Cloud Mining

Cloud mining contracts sell you a hashrate stream from machines the provider claims to operate. The structural problem: if the contract were priced to be profitable for you, the provider would earn more by mining directly. Legitimate offerings therefore price in their margin; the rest are Ponzi schemes — the sector's fraud history is extensive.

If you want mining exposure without hardware hassle, hosting (you own the machine) preserves your equity, and simply buying the coin avoids operational risk entirely. Approach any cloud contract promising fixed returns as a red flag, not an opportunity.