You might not have the deep pockets needed for ASIC or big rig GPU mining but that does not mean you cannot get a soft entry point into the Crypto world to learn the ropes while making a small amount of money. Here is a list of the current CPU only coins as of August 2017. If you would like a coin added send me a note and I will add it to the list here.
| Coin | Symbol | Website |
| Coin Magi | XMG | http://m-core.org/ |
| Verium | VRM | https://portal.vericoin.info/ |
| Zoincoin | ZOIN | http://zoincoin.com/ |
My personal pick of the lot has to be VRM, for one it can be mined on SBC boards like the raspberry pi or Odroid XU4 which is a very soft entry point but more importantly I see value in the idea of a backed currency when you consider the link between Verium and Vericoin. Zoincoin has some appeal with Masternodes on the 2018 road map. If Zoin keeps to its promises and delivers it could be a very profitable coin in future. CPU only mining can be profitable under certain circumstances like Verium with XU4 miners but in general it is best to treat it as a good place to learn while losing less money than investing in equipment like an ASIC or high end GPU.
Remember, mining shortens the life of your equipment and can raise your electricity bill significantly with no promise of profitable returns. Take the time to learn as much as possible and start small within your means. In addition there are some negative points about CPU only coins and one of them is that Botnets can often dominate the hashing power making it difficult for a small scale miner to get any decent earnings. If you are purely interested in trying make a bit of profit the most popular coin to mine at the moment with consumer equipment is Monero (XMR).
Disclaimer: Don’t do this on equipment that you do not own and take full responsibility for the risks involved including financial losses.