable in 2025. The era of generating bitcoins with a simple graphics card is over. Today, mining is a highly competitive industry dominated by large-scale operations. Understanding why requires analyzing the key factors that dictate profitability.

The Key Variables of Profitability

Mining profitability is not an exact science, but a complex equation dependent on several interconnected factors.

Key Factor	Description	Impact on Profitability
Hardware Cost (ASIC)	ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) are machines designed exclusively for mining. Their cost has dropped by 80% since 2022, from ~$80 to ~$16 per terahash (TH/s) [1].	Positive, but obsolescence is rapid.
Electricity Cost	This is the most critical factor. Mining is extremely energy-intensive.	Negative. A cost above $0.05/kWh makes mining unprofitable for most setups.
Network Difficulty	The Bitcoin network adjusts so that a block is mined every 10 minutes. The more miners, the higher the difficulty, and the less each miner earns.	Negative. The difficulty is in a constant upward trend.
Bitcoin Price	The value of the reward is directly linked to the price of Bitcoin.	Volatile. A bull market increases profitability, a bear market destroys it.
Halving	Every four years, the mining reward is halved. The last one occurred in 2024, reducing the reward to 3.125 BTC per block.	Negative. Drastically reduces miners' revenues.

Case Study: The Harsh Reality of the Numbers

Let's take a concrete example based on data from October 2025 [2]:

Machine: A modern and efficient ASIC of 200 TH/s.
Gross Revenue: At a rate of ~$0.051 per day per TH/s, the machine generates about $10.20 per day.
Electricity Cost: This machine consumes about 7 kW. With an average residential rate of $0.15/kWh, the daily cost is $25.20 (7 kW * 24h * $0.15).

Result: A net loss of $15 per day.

This simple simulation demonstrates that without access to extremely cheap electricity (less than $0.05/kWh), small-scale mining is a loss-making enterprise.

The Ethical and Islamic Debate: Is Mining Halal?

The question of the compliance of mining with the principles of Islamic finance is complex and is the subject of debate among scholars. There is no clear consensus yet, but here are the main arguments.

Arguments in Favor of "Halal"

According to experts like those at Islamic Finance Guru [3], mining could be considered permissible in principle because it is a useful service. Mining performs two essential tasks:

Network Auditing: Miners validate transactions and secure the network against fraud. This is a legitimate and necessary job.
Effort and Skill: Mining is not a pure game of chance (Maysir). It requires a material investment, technical expertise, and computing power. Luck is a factor, but it is mitigated by effort.

Points of Concern ("Haram" or Doubtful)

Conversely, several major concerns are raised:

Energy Waste (Israf): The phenomenal energy consumption of Proof-of-Work (PoW) mining is difficult to justify from an ethical point of view, as it represents a considerable waste of resources.
Money Creation ex Nihilo: Some scholars consider that mining is akin to creating money from nothing, which is problematic in Islamic finance.
Validation of Haram Transactions: A miner could, without knowing it, validate a transaction related to illicit activities (although this point is complex, as the miner has no direct control over individual transactions).

Conclusion on Halal Status: The debate is not settled. In the absence of a clear consensus, the precautionary principle prevails. Muslims are advised to exercise caution and consult qualified scholars before engaging in mining.

Practical Guide for the Beginner in 2025

If despite the complexity, the idea of mining interests you, here is a realistic approach for 2025.

Step 1: Forget About Home Mining

As demonstrated above, costs and difficulty make this option obsolete. Your gaming PC or your old laptop will not earn you anything and will only increase your electricity bill.

Step 2: Explore More Viable Alternatives

With individual mining out of reach, exposure to mining is now done via specialized services.

Cloud Mining: You rent computing power from a company that owns and manages mining farms.
- Advantages: Simple, no hardware management.
- Disadvantages: Very risky, riddled with scams. Profitability is often low, if not negative, after deducting fees.
Hashrate Purchase on Marketplaces: Platforms like Lumerin allow you to buy computing power (hashrate) for a fixed period.
- Advantages: Flexible, no long-term commitment, allows for market timing strategies.
- Disadvantages: Requires a good understanding of the market to be profitable.

Step 3: Do Your Own Research (DYOR)

Before investing a single penny, use online profitability calculators. These tools allow you to enter the cost of hardware, the price of electricity, and the hashrate to estimate your potential earnings.

Recommended tools: ASICMinerValue, WhatToMine, NiceHash.

Conclusion: An Activity for Strategists and Industrialists

In 2025, cryptocurrency mining is no longer a passive activity for amateurs. It is a complex industry that rewards scale, efficiency, and access to low-cost energy. For individuals, profitability has become almost impossible, and the risks, especially in cloud mining, are immense.

From an ethical point of view, environmental concerns and the unresolved debate on its status in Islamic finance call for the utmost caution.

For the beginner, the best approach is not to mine, but to educate oneself. Understanding how mining works is essential to grasping the intrinsic value of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Direct investment in the asset, in an ethical and responsible manner, remains the most accessible and safest way to gain exposure to this revolution.

References

[1] Bitdeer. (2025, February 28). Is Bitcoin Mining Still Profitable in 2025? https://www.bitdeer.com/learn/is-bitcoin-mining-still-profitable-in-2025

[2] Lumerin Protocol. (2025, October 8). Bitcoin Mining Profitability in October 2025: Breaking Down the Numbers. Medium. https://medium.com/lumerin-blog/bitcoin-mining-profitability-in-october-2025-breaking-down-the-numbers-7f6579389bf4

[3] Khan, I. (2025, July 30). Is Bitcoin Mining Halal Or Haram? Islamic Finance Guru. https://www.islamicfinanceguru.com/articles/is-bitcoin-mining-halal