Avalon Nano 3 vs Bitaxe: Two Philosophies for Home Bitcoin Mining
The home mining space has never had more options. Two of the most popular choices sitting on desks and shelves right now are Canaan’s Avalon Nano 3 and the Bitaxe open-source miner family. Both are compact, WiFi-connected, low-power Bitcoin miners designed for your home. Both let you point SHA-256 hash power at the Bitcoin network from your desk, your bookshelf, or your nightstand. And both are available right now from D-Central Technologies, shipped from our warehouse in Laval, Quebec.
But they are fundamentally different machines built on fundamentally different philosophies. The Avalon Nano 3 is a polished consumer product from Canaan, one of the oldest ASIC manufacturers in the world. The Bitaxe is an open-source hardware project born from the cypherpunk community, with multiple variants at different price and performance tiers. Choosing between them means choosing what matters most to you: raw hashrate per dollar, open-source freedom, efficiency, expandability, or simplicity.
D-Central stocks both. We have no reason to push you toward one over the other. This guide exists to give you the data you need to make the right call for your setup, your budget, and your values. Let’s break it down.
For a complete overview of the Bitaxe lineup, visit our Bitaxe Hub.
What Is the Avalon Nano 3?
The Avalon Nano 3 is Canaan’s compact home miner — a consumer-facing device from the company that manufactures the Avalon industrial ASIC lineup. Canaan has been in the Bitcoin mining game since 2013, making them one of the oldest players in the ASIC manufacturing space alongside Bitmain and MicroBT.
The Nano 3 packs approximately 3 TH/s of SHA-256 hashing power into a small, clean box form factor. It draws roughly 60W of power and connects to your network over WiFi. At $239.99 CAD from D-Central, it represents one of the most affordable ways to get multi-terahash solo mining running in your home.
The device runs Canaan’s proprietary firmware and is managed through the Canaan companion app. Setup is straightforward: plug it in, connect to WiFi through the app, enter your mining pool or solo mining configuration, and it starts hashing. The Nano 3 operates at around 35 dB — audible in a quiet room but far from disruptive. Think of it as a background hum, roughly equivalent to a quiet desktop fan.
For the buyer who wants a simple, single-device home miner with meaningful hashrate out of the box, the Avalon Nano 3 delivers exactly that. No assembly, no tinkering, no firmware decisions. Power on and mine.
What Is the Bitaxe?
The Bitaxe is not a single product — it is an ecosystem. Created by skot9000 and the open-source mining hardware community, Bitaxe is the world’s first fully open-source Bitcoin ASIC miner. Every schematic, every PCB layout, every line of the AxeOS firmware is published openly for anyone to audit, build, modify, and improve.
The Bitaxe family includes multiple variants, each using different Bitmain ASIC chips at different performance and efficiency points:
- Bitaxe Supra — Single BM1368 chip, ~500 GH/s, ~15W. The best-value entry point.
- Bitaxe GT — Single BM1370 chip, ~1.2 TH/s, ~20W. Best-in-class efficiency.
- Bitaxe Hex — Six BM1366 chips, ~3 TH/s, ~90W. The multi-chip powerhouse.
All Bitaxe devices connect via WiFi and are managed through the AxeOS web interface — a clean dashboard accessible from any browser on your local network. Firmware updates happen over the air. Solo mining against public solo pools is the default configuration, meaning every hash you compute is your own shot at the full 3.125 BTC block reward.
D-Central Technologies is a pioneer in the Bitaxe ecosystem. We created the original Bitaxe Mesh Stand — the first purpose-built mounting solution. We developed custom heatsinks for Bitaxe and the Bitaxe Hex heatsink. We stock every variant, every accessory, every power supply. Our ASIC repair technicians work with the same Bitmain chips daily in industrial machines — that expertise is soldered into every unit we ship.
Head-to-Head Comparison: Avalon Nano 3 vs Bitaxe
Here is the full specification breakdown. We are comparing the Avalon Nano 3 against the three Bitaxe variants most relevant to this matchup: the Supra (cheapest entry), the GT (efficiency king), and the Hex (hashrate competitor).
