PPLNS
PPLNS is a payout scheme where the reward for a found block is split by each participant's part of the last N accepted shares.
What PPLNS is
The name stands for pay per last N shares. When the pool finds a block, it looks not at the whole history but at a window of the last N shares, and splits the reward in proportion to everyone's contribution to that window.
That gives the scheme its main trait: you only get paid when the pool finds blocks. In a lucky week payouts run above the estimate, in an unlucky one below. For someone with a couple of asics it means the daily payout wanders, and judging a pool by three days tells you nothing.
The second trait is built into the window itself. Join a pool an hour before it finds a block and your slice of the window is small, so the payout is too. Leave right after a block and you lose your slice of the next one. That is how the scheme punishes pool hopping and rewards people who mine in one place for months.
In return the pool charges less than with FPPS: it has shifted the risk of empty days onto the participants, so there is nobody left to insure. Over the long run a stable PPLNS pool usually pays slightly more than FPPS, precisely because of that difference.
The short version
| Stands for | pay per last N shares |
| When you get paid | only when the pool finds blocks |
| Who takes the risk | the participants, so the fee is lower |
| Who it does not suit | miners who switch pools often |
| Payout stability | wanders from week to week |
What this means in practice
Your first days on a new PPLNS pool will pay less than expected. That is not a scam, it is your slice of the window ramping up. The scheme reaches full strength once the window is filled with your shares.
Judge such a pool over at least a couple of weeks. Watch the luck figure in the pool stats: around one hundred percent over a long stretch is normal, a constant 80 is a reason to ask where the blocks are going.
If the asic runs in bursts, on in the evening, off in the morning, PPLNS will consistently underpay against FPPS: your slice of the window never has time to build. For an asic that only mines on a cheap night rate, FPPS is the fairer pick.
Example
An ASIC at 200 TH/s sits on a PPLNS pool without breaks. In a week with two found blocks the payout runs above average, in a week with none it is noticeably lower, and over a month the total converges to what FPPS would have paid, plus small savings on the fee.
Related terms
Where to go next on the site
Hardware
- Antminer S21 tool
- Antminer L7 tool
Coins
Numbers
Questions and answers
Why the first payouts on a new pool are small
Your slice of the last N shares window has not built up yet. That is how the scheme works, not a hold on your money. Within a day or two the slice reaches full size.
What luck means in pool stats
The ratio of found blocks to the calculated expectation. One hundred percent is the norm on average, swings in both directions over short stretches are routine.
PPLNS or FPPS
Mining without breaks on one pool for months: PPLNS will pay a bit more. Running the asic in bursts, or wanting smooth predictable income: FPPS.
Can a pool change the window size
It can, N is set by the operator. The window is usually tied to difficulty or to time. Check the pool's page, the ramp-up speed of your slice depends on it.
How the terms connect
Every link in the chain is clickable. Orange marks where you are now.
Looking for an ASIC miner
The catalog holds 212 models. You can compare them by hashrate and by joules per terahash, then plug your own rate into the calculator and see what stays in your pocket.
Page written and checked by Denys Klimchuk. Updated .