Xmr-pool-choice is an open-source toolkit for miners who want to pick a Monero (XMR) mining pool based on network latency and how decentralized the pool is. It suits people who already mine Monero and want a more informed choice of pool rather than defaulting to the first one they find. Because the project has had no code updates since January 2021, treat it as a reference tool rather than actively maintained software.
Beyond choosing a pool, the project ships a JSON database of recently accepted pool names, mining addresses and live statistics endpoints. That makes it a useful starting point for building your own comparison scripts or checking which pools are currently active. Its listed platforms include Windows, macOS and Linux, although Windows support is not verified in the project's own testing notes.
What Is a Monero Mining Pool and Why Choose One?
A mining pool combines the hashing power of many miners and shares the block reward among them in proportion to the work each contributes. For a miner with a modest CPU or GPU, solo mining can take a very long time to produce a block, so pooling smooths out income into smaller, more frequent payments.
Monero's mining community has many pools spread across the world. Each one differs in server location, uptime, fee policy and how transparently it reports its statistics. Choosing among them is therefore a real decision rather than a formality.
How Latency and Decentralization Affect Your Mining
Latency is the time it takes for your miner to communicate with the pool's server. High latency means your shares may arrive late, and work on a stale block can be wasted. A pool that is geographically close to you usually responds faster, which is why the tool measures it.
Decentralization describes how much control any single operator has over the network's hashrate. When a large share of Monero's hashing power sits with one pool, that pool gains more influence over the network. Many miners therefore prefer pools with a smaller share, even if they are not the absolute fastest.
Who Benefits Most from a Pool Comparison Tool?
Xmr-pool-choice is most useful for miners who already run Monero software and want a structured way to evaluate pool options. A home miner running a few machines might use it once every few months to check whether a different pool is now a better fit.
It is less useful for someone who has never mined before. Such a person would benefit more from first learning how mining software, wallets and pool accounts work together, then using a selector to refine an existing setup.
Key features
Expected payout estimates
Regional pool filtering
Bundled dependencies
Supported coins
The project's documentation refers to Monero (XMR) as the network it is designed for. The tool is built around choosing Monero pools and does not cover other coins.
How to install Xmr-pool-choice on Windows
- 1
Download the source code
The project is hosted on GitHub. Visit the repository page at github.com/timekelp/xmr-pool-choice and obtain the code from there. Avoid copies from unknown sites, and download only from the official repository.
- 2
Prepare Python
The tool is written in Python. Install a current Python 3 release from python.org if you do not already have one, and make sure Python is added to your PATH during installation so you can run it from a terminal.
- 3
Install the required packages
The project's documentation lists package installation commands for a fresh Linux system. On Windows, you can use pip from a command prompt to install any packages the project depends on, following the instructions in the repository's README.
- 4
Verify the download
Before running any downloaded files, check the integrity of the archive against a published SHA-256 hash or signature if the project provides one. If no checksum is available, review the source code yourself or compare it with the repository's commit history.
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Run the tool
Open a terminal in the project folder and start the script using Python. Review the output and make sure it matches what you expect before using it to change any mining configuration.
System requirements
- Python 3 installed on the system
- A terminal or command prompt for running the script
- An internet connection to reach pool statistics endpoints
How to use Xmr-pool-choice
Xmr-pool-choice is a command-line tool, so the workflow is straightforward once the code is in place. The general approach is to run the script, specify the region you want, and review the list of pools it returns.
A typical session looks like this:
- Open a terminal in the project folder.
- Run the script with Python.
- Choose a region if you want to limit the results.
- Review the latency, decentralization and estimated block figures for each pool.
- Compare the top candidates against their official pool pages.
- Update your mining software configuration with the pool address you select.
- Monitor your first few hours to confirm the connection is stable.
Pros & cons
- Open source, so the logic can be read and checked
- Compares pools on latency and decentralization, not just one metric
- Includes a JSON database of pool names, addresses and statistics endpoints
- Requires no payment
- No code updates since January 2021
- Windows support is not verified by the project
- Covers Monero only
- Command-line interface may be unfamiliar to some users
Is Xmr-pool-choice safe?
Download Xmr-pool-choice only from the official GitHub repository. Because the project has not been updated since 2021, review the code before running it, and check whether the pool addresses in its database still respond. Verify any published SHA-256 checksum or signature before running an archive.
Mining software is frequently flagged by antivirus programs, sometimes because mining behavior resembles malicious activity. If that happens, check the file carefully rather than disabling your protection entirely. Never enter a seed phrase or wallet key into a third-party website or tool, and make sure the wallet address you configure is your own.
- Official source only. Download from github.com/timekelp/xmr-pool-choice. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
Xmr-pool-choice differs from full mining programs such as XMRig or NBMiner, which perform the actual hashing. Its role is narrower: helping you decide which pool to point those miners at. In that sense it complements mining software rather than replacing it.
Compared with simply picking the pool at the top of a list, the tool adds structure by weighing latency and decentralization together. If you want an actively maintained miner with its own pool-switching features, XMRig MO is a related option, though it works differently from a selector.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- —
- Latest version
- —
- Last update
- 7 Jan 2021
- Windows support
- Unverified (Windows mentioned in docs)
- Source code
- github.com/timekelp/xmr-pool-choice
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Xmr-pool-choice is open source and listed as free. You obtain it from the project's GitHub repository, and there is no paid version mentioned in the project's information.
No. The tool helps you choose a pool and does not perform hashing. You still need a separate mining program, such as XMRig, to produce work and submit shares to the pool you select.
The project's documentation refers to Monero (XMR) only. It is built around Monero pools, so it is not intended for choosing pools for other cryptocurrencies.
Windows is listed among the platforms, but the project has not verified support for it. The tool is written in Python, so it can usually run where Python is installed, but you should test it yourself before relying on it.
The code remains readable and the database offers a starting point for research. However, pool addresses and statistics endpoints change over time, so verify each result against the pool's current official page before acting on it.
It is an estimate of how many blocks a pool finds on average each day, which helps you gauge how often payouts might arrive. It is not a guaranteed income figure, because your own hashrate and the network's difficulty also matter.
Yes. The tool allows you to limit results to a chosen region, which can help you favor servers close to your location and keep latency lower.
Verdict
Xmr-pool-choice suits Monero miners who want a clear, transparent way to compare pools on latency and decentralization. Its open-source code and bundled pool database make it a practical reference, but the lack of updates since 2021 and unverified Windows support mean it should be used with caution and checked against current pool information. Beginners may find it more useful after they have a working mining setup.