Avalon Nano 3 vs Bitaxe — Complete Specifications
| Specification | Avalon Nano 3 | Bitaxe Supra | Bitaxe GT | Bitaxe Hex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Canaan (China) | Community + D-Central | Community + D-Central | Community + D-Central |
| Hashrate | ~3 TH/s | ~500 GH/s | ~1.2 TH/s | ~3 TH/s |
| Power Draw | ~60W | ~15W | ~20W | ~90W |
| Efficiency | ~20 J/TH | ~30 J/TH | ~17 J/TH | ~30 J/TH |
| Noise Level | ~35 dB | <25 dB | <25 dB | ~35 dB |
| Price (CAD) | $239.99 | $189.99 | $319.99 | $499.99 |
| Open Source | No (proprietary) | Yes — fully | Yes — fully | Yes — fully |
| Firmware | Canaan proprietary | AxeOS (open-source) | AxeOS (open-source) | AxeOS (open-source) |
| Connectivity | WiFi | WiFi | WiFi | WiFi |
| Form Factor | Small box (~palm-sized) | Credit card PCB | Credit card PCB | Larger multi-chip PCB |
| Power Input | Barrel jack (12V) | 5V barrel jack / USB-C | 12V XT30 | 12V XT30 |
| Management UI | Canaan app | AxeOS web dashboard | AxeOS web dashboard | AxeOS web dashboard |
| Accessory Ecosystem | Limited | Extensive | Extensive | Extensive |
All devices ship from D-Central in Laval, Quebec | Bitcoin accepted | Canadian warranty included
Performance Analysis: Hashrate Per Dollar and Hashrate Per Watt
Raw specs only tell part of the story. What matters for a home miner is how much hash power you get for your money and how much hash power you get per watt of electricity. These two metrics determine the economics of your mining setup.
Hashrate Per Dollar (Cost Efficiency)
| Device | Hashrate | Price (CAD) | GH/s per Dollar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalon Nano 3 | 3,000 GH/s | $239.99 | 12.50 GH/s/$ |
| Bitaxe Supra | 500 GH/s | $189.99 | 2.63 GH/s/$ |
| Bitaxe GT | 1,200 GH/s | $319.99 | 3.75 GH/s/$ |
| Bitaxe Hex | 3,000 GH/s | $499.99 | 6.00 GH/s/$ |
On pure hashrate-per-dollar, the Avalon Nano 3 wins decisively. At 12.50 GH/s per dollar, it delivers roughly double the hash-per-dollar of the Bitaxe Hex and nearly five times that of the Bitaxe Supra. If your primary goal is maximizing the number of hashes you throw at the Bitcoin network for the lowest upfront cost, the Nano 3 is the clear leader in this group.
Hashrate Per Watt (Energy Efficiency)
| Device | Hashrate | Power | Efficiency (J/TH) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitaxe GT | 1.2 TH/s | ~20W | ~17 J/TH |
| Avalon Nano 3 | 3.0 TH/s | ~60W | ~20 J/TH |
| Bitaxe Supra | 0.5 TH/s | ~15W | ~30 J/TH |
| Bitaxe Hex | 3.0 TH/s | ~90W | ~30 J/TH |
The efficiency picture tells a different story. The Bitaxe GT leads the pack at approximately 17 J/TH, thanks to its BM1370 chip — the latest generation silicon from Bitmain’s S21 lineup. The Avalon Nano 3 is close behind at 20 J/TH, which is respectable. Both the Bitaxe Supra and Hex sit at roughly 30 J/TH, trading efficiency for either low cost (Supra) or raw hashrate (Hex).
For home miners paying Canadian electricity rates — anywhere from $0.06 to $0.15 per kWh depending on province — the power draw differences are measurable but not massive in dollar terms. A Bitaxe Supra at 15W costs about $1.00 CAD per month in electricity at $0.10/kWh. The Avalon Nano 3 at 60W costs roughly $4.40 CAD per month. The Hex at 90W comes in around $6.50 CAD per month. None of these will move the needle on your power bill.
Software and Firmware: Canaan App vs AxeOS
The day-to-day experience of running these miners is shaped primarily by their software interfaces.
