Why use Knots rather than Core? Currently, Core is the majority implementation of the Bitcoin protocol on the network. The Bitcoin protocol is just a set of rules. It requires software to apply them. A machine running software implementing the Bitcoin protocol is called a node, and all these nodes together make up the Bitcoin network. Throughout Bitcoin's history, numerous clients derived from the initial software developed by Satoshi Nakamoto have emerged. Today (March 2025), Bitcoin Core is the overwhelming majority, with almost 98% of nodes on the Bitcoin network using this client. However, alternative software is also available. These are not altcoin-linked nodes like Bitcoin Cash, but alternative clients compatible with the real Bitcoin network. Of these, Bitcoin Knots is the best known. It currently represents around 1.4% of the network. Other alternative customers are still very much in the minority.

There are two main reasons to use an alternative client like Knots instead of Core: Technical**: These clients often offer different options to Core, notably in terms of Mempool management, by determining which transactions are accepted and broadcast by your node. Policy**: Some people prefer to use alternative clients such as Knots for non-technical reasons, notably to support an alternative to Core and thus reduce its monopoly. If Core were ever compromised, it would be useful not only to have solid, well-maintained alternative clients, but also to know how to use them. Others use Knots for protest purposes, because they have lost confidence in Core's developers or disapprove of the majority client's management.