Is mining monero even profitable in 2026?

If you don't have a lot of money, building a rig is not a good idea. If you want to invest in Monero, then invest what you can afford to lose and then use whatever hardware you already have to mine (though, you need to be aware of electricity costs).

How do you define "worth"? If it's about profitability, just like xenu said, it depends on whether the future Monero price can outpace the present costs may plus current energy inflation. If it's for the purpose of helping the Monero network, then the answer is definitely true. Every bit of hash power added has the potential to strengthen transaction settlement capability and reinforce Monero's decentralization.

@zxc "you don't mine monero for profit you mine it for monero chan" - Mental Outlaw

@coolminer have to agree