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Hosting Economics
This page explains how hosters earn money by contributing capacity to the grid and how SPORE, the ecosystem token, works.
Originally this content was written for ThreeFold Farming. Here we describe it from the perspective of hosters supporting the Mycelium / ThreeFold stack.
What is SPORE?
SPORE is the native token of the ThreeFold ecosystem. You earn SPORE for providing compute, storage, and network resources as a hoster.
Key Facts
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Base Price (intro period) | $0.01 per SPORE (fixed until June 30, 2026) |
| After June 2026 | Price floats based on market demand |
| What You Earn | SPORE tokens for capacity and utilization |
| Max Supply | 10 billion SPORE (capped) |
| Utility | Payment to hosters, growth of the ecosystem |
Why SPORE Can Appreciate
- Part of every payment is burned – reducing circulating supply.
- Demand grows with adoption – more workloads → more SPORE demand.
- Scarcity + demand – over time this can support higher prices.
How Revenue Is Split
When users pay for resources on your node, the payment is automatically split:
graph LR
A[User Pays for Resources] --> B[80% to Hoster<br/>SPORE Tokens]
A --> C[10% Burned<br/>Removed from circulation]
A --> D[10% Mycelium / ThreeFold<br/>Development]
B --> E[Your SPORE Balance Increases]
C --> F[Total SPORE Supply Decreases]
D --> G[Ecosystem & tooling improve]
Example
If a user spends $10 worth of SPORE on workloads:
| Recipient | Amount | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| You (Hoster) | $8 (800 SPORE) | Added to your balance |
| Burned | $1 (100 SPORE) | Destroyed permanently |
| Development | $1 (100 SPORE) | Funds infrastructure & software |
Over time, the burn + demand effects help make each remaining SPORE more scarce.
Burning and Scarcity
Burning is simply removing tokens from circulation forever.
Conceptually:
- Without burning: supply stays flat, price tracks demand only.
- With burning: supply decreases as usage increases → additional upward pressure on price.
This is why long‑term hosters are incentivized to accumulate SPORE while continuing to provide capacity.
Earnings Drivers
Your actual returns as a hoster depend on:
- Capacity – How much CPU, RAM, and storage your nodes provide.
- Location & reliability – Good connectivity and uptime attract more workloads.
- Demand – How many users deploy on the grid / Mycelium Cloud.
- Time horizon – SPORE price is fixed during the early phase, then becomes market‑driven.
Rough Components of ROI
- Base rewards – Capacity made available to the network.
- Utilization‑based income – When workloads actually run on your nodes.
- Token appreciation (speculative) – If SPORE price rises as adoption grows.
Exact reward formulas can evolve over time. Always check the latest tokenomics and dashboards for up‑to‑date numbers.
Managing Your SPORE
1. Hold (Long‑Term Thesis)
- Let SPORE accumulate in your wallet.
- Benefit from potential scarcity and ecosystem growth.
- Simple, low‑effort strategy.
2. Convert Some to Stability
- Convert a portion of SPORE to Cloud Credits (CC) or other units if/when available.
- Use CC for predictable budgeting, while keeping some SPORE for upside.
- Useful if hosting is part of a bigger business.
3. Hybrid Approach
Many hosters will:
- Keep a core SPORE position (long term).
- Periodically convert a portion to cover opex (power, connectivity, hardware refresh).
Getting Started with Earnings
Step 1: Set Up Your Node
Make sure your node is live and part of your farm:
- Follow Set Up Your Node to get connected.
- Confirm visibility in the dashboard.
Step 2: Monitor Utilization
- Use the dashboard to see when and how your capacity is used.
- Watch resource allocation, uptime, and earned SPORE over time.
Step 3: Iterate on Hardware & Pricing
- Improve power efficiency to increase net returns.
- Consider upgrading to Edge Compute or Edge AI nodes for higher‑value workloads.
- Stay informed about any bidding / pricing mechanisms offered by the platform.
Common Questions
When will I start earning SPORE?
As soon as your node is online and offering capacity, you become eligible. Initial earnings typically appear within 24–48 hours as the system starts assigning workloads.
Can I lose money hosting?
Hosting involves hardware and power costs. Profitability depends on utilization and SPORE value. However, baseline rewards and long‑term grid usage are designed to make serious, reliable hosters viable over time.
What if SPORE price changes after 2026?
After June 2026 the price becomes market‑driven. The burn mechanism and adoption are designed to support value, but token prices can still be volatile. Plan with a long‑term perspective and avoid over‑leveraging.
How often do I get paid?
SPORE accrues continuously and can be checked any time in your dashboards and wallets. There’s no manual payout process.
Additional Resources
- Community Forum – forum.threefold.io
- Farming / Hosting Manual – manual.grid.tf/farmers/intro
- Community Chat – t.me/threefold/1
:::tip Ready to Start Earning? If you haven’t already, finish the Setup Guide and make sure your node is online. From there, SPORE rewards start accumulating automatically as the network uses your capacity. :::