diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -143,9 +143,9 @@
 
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([hardening],
   [AS_HELP_STRING([--disable-hardening],
-  [do not attempt to harden the resulting executables (default is to harden)])],
+  [do not attempt to harden the resulting executables (default is to harden when possible)])],
   [use_hardening=$enableval],
-  [use_hardening=yes])
+  [use_hardening=auto])
 
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([reduce-exports],
   [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-reduce-exports],
@@ -219,6 +219,13 @@
     [enable_debug=$enableval],
     [enable_debug=no])
 
+# Enable gprof profiling
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([gprof],
+    [AS_HELP_STRING([--enable-gprof],
+                    [use gprof profiling compiler flags (default is no)])],
+    [enable_gprof=$enableval],
+    [enable_gprof=no])
+
 # Enable different -fsanitize options
 AC_ARG_WITH([sanitizers],
     [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-sanitizers],
@@ -682,6 +689,23 @@
   AC_SEARCH_LIBS([clock_gettime],[rt])
 fi
 
+if test "x$enable_gprof" = xyes; then
+    dnl -pg is incompatible with -pie. Since hardening and profiling together doesn't make sense,
+    dnl we simply make them mutually exclusive here. Additionally, hardened toolchains may force
+    dnl -pie by default, in which case it needs to be turned off with -no-pie.
+
+    if test x$use_hardening = xyes; then
+        AC_MSG_ERROR(gprof profiling is not compatible with hardening. Reconfigure with --disable-hardening or --disable-gprof)
+    fi
+    use_hardening=no
+    AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG([-pg],[GPROF_CXXFLAGS="-pg"],
+        [AC_MSG_ERROR(gprof profiling requested but not available)], [[$CXXFLAG_WERROR]])
+
+    AX_CHECK_LINK_FLAG([[-no-pie]], [GPROF_LDFLAGS="-no-pie"])
+    AX_CHECK_LINK_FLAG([[-pg]],[GPROF_LDFLAGS="$GPROF_LDFLAGS -pg"],
+        [AC_MSG_ERROR(gprof profiling requested but not available)], [[$GPROF_LDFLAGS]])
+fi
+
 if test x$TARGET_OS != xwindows; then
   # All windows code is PIC, forcing it on just adds useless compile warnings
   AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG([-fPIC],[PIC_FLAGS="-fPIC"])
@@ -692,6 +716,7 @@
 # -fstack-reuse=none for all gcc builds. (Only gcc understands this flag)
 AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG([-fstack-reuse=none],[HARDENED_CXXFLAGS="$HARDENED_CXXFLAGS -fstack-reuse=none"])
 if test x$use_hardening != xno; then
+  use_hardening=yes
   AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG([-Wstack-protector],[HARDENED_CXXFLAGS="$HARDENED_CXXFLAGS -Wstack-protector"])
   AX_CHECK_COMPILE_FLAG([-fstack-protector-all],[HARDENED_CXXFLAGS="$HARDENED_CXXFLAGS -fstack-protector-all"])
 
@@ -1267,6 +1292,8 @@
 AC_SUBST(DEBUG_CXXFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(COMPAT_LDFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(ERROR_CXXFLAGS)
+AC_SUBST(GPROF_CXXFLAGS)
+AC_SUBST(GPROF_LDFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(HARDENED_CXXFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(HARDENED_CPPFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(HARDENED_LDFLAGS)
@@ -1368,6 +1395,7 @@
 echo "  use asm       = $use_asm"
 echo "  sanitizers    = $use_sanitizers"
 echo "  debug enabled = $enable_debug"
+echo "  gprof enabled = $enable_gprof"
 echo "  werror        = $enable_werror"
 echo
 echo "  target os     = $TARGET_OS"
diff --git a/doc/developer-notes.md b/doc/developer-notes.md
--- a/doc/developer-notes.md
+++ b/doc/developer-notes.md
@@ -216,6 +216,11 @@
 
 Run configure with the `--enable-gprof` option, then make.
 
+With `cmake` and `ninja`:
+```
+  cmake -GNinja .. -DENABLE_HARDENING=OFF -DENABLE_PROFIILING=gprof
+```
+
 ### debug.log
 
 If the code is behaving strangely, take a look in the debug.log file in the data directory;
diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 option(ENABLE_WERROR "Promote some compiler warnings to errors" OFF)
 option(START_WITH_UPNP "Make UPnP the default to map ports" OFF)
 option(ENABLE_CLANG_TIDY "Enable clang-tidy checks for Bitcoin ABC" OFF)
+option(ENABLE_PROFILING "Select the profiling tool to use" OFF)
 
 # If ccache is available, then use it.
 find_program(CCACHE ccache)
@@ -147,6 +148,22 @@
 	endif()
 endif()
 
+if(ENABLE_PROFILING MATCHES "gprof")
+	message(STATUS "Enable profiling with gprof")
+
+	# -pg is incompatible with -pie. Since hardening and profiling together
+	# doesn't make sense, we simply make them mutually exclusive here.
+	# Additionally, hardened toolchains may force -pie by default, in which
+	# case it needs to be turned off with -no-pie.
+	if(ENABLE_HARDENING)
+		message(FATAL_ERROR "Profiling with gprof requires disabling hardening with -DENABLE_HARDENING=OFF.")
+	endif()
+	add_linker_flags(-no-pie)
+
+	add_compiler_flags(-pg)
+	add_linker_flags(-pg)
+endif()
+
 # Enable warning
 add_c_compiler_flags(-Wnested-externs -Wstrict-prototypes)
 add_compiler_flags(
diff --git a/src/Makefile.am b/src/Makefile.am
--- a/src/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/Makefile.am
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
 
 DIST_SUBDIRS = secp256k1 univalue
 
-AM_LDFLAGS = $(PTHREAD_CFLAGS) $(LIBTOOL_LDFLAGS) $(HARDENED_LDFLAGS) $(SANITIZER_LDFLAGS)
-AM_CXXFLAGS = $(DEBUG_CXXFLAGS) $(HARDENED_CXXFLAGS) $(WARN_CXXFLAGS) $(NOWARN_CXXFLAGS) $(ERROR_CXXFLAGS) $(SANITIZER_CXXFLAGS)
+AM_LDFLAGS = $(PTHREAD_CFLAGS) $(LIBTOOL_LDFLAGS) $(HARDENED_LDFLAGS) $(GPROF_LDFLAGS) $(SANITIZER_LDFLAGS)
+AM_CXXFLAGS = $(DEBUG_CXXFLAGS) $(HARDENED_CXXFLAGS) $(WARN_CXXFLAGS) $(NOWARN_CXXFLAGS) $(ERROR_CXXFLAGS) $(GPROF_CXXFLAGS) $(SANITIZER_CXXFLAGS)
 AM_CPPFLAGS = $(DEBUG_CPPFLAGS) $(HARDENED_CPPFLAGS)
 AM_LIBTOOLFLAGS = --preserve-dup-deps
 EXTRA_LIBRARIES =