Avalon Nano 3: Canaan App
The Avalon Nano 3 is managed through Canaan’s companion mobile app. Setup involves scanning a QR code, connecting the device to your WiFi network, and configuring your mining pool. The interface is clean and consumer-oriented — hashrate, temperature, uptime, and basic pool settings are all visible at a glance. However, advanced configuration options are limited. You are working within the boundaries Canaan has set. Firmware updates come from Canaan when they choose to release them.
Bitaxe Family: AxeOS Web Dashboard
Every Bitaxe device runs AxeOS, an open-source web-based firmware that presents a dashboard accessible from any browser on your local network. Simply navigate to the device’s IP address and you get full control: hashrate monitoring, temperature readings, fan speed control, core voltage adjustment, frequency tuning, and pool configuration. AxeOS supports overclocking — you can push the chip harder for more hashrate (at the cost of efficiency and heat) or underclock it for whisper-quiet operation.
Because AxeOS is open-source, the community regularly ships improvements. Firmware updates are applied over the air directly from the web interface. And if you are technically inclined, you can fork the firmware, modify it, and flash your own build. That level of control simply does not exist with the Canaan ecosystem.
For technical users, AxeOS is arguably the single biggest reason to choose Bitaxe. Overclocking, underclocking, custom pool configuration, frequency per-chip tuning, and community firmware updates give you control that no proprietary device can match. Read our complete AxeOS guide to see what’s possible.
Open Source vs Proprietary: Why It Matters
This is the deepest philosophical divide between these two devices, and for many Bitcoin miners, it is the deciding factor.
The Bitaxe is fully open-source hardware and software. The schematics are published. The PCB layouts are on GitHub. The firmware source code is available for anyone to audit. This means:
- No hidden firmware backdoors. You can verify exactly what code is running on your miner. In a world where mining pool centralization and firmware-level pool-locking have been real concerns, this matters.
- Community-driven improvements. When a community member discovers a better thermal profile, a more efficient voltage curve, or a useful new feature, it gets contributed back to the project and everyone benefits.
- Repairability and longevity. Because the hardware designs are public, replacement parts can be sourced independently. The device is not dependent on a single manufacturer’s continued support.
- Alignment with Bitcoin’s values. Bitcoin itself is open-source. Running an open-source miner is philosophically consistent with the network’s foundational principles of transparency, verifiability, and permissionless innovation.
The Avalon Nano 3 runs proprietary firmware on proprietary hardware. You trust Canaan’s software to do what they say it does. For many users, that is perfectly fine — Canaan is a publicly traded company with a reputation to maintain. But you cannot audit the code. You cannot modify the firmware. You cannot adjust parameters beyond what Canaan’s app exposes. If Canaan discontinues the product line or stops issuing firmware updates, you are left with whatever the last firmware version offers.
For cypherpunks, this is not a minor distinction. For casual home miners, it may not matter at all. Know where you stand on the spectrum and choose accordingly.
Noise Comparison: Can You Sleep Next to It?
Noise is one of the most practical considerations for home mining. These devices live in your personal space — your office, your bedroom, your living room. If it sounds like a jet engine, it is going back in the box.
The single-chip Bitaxe models — Supra and GT — are near-silent, operating at less than 25 dB. That is quieter than a whisper. You can run one on your nightstand and sleep through the night. The small fan on these devices is barely perceptible, and with AxeOS you can tune the fan curve to prioritize silence over cooling performance.
The Avalon Nano 3 and the Bitaxe Hex both sit around 35 dB, which is roughly the noise level of a quiet office or a modern refrigerator. Perfectly livable in a home office or living room. You would not want either one on your nightstand if you are a light sleeper, but a shelf across the room is fine.
If absolute silence is your top priority — perhaps you work from home and take calls in the same room as your miner — the Bitaxe Supra or Bitaxe GT are the clear winners. If you can tolerate a gentle hum, the Avalon Nano 3 delivers six times the hashrate of the Supra at the same basic noise tier as the Hex.
Expandability: Growing Your Mining Setup
Home mining rarely stays at one device. Once you run your first miner, the itch to add more hashrate is hard to resist. The question is: how well does each platform scale?
