Using a Minecraft server hosting service has many benefits for your gaming experience. The best providers will give unparalleled quality with no interruptions to your gaming sessions. On top of that, you get much-needed security and better performance, in addition to other features, just like using a standard web hosting service. Modpacks are another bonus since users get that option, too. Perfect if you want to customize your multiplayer experience.
While there are plenty of dedicated servers for you to play Minecraft in multiplayer, there’s a danger that doing so could leak your IP address to a third party. However, we covered those bases as well in this guide, as there’s always a safe way to play. As expected, all the big names in the Minecraft servers hosting business remained in high demand, even though some new contenders showed up this year.
To write this guide, we scoured the web and tested a lot of services while picking the very best Minecraft hosting providers on the market right now. We found that the best Minecraft server hosting services usually perform well on speed and include key features such as DDoS protection, mod support and uptime guarantee.
We’ve listed all the good stuff that made us pick these services in this 2023 guide, including security, support, stability, and other key features.
2023's best Minecraft server hosting deals
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Best Minecraft server hosting services 2023 in full
Hostinger, a well-known and among the best web hosting services out there also specializes in Minecraft server hosting. As one would expect, these plans were made to offer the best possible Minecraft experience with maximum optimization.
With a monthly fee of $8.95 (the price decreases if you choose a longer term), you only need a few seconds to set up a Minecraft Virtual Private Server (VPS). The plans offer 2GB to 8GB memory, DDoS protection, 8 virtual CPUs, and mod support, with a 99% uptime guarantee.
With a few clicks, Hostinger lets you manage your VPS easily, and also prioritizes the privacy and security of your data, and even offers a money-back guarantee.
Instant setup makes getting your server ready in seconds possible – once you’ve registered and paid for the account, you’re good to go. Setup isn’t the only convenient and time-saving element of Hostinger as backing up your files takes only one click, and modpacks and plugins are easy to install through the control panel. The company’s support team will also gladly answer any questions you have about the process of setting up your Minecraft server, and handy online tutorials are provided too.
Hostinger's Minecraft hosting servers are housed in five locations, namely the US, UK, Netherlands, Brazil, Singapore and Lithuania.
Having specialized servers and support for various games like Minecraft, Ark: Survival Evolved, Rust, Arma 3, and several others, Shockbyte is a good option for Minecraft enthusiasts. For this game, their offering starts at $2.50 with a plan called Dirt, which comes with 1GB RAM.
All plans come with DDoS protection, 24/7 support, an automated system for instant setup, and a free subdomain. What’s interesting to note is that the company guarantees 100% uptime and not the usual 99.9%.
Shockbyte has an established reputation in Minecraft hosting and offers powerful hardware, also allowing up-to-date Java Edition and Bedrock Edition support in all Minecraft server versions – Spigot, CraftBukkit, Forge, Sponge, BungeeCord, Vanilla and Snapshots.
Shockbyte’s highest subscription tiers, the Spartan Plan, Zeus Plan and Titan Plan are aptly named because of their powerful performance levels including 10GB, 12GB and 16GB of RAM, and unlimited slots.
This of course translates to a slick multiplayer gaming experience with the guarantee of no downtime. If you find that none of its plans are perfect for your precise gaming needs, Shockbyte will let you customize a plan to ensure your requirements are met.
If you were wondering whether you can host a Minecraft server on a VPS, the answer is yes. Minecraft is a popular video game that needs to be hosted on a server if you want to play in multiplayer.
Renting a pre-built server or setting up a VPS on your own are both viable options for your Minecraft needs. The latter might be preferable to some, since it reduces the cost and gives you full control over your game. Fortunately, ScalaHosting does just that.
The company’s VPS plans are an affordable option to set up your Minecraft server. Of the four Minecraft hosting plans: Zombie, Slime, Guardian, and Giant, the Zombie is the cheapest. It gives you a 2 CPU core, 4GB RAM, 80GB SSD, 4TB bandwidth, unlimited MySQL Databases, and a few other features, all for $61.95 per month
ScalaHosting uses virtual-dedicated servers to not lose resources and keep the highest performance from hardware, which means that the resources you purchase are not shared across the other members of the same bare-metal server.
The most expensive Minecraft server hosting plan ScalaHosting offers will set you back by $249.95 per month, but it comes with eight times as much RAM and 640GB SSD storage. Like Hostinger, ScalaHosting also lets you manage your VPS easily, and has created its own control panel, which is integrated with all the server types on the market.
You don't have to install anything on your own computer in order to manage your server using ScalaHosting, as it has integrated a "Live Console" of your Minecraft server as well as Web-Based FileManager.
ScalaCube offers affordable and reliable server hosting for Minecraft, with the price starting at $2 for the first month and after that $4 per month. This particular server supports up to 10 players and has 768MB RAM.
One-click installation for any modpack you might use is supported, and what’s more, you can use custom forge servers to create your own Minecraft launcher. This is advantageous since with just a few klicks you can configure your server settings.
Other strengths of ScalaCube include its user-friendly interface that’s well laid out and easily navigable, its stability, excellent support team and lag-free service. ScalaCube also offers BungeeCord and modpack support, full file access, free MySQL, a backup system, a website/forum, and more besides. On top of all that, this provider is great value for money.
You get a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and unlimited slots within servers are available to optimize your gaming experience. It also helps that there’s a good selection of server locations across the US and UK, Europe, Asia and Australia.
When it comes to choosing your Minecraft game server, ScalaCube offers a wide variety of options including Forge, Snapshot, ATLauncher, FTB, Void’s Wrath, Cauldron, Bukkit, PaperMC, Spigot and a lot more.
