CGMiner

Open-source ASIC and FPGA Bitcoin miner. Archived by its developer in May 2020.

Archived 2020Open sourceASIC, FPGA
See alternatives ↗Last verified: 5 Nov 2026

FreeGPL-3.0
v4.11.1Last tagged version
ASIC, FPGAHardware
May 2020Repo archived
The short version

Is CGMiner still maintained?

No. Its developer, Con Kolivas, archived the official CGMiner repository on GitHub on 27 May 2020, so the project is read-only and gets no fixes or updates.

CGMiner is a multi-threaded, multi-pool miner for Bitcoin, written in C for ASIC and FPGA hardware and released under GPLv3. The source code is still on GitHub. Older 3.x builds were also used for scrypt mining on AMD GPUs. According to cgminer.info, an unofficial fan site, versions from 3.10 on work only with ASICs.

Bottom line: the code is still there, but nobody maintains it. If you use it, get it from the official GitHub repository rather than third-party download sites. For a maintained miner, compare options on our CGMiner alternatives page.

What it did

Key features

Multi-pool mining

It can work with several pools at once and fail over to a backup pool if one drops.

Stratum support

It speaks the Stratum protocol most pools use.

API and config files

You can monitor and control it through an API and keep settings in a config file.

ASIC and FPGA hardware

Recent versions target ASIC and FPGA miners. GPU mining belongs to old 3.x builds.

What it cost

CGMiner pricing

Option Price Status today
CGMiner source code Free Still on GitHub. Archived, read-only.
Old 3.x GPU builds Free Only on third-party sites. Not maintained.

CGMiner is free under GPLv3. Any fees come from the mining pool you connect to.

Honest fit

What still works, and what doesn't

Still works

  • Reading or building the source from the official GitHub repo
  • Running it on hardware that already works with it
  • Mining through pools that still support Stratum

No longer available

  • Bug fixes, security fixes or new hardware support
  • An official download site
  • Maintained GPU mining builds
What people ask

CGMiner FAQ

Is CGMiner still maintained?

No. The official GitHub repository was archived by its owner on 27 May 2020 and is read-only.

Is CGMiner free?

Yes. It is open source under GPLv3. Your mining pool may charge its own fee.

Does CGMiner support GPU mining?

Only old 3.x versions did. The current code is described as an ASIC and FPGA miner. cgminer.info says versions 3.10 and later are ASIC only.

Where can I download CGMiner safely?

From the official GitHub repository. cgminer.info says it is not an official site and serves Windows files from a third-party blog, so check any file before you run it.

Who made CGMiner?

Con Kolivas. He is an Australian programmer and owns the official repository.

What is the best CGMiner alternative?

A miner that is still updated for your hardware. Compare options on our CGMiner alternatives page.
Keep comparing

CGMiner alternatives