The Bitaxe ecosystem is built for expansion. Start with a Supra at $189.99 to learn the ropes. Add a GT for efficiency. Step up to a Hex for serious hashrate. Stack multiple units managed through their individual AxeOS dashboards. Every Bitaxe device is part of a broader ecosystem of accessories, cases, stands, heatsinks, and power supplies designed specifically for these boards. The Bitaxe Infinity Case even lets you clip multiple Bitaxes together into a modular rack. The upgrade path is smooth and incremental — spend what you want, when you want, at whatever pace suits your budget.
The Avalon Nano 3 is a standalone device. You can buy multiple units, of course, but there is no ecosystem of accessories, no upgrade path to a higher-performance variant, no modular stacking system. You get what you get. If Canaan releases a Nano 4 someday, you buy a new device. Each Nano 3 is a discrete unit — there is no way to combine them into a managed cluster the way you might with Bitaxe units.
For miners who see home mining as a growing hobby, the Bitaxe ecosystem offers a journey. The Avalon Nano 3 offers a destination.
D-Central Stocks Both: Why That Matters
Most retailers in this space carry one ecosystem or the other. D-Central carries both the Avalon Nano 3 and the complete Bitaxe lineup, along with every accessory, stand, heatsink, and power supply in the Bitaxe ecosystem.
This means:
- Single shipping order. Buy an Avalon Nano 3 and a Bitaxe Supra together. Mix and match to cover different use cases. One order, one shipment from Laval, Quebec.
- Expert support for both platforms. Our ASIC repair technicians work with Bitmain chips daily — the same chips inside Bitaxe devices. We understand the silicon that powers these miners at a component level. For the Avalon Nano 3, we know the Canaan hardware lineup from our years of servicing Avalon industrial miners.
- Unbiased guidance. We profit regardless of which device you choose. Our interest is in matching you with the right hardware for your needs, not in pushing one brand.
- Canadian warranty and support. Both platforms are backed by D-Central’s warranty and our support team. No dealing with overseas manufacturers for post-purchase issues.
The Bitcoin mining hardware world is small. Having a single trusted Canadian supplier for the full range of home mining options simplifies everything.
Who Should Buy What?
After all the specs, tables, and analysis, here is the practical guidance.
Buy the Avalon Nano 3 if:
- You want the highest hashrate per dollar in a home miner. At $239.99 for 3 TH/s, nothing in the open-source space matches this value.
- You want a simple, plug-and-play experience. Power on, open the app, mine. No firmware decisions, no overclocking, no tinkering.
- You don’t care about open-source hardware and are comfortable with proprietary firmware from a publicly traded manufacturer.
- You want a single device that delivers meaningful hashrate without planning an upgrade path.
Buy the Bitaxe Supra if:
- You want the cheapest entry into solo mining at $189.99.
- You value open-source hardware and software — you want to verify, not trust.
- You want a near-silent device that can run in a bedroom.
- You see this as the first step in a growing Bitaxe collection.
Buy the Bitaxe GT if:
- You want the best energy efficiency available in a home miner — ~17 J/TH puts it in the same league as industrial S21 machines.
- You want the latest-generation BM1370 chip in an open-source package.
- You value AxeOS control and overclocking ability — the GT responds well to tuning.
- You want a near-silent device with more hashrate than the Supra.
Buy the Bitaxe Hex if:
- You want Nano 3-level hashrate (~3 TH/s) with open-source freedom.
- You are willing to pay a premium ($499.99) for full hardware and firmware transparency.
- You want access to the complete Bitaxe accessory ecosystem including D-Central’s custom Hex heatsink and Hex case.
- You plan to run multiple Bitaxe devices and want the flagship in your fleet.
Many home miners run multiple devices. A popular combination: an Avalon Nano 3 for raw hashrate plus a Bitaxe Supra or GT for the open-source experience and tinkering. D-Central ships both in the same order from Canada. Every hash counts — regardless of what hardware is generating it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Avalon Nano 3 solo mine like the Bitaxe?
Yes. The Avalon Nano 3 can be configured for solo mining by pointing it at a solo mining pool like Solo CKPool. However, the Bitaxe is designed with solo mining as the default configuration in AxeOS, making it slightly more straightforward for that specific use case. Both devices can also be configured for traditional pooled mining.
