This post was originally published in [2021] and has been fully updated for 2026 with new data and tools.
When I first started mining, I kept asking myself: Does NiceHash have a referral program?
I wanted a way to share the platform with my friends and earn a little extra Bitcoin on the side. What I found was that the old ‘invite-a-friend’ link is gone, replaced by a much more powerful Partner Program
You can earn money by helping others earn money. Is this too good to be true, or is there some NOT nice stuff with this program?
NiceHash does have an affiliate program, but they don’t pay a lot, and there are high requirements for the affiliate program.
Keep reading, and I’ll share how NiceHash works, what the hack was all about, 3 pros and 5 cons to the platform, its main competition, and if it’s worth it.
⛏️ 2026 Mining Profit Estimator
Then vs. Now: Major Changes at NiceHash Since 2021
In 2021, NiceHash was all about mining Crypto.
I actually did this with Dogecoin and joined this pull and made money out of thin air.
In 2024, NiceHash shut down it’s built in exhange to be the largest hashrate marketplace. They are more strict on inactive accounts. So after 60 days, an account that is not active can have fees.
The good news is that they made it easy for miners to get their money out savely at tiny amounts.
The New NiceHash Partner Program: The 2026 KYC and Application Process Plus 2 Alternatives
They upgraded the referral program.
Instead of a referral commission, it’s a revenue share, meaning you get 15% flat rate commission on the fees NiceHash collects from miners you sent their way.
The problem is that you must be self-employed or a registered company to apply. The company reviews every application, and they have strict KYC (it’s like checking your Id’s, facial recognition).
They want partners who can bring in massive amounts of hash rates.
An easier program is Kryptex Affiliate Where you also get a percentage of the fees from miners you refer. However It’s easier to enter.
Another idea is Binance pool, which is a mining pool, but you also get fees from miners you refer, plus bonuses if they do trading. So you earn both ways!
What is NiceHash? A Beginner’s Guide to the World’s Largest Hashrate Marketplace
NiceHash is a program you can run on your Windows computer that allows you to rent out your computer power for others to use.
These other people would use your computer to mine other cryptocurrencies, and you get paid for doing this in Bitcoin.
You could say NiceHash is a broker between buyers and sellers of Hash Power (computer power).
For making it easy for people to participate in mining cryptos, NiceHash gets paid! You can also trade cryptocurrencies on the platform.
Is NiceHash Still Worth It? My Honest Review of Mining Profitability in 2026
When it comes to business, “you just need to spend less than you make.” The cost of mining is going to be your electricity.
If you go to the Nicehash website, they have a tool that automatically detects your system and gives you an estimate of your profit and electricity cost.
Mine wasn’t very good.
I’ll be making 1 penny a day.
However, that is if the price of Bitcoin stays the same. If the price of Bitcoin is 10x, then maybe I would make more money.
What is crazy about Bitcoin is that you can loan your Bitcoin and earn interest on it. There is even a way to do liquidity mining and earn even more money with your Bitcoin.
I created a post about all the different ways to earn with Bitcoin, and you can check it out HERE.
For 1 cent a day, it’s NOT worth it for me, but maybe you have a better computer, and your situation may be different. Also, Bitcoin will probably increase in price, so keep this in mind.
The Brutal Truth: NiceHash Pros and Cons After Years of Mining?
Let’s get the negative stuff out of the way first, ok?
One negative is that there was a LARGE hack on the website and 4,700 Bitcoins were stolen in December 2017. If someone stored Bitcoin on the website, their money was lost.
The good news is that NiceHash was able to repay ALL this amount to its users who lost money during this hack (but it took a lot of time to repay this). There is a controversy that the hack took place when Bitcoin was at its high, and NiceHack (oops, I mean Nicehash) could have made money at this.
Some people think that NiceHash sold the Bitcoin at the high and purchased the Bitcoin low to repay the stolen accounts (but nothing is proven).
If you are going to use NiceHash, just like any exchange, it’s probably best not to keep lots of crypto in the hot wallet.
