Solo mining has several disadvantages that make it challenging, especially for small or inexperienced miners. The biggest drawback is high reward variance. Unlike pool mining, where rewards are shared regularly, solo miners only earn when they successfully mine an entire block. This can result in long periods with no income, making earnings highly unpredictable and financially stressful.

Another major disadvantage is the need for significant hash power. As network difficulty increases, solo miners must compete with large-scale operations and mining pools that control massive computational resources. Without competitive hardware, the probability of finding a block becomes extremely low, often making solo mining unprofitable.

Solo mining also involves higher operational responsibility. Miners must run and maintain a full node, ensure constant uptime, manage software updates, and handle technical issues independently. Any downtime directly reduces the chance of earning rewards. Additionally, solo miners bear all costs, including electricity, hardware maintenance, cooling, and internet expenses, without the benefit of shared infrastructure.

Liquidity and cash flow can also be problematic. Because rewards are infrequent, it becomes difficult to cover ongoing expenses or plan financially. Market volatility further increases risk, as a miner may finally earn a reward during an unfavourable price period.

Overall, while solo mining offers independence and full block rewards, its high risk, unpredictability, technical demands, and capital requirements make it unsuitable for most miners, particularly those with limited resources or short-term profitability goals.