F2Pool Review: fees, KYC and how to sign up

// Review

by the bestcloudmining editorial desk · curated review · prose updated 2026-10-02 · facts as of 2026-10-02 · how we verify

Overview

F2Pool is one of Bitcoin's oldest pools (founded 2013) with a fully named operator - Fram Farm Inc., BVI company 2138445, which took over when f2pool merged with stakefish [5][6]. It is a pool only: its own site-wide banner disclaims any investment or cloud-mining product [2]. With a verified fee card, third-party rank data and a clean payout record, it is the best-documented pool on our list.

What you can rent

Nothing - you connect your own miners. The pool secures Bitcoin (FPPS 4% or PPLNS 2%, 0.005 BTC minimum payout), Litecoin PPS 4%, BCH PPS 3%, Kaspa PPLNS 1%, Zec PPS+ 3% and 20+ other PoW networks [1]. Live pool statistics publish network hashrate and price directly on the homepage [1]. There is no hashrate to rent, no contract to buy and no minimum purchase - this is infrastructure for miners who own hardware [2].

Contract & terms

The terms bind you to Fram Farm Inc. (British Virgin Islands, company 2138445), governed by BVI law with a single-arbitrator HKIAC arbitration in Hong Kong - and no class actions [3][5]. Restricted persons include OFAC/UK-sanctioned jurisdictions plus mainland China and Russia among the operator's chosen non-operating countries [4]. No KYC is required for pool signup - email or phone only [5]. The China mainland shutdown (announced for the end of 2021) is still documented on the about page [6].

Proof & verifiability

Everything material is checkable: live fee cards with network stats on the homepage [1], an independent block-explorer confirming rank three with 167 blocks in a week [7], a named registered entity [5], and a self-announced SOC 2 Type II certification [6]. The pool's transparency is strong enough that even its weaknesses are public - it admitted filtering transactions involving OFAC-sanctioned addresses (an admission still documented in news indexed under the same feed [10]), and its own site carries the 2021 China-exit notice [6]. Long-term miners report multi-BTC histories with daily payouts [8].

Reliability & history

Thirteen years of continuous operation, a merger-completed corporate structure, and third-party-verified uptime [5][7]. Recent news is leadership churn, not pool distress: co-founder Chun Wang stepped away in May 2026 to command a SpaceX Mars-flyby mission [8]; the pool joined the Stratum v2 Working Group and resolved the Litecoin MWEB chain split by mining all 13 blocks of a contested fork in April, per the news feed [9]. Criticism is ideological (inscription farming) or a calculator-versus-rewards gap complaint [8]; the OFAC-filtering admission is cited on the terms context [10]; no 2025-2026 sanctions coverage of the pool itself exists, and Reddit payout signals are uniformly positive [8].

Pricing

Bitcoin: FPPS 4% or PPLNS 2%, minimum payout 0.005 BTC [1]. Other coins: LTC PPS 4% (0.02 LTC min), BCH PPS 3% (0.01 min), KAS PPLNS 1% (100 min), ZEC PPS+ 3% (0.1 min) [1]. No KYC for pool signup [5]. The terms' BVI governing law and class-action waiver are the legal cost of using it [5]. There is no fee for signup and no contract term.

Verdict

F2Pool is the benchmark for how a mining pool should disclose itself: named entity, published per-coin fees, independent aliveness, explicit no-cloud disclaimer [1][2][7]. Use it for own-hardware mining with daily payouts; do not expect rentals, and read the jurisdiction exclusions if you mine from a restricted country [5].

// How to get started with F2Pool

Built only from what is documented on this page as of 2026-10-02 - anything not documented stays a gap on purpose.

1. Open the provider site

   Everything happens on f2pool.com - we count the click, nothing else changes for you.

2. No ID check documented

   KYC is documented as none as of 2026-10-02. Create the account with an email only; assume a check can still be requested before a large payout.

3. Pay

   Accepted: BTC, LTC, BCH, DOGE. Check the network and the deposit address inside your account, never from an email.

4. Read the term before you sign

   maintenance BTC FPPS 4.0% or PPLNS 2.0% (pool fee); no hardware/maintenance product. A term you did not read is money you cannot get back.

5. Verify the output, not the dashboard

   Proof is documented as partial - Pool hashrate, blocks and payouts are publicly observable and on-chain; SOC 2 Type II is self-announced (report not public). Compare the first payout with the pool or wallet before scaling up.

6. Know the exit

   Payout frequency: Daily payouts (configured BTC address; automatic). Threshold: 0.005 BTC (BTC card); per-coin thresholds on homepage.

Then run the math: mining calculator · contract vs. HODL · all hashrate market providers.

// Is F2Pool legit?

Short answer: Based on our checks as of 2026-10-02: F2Pool scores 7.5/10 in our weighted review. We logged 5 red flags (listed above). User reports and operator background are documented with dated sources in the meta-review below.

Status	active
Operator	Fram Farm Inc. (BVI company 2138445, Tortola) · HQ British Virgin Islands (high)
Founded	2013
Proof	partial
KYC	none

Red flags

• BVI governing law with class-action waiver (single-arbitrator HKIAC)
• Mainland China, Russia and OFAC/UK-sanctioned nations excluded
• 2023 admission of filtering OFAC-sanctioned transactions (censorship debate)
• Co-founder stepped away May 2026 (SpaceX Mars mission) - continuity watch
• Community calculator-vs-rewards gap complaint (unadjudicated single report)

What "legit" does not mean

A real, operating provider can still lose you money: with a contract you own no hardware, revenue follows coin price and difficulty, and most published contracts are priced so the seller comes out ahead. "Legit" means the operator exists and pays what its terms promise - not that the deal is profitable. 9 dated sources back this page; they are listed under sources.

// Alternatives to F2Pool

Same category, scored on the same criteria - so the comparison stays honest. Compare only in the same unit, and read the minimum, KYC and proof columns before switching.

// F2Pool FAQ

Is F2Pool legit?

Based on our checks as of 2026-10-02: F2Pool scores 7.5/10 in our weighted review. We logged 5 red flags (listed above). User reports and operator background are documented with dated sources in the meta-review below.