It’s ok to keep some crypto on an exchange, but in “large” amounts, it’s better to keep it somewhere more secure, like a cold wallet (not connected to the Internet).
The second negative NiceHash is a middleman. This means you know NiceHash is going to take a percentage of the money you work for.
The third negative is that the program has a lousy referral system. You get 5% of the profits, and that is VERY small! They do have an affiliate program that pays 15%, but it’s VERY hard to get into.
The fourth negative is that there are fees for “everything.” There is a fee for withdrawing your money, transferring your money, buying hash power, selling hash power, and more. HERE is a link where you can find all the fees.
The fifth negative is that the program requires KYC to “know your customer,” and this is a BIG pain in the ass. KYC means you have to take many pictures of your ID, and it can take some time.
Let’s talk about some of the positive things about NiceHash.
The largest positive to this service is that they make mining crypto easy. It might just be the easiest way to start mining crypto, and this is a LARGE positive.
Some money is better than NO money, right?
The second positive is that the website is very user-friendly, and I like the way it looks.
The third positive is that they look like a solid company after the hack; they did repay everyone who lost money. Taking that kind of punch and doing the right thing is a BIG positive. They probably will be around for a while.
Understanding the 2026 Payouts: How the NiceHash Affiliate System Actually Works?
This company does have both an affiliate program and a referral program. The referral program accepts “anyone,” and you get paid 5% on the spent fee for each placed order for the person you referred.
So this would be 5% of what NiceHash earns, and it’s not a lot of money, but it’s better than nothing.
NiceHash also has an Affiliate Program where someone can earn MORE money. The problem with the affiliate program is that the requirements are VERY high.
You must have a large social media channel with over 200,000 followers. You should be able to bring in several thousand users a month into the platform.
By doing this, you will be rewarded 15% of the mining fees. Still, not a lot of money, but it’s better than 5%. Oh, and if you’re wondering what the mining fees are Here is a LINK that breaks it down.
When it comes to affiliate programs, I ONLY recommend programs I use, or they have to be VERY good products. I’m not sure NiceHash hits that bar for me, but with you, maybe it has.
NiceHash vs. The Field: Why I Think These 2 Mining Alternatives Could be Better
HoneyMiner WAS a competitor of NiceHash, but sadly, they closed down in October 2021. HoneyMiner was great because you were using your computer itself to mine crypto, and you kept more of the money.
Another competitor is going to be MinerGate, and this is just joining a pool to mine altcoins. The good thing about MinerGate is that the Affiliate Programs pay 65% instead of 5%.
That is a HUGE difference. There is the fine print, and when you start out, you will get paid 30%. After you have referred 10 people, you will get a 50% commission rate. Then, after 30 people, it jumps up to 65%.
Back in the days, I used to mine Dogecoin with a pool, and I made some GREAT money at it. Then the requirements outdid my computer, and I stopped.
Here is a post I made on how to mine DogeCoin. Maybe you have a computer that can handle this mining.
An easier program is Kryptex Affiliate Where you also get a percentage of the fees from miners you refer. However It’s easier to enter.
Another idea is Binance pool, which is a mining pool, but you also get fees from miners you refer, plus bonuses if they do trading. So you earn both ways!
Closing to the best NiceHash alternatives with referral programs!
When it comes to getting crypto passively, I found staking and liquidity mining to be the BEST and easiest ways to earn money. You can learn more about liquidity mining from the link HERE.
Of course, crypto is very risky.
It’s not a bad idea to diversify your income, and 1 idea is affiliate marketing.
What is so great about affiliate marketing is that you can do it anywhere, anytime, in nearly any niche, with a very low startup cost, and it’s a lot of fun.
I’ve been doing it for 15 years, and I’m giving away my system for FREE HERE.
NiceHash is a nice idea, but for me, it isn’t worth it, and maybe you’re in a different situation. I hope this blog post on whether NiceHash has a referral program was helpful to you. Bye for now.