Hosted miners or Cloud Miners are even charging a fee to set up and operate
I would get cloud mining out of this equation, since the vast majority of them are HYIP/Ponzi scams disguised under websites showing some fancy images and numbers.
I second this suggestion, it has proven that cloud mining is not a profitable venture and many of us fall victim in this scheme when it was hot way back a few years ago. I am one of those that invested on cloud mining and my investment does not end well. It is either the site file bankruptcy while other just straightly scam their client.
I would always choose Bitcoin mining over the so-called cloud mining butfor those who have technical difficulty in setting up mining it is best to just straightly buy BTC, less maintenance, less troubleshooting and all we can do is keep our holdings safe from hackers and have the patience to see profit from that venture.
Base on profitability level I would say it depends on how much you’re willing to spend or have. Bitcoin mining if setup well with large amount of capital can definitely generate profits and at the same time you will be a bitcoin holder too.
Mining profitability is dependent on the cost of the electricity, so if you are in a country where the price of electricity is gold, then better forget the idea of mining. It will only drain your funds for paying bills.