Which device has better chances of finding a solo block?
The Avalon Nano 3 and Bitaxe Hex both hash at approximately 3 TH/s, so their block-finding probability is roughly identical — both incredibly small against the total network hashrate of 800+ EH/s. The Bitaxe GT at 1.2 TH/s has proportionally lower odds, and the Supra at 500 GH/s lower still. Remember: solo mining at these hashrates is about participation, sovereignty, and the small but real possibility of a life-changing event. It is not a profitable strategy by expected value. Every hash counts, but the math is the math.
Can I overclock the Avalon Nano 3?
The Avalon Nano 3 does not support user-adjustable overclocking through its app interface. The Bitaxe family, running AxeOS, supports full frequency and voltage control. This means you can push a Bitaxe GT beyond its stock 1.2 TH/s or underclock a Bitaxe Supra for even lower power consumption and noise. This firmware-level control is a significant advantage of the open-source platform.
How loud are these miners in a real room?
Single-chip Bitaxe models (Supra, GT) are near-silent — you will not hear them from across a room. The Avalon Nano 3 and Bitaxe Hex produce a soft fan hum around 35 dB, comparable to a quiet computer or modern refrigerator. None of these devices will bother a roommate, a partner, or a sleeping child in the next room. They are nothing like the industrial jet-engine roar of a full-size Antminer.
Do I need to buy a power supply separately?
The Avalon Nano 3 ships with its power supply included. Single-chip Bitaxe models (Supra, Gamma, Ultra) use a standard 5V barrel jack power supply — D-Central sells a purpose-built 5V 6A Bitaxe PSU for these. The Bitaxe GT and Hex use 12V XT30 connectors and require a compatible 12V power supply. Check each product page for included accessories and recommended power supplies.
Which is easier to set up for a total beginner?
Both are straightforward, but the Avalon Nano 3 edges ahead for absolute beginners. Its app-guided setup walks you through WiFi connection and pool configuration step by step. Bitaxe devices require you to navigate to the device’s IP address in a web browser and configure AxeOS settings — still simple, but it assumes a basic comfort level with browser-based network configuration. Our AxeOS guide covers every step.
Can I use these miners to heat my home?
Every watt of electricity consumed by a miner is converted to heat. The Avalon Nano 3 at 60W produces the heat equivalent of a 60W incandescent light bulb — noticeable in a small room during winter. The Bitaxe Hex at 90W produces slightly more. Single-chip Bitaxe models at 12-20W produce negligible heat. If you are interested in serious mining-as-heating, check out D-Central’s dedicated Bitcoin Space Heater lineup, which uses full-size ASIC miners to produce real heating output.
Does D-Central provide warranty and support for both?
Yes. Both the Avalon Nano 3 and all Bitaxe variants purchased from D-Central are covered by our Canadian warranty. Our support team can help with setup, troubleshooting, and configuration for either platform. For Bitaxe devices, our advantage is unique: our ASIC repair technicians work with the same Bitmain chips (BM1366, BM1368, BM1370) daily in industrial Antminers. We know this silicon at a component level.
Conclusion: Every Hash Counts
The Avalon Nano 3 and the Bitaxe family are both excellent home mining devices, and the right choice depends entirely on what you value.
If you want the most hashrate for the fewest dollars and prefer a simple app-controlled experience, the Avalon Nano 3 at $239.99 CAD is hard to beat. It delivers 3 TH/s in a compact, quiet package from a manufacturer with a decade of ASIC experience.
If you value open-source transparency, firmware control, energy efficiency, and an expandable ecosystem, the Bitaxe family offers something the Nano 3 cannot. The Supra gets you in the door for $189.99. The GT delivers the best J/TH of any device in this comparison. The Hex matches the Nano 3’s hashrate with full open-source freedom.
D-Central Technologies stocks both platforms — along with the full ecosystem of Bitaxe accessories, stands, heatsinks, and power supplies — shipped from Canada with Bitcoin payment accepted. Whichever device you choose, you are adding hash power to the Bitcoin network. You are participating in the most important decentralized system ever built. You are running Bitcoin from home.
Every hash counts.