- Read our ScalaCube review
- If you're torn between two Minecraft server hosts, check out our detailed comparison of ScalaCube vs Shockbyte.
- Sign up for ScalaCube Minecraft server hosting
Does the convenience of installing and playing your modpack of choice with just one click sound tempting? Apex Hosting has made that possible, and from plugins to mods, to even mini-games and maps, this provider makes Minecraft hosting an easy task.
Additional advantages for this provider include nicely spread-out servers, with 16 server locations around the globe. These include the US, Canada, Brazil, the UK, Turkey, Germany, France, Israel, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. The variety helps keep the latency as low as possible.
One of the main reasons Apex is preferred by a lot of Minecraft enthusiasts is probably the full server control it gives, along with world class support, fast connections, and tons of server version options. Apex Hosting’s automated backups are another attraction in terms of safety for your files, too.
The lag-free servers of Apex Hosting have helped this provider make quite a name for itself. It also helps that these servers are fully protected and provide a simple and easy-to-navigate control panel for users, along with quality help and the likes of video tutorials for novices (as well as 24/7 customer support if you get stuck with anything).
MCProHosting has been in the hosting business since 2011. The company has 22 server locations spread out on 6 continents. The provider offers proactive and realtime mitigation, due to a partnership with Cloudflare Spectrum. Other features include multiple traffic routes, over 37tbps (37,000 gbps) of mitigation bandwidth and latency reduction by up to 17%. All of this costs $8.99 per month.
In our tests, the service performed very well, and what really got our attention is the time machine feature that enables automatic backups for the server every hour. In addition, from the control panel, we could download all automatic backups, and hourly backups last for 72 hours.
MCProHosting also offers server management services should you need assistance or not want to manage your own Minecraft server. The Express plan comes with 20 mods and 25 plugin setups for $7.99 per month, the Premium plan comes with 50 mods, 35 plugin setups and unlimited slots.
There's also Ultimate and Extreme packages that give you 100 or 150 mods, 45 or 60 plugin setups, unlimited slots and discord support. The Extreme plan is the only package that offers extra GB RAM.
We found the dashboard to be clear and relatively easy to use, with all the features in tabs on the left-hand side for easy access to add-ons and features included in the package we chose.
The Minecraft server hosting provider also offers 24/7 customer support via a ticketed live chat feature on the website, guarantees 99.9% uptime, and its secure payment system runs on a secure SSL-encrypted connection.
BisectHosting server hosting for Minecraft has always been about ease of use and low-cost. It helps that the founders have direct experience in owning servers both in the present and in the past. As such, no matter the size of your multiplayer community, small or big, Bisect has got your back with unlimited player slots.
BisectHosting provides a number of flexible options in Minecraft server hosting with budget and premium packages offering from 1GB up to 48GB of RAM (starting at $7.99 per month for premium and $2.99 for budget plans). Bisect Hosting provides easy setup, unlimited slots as mentioned (in premium packages), free MySQL, free subdomains, modpack updates and more, making this provider an attractive choice.
Budget and premium package options allow you to pick the necessary features tailored to your exact needs, and 24/7 support will ensure you get all the help you might need.
With eight server locations across the globe, you’ve got some good options for ensuring latency is kept to a minimum. Those servers are strategically placed around the US (in California, Florida, Texas, Oregon and New York), as well as in the UK, France, Poland, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore and Canada. It’s also worth noting that your server is safe from DDoS attacks at no additional cost.
Founded in 2012, Nodecraft is a US-based company that offers server hosting services for various games, Minecraft included. Nodecraft has servers in 12 countries spread out across 5 continents.
All the plans, even the beginner offering have no player limit, allowing for unlimited player slots. Setting the server up is hassle-free and very fast with Nodecraft's instant setup ability. If you play any other games or plan to, a very interesting feature called save&swap is available that lets you switch to a different game server while simultaneously saving your progress on the current one you’re playing.
As for the Minecraft offering, Nodecraft has four plans, with the cheapest one Nano starting at 9.98$ per month. This will get you 2GB RAM, 10GB SSD storage, 20GB cloud backup, and 5 save&swap servers. All four plans have DDoS protection and free subdomain and dedicated IP.
All in all, Nodecraft is a good choice for Minecraft and gaming enthusiasts, and their servers are powerful enough for players to have a lag-free experience. There’s a free trial too with no credit card required, so you can try it out before you commit.
- Read our full Nodecraft review
- Sign up for Nodecraft server hosting
GG Servers is a Canadian hosting provider that specializes in game servers. The provider has 9 server locations around the globe, spread out in Canada, the US, the UK, Finland, Germany, France, Singapore, and Australia.
GG Servers gives you the option to choose between standard and premium servers, the difference being that the premium servers have faster RAM and CPU as well as access to all locations. Also, if you choose standard you’ll have to pay extra for MySQL database, and unlimited slots, whereas if you go premium that’s already included.
The Minecraft hosting plans have a lot of variety, going from 1GB RAM to 32 GB RAM. The beginner 1GB RAM plan, called Stone, is priced at $3 per month ($6 per month if you go premium) and has 12 player slots, while the high-end Beacon plan is priced at $96 per month ($192 per month for premium). This gets you 32GB RAM and the ability to choose your own player slots.
All servers come with 480 Gbps DDoS protection, in addition to having the option to instantly activate them, in a matter of seconds. You’ll be managing the server, including the chat & server logs, using the company’s own Multicraft control panel, which is easy to get a hang of, even if you’re a beginner.
Both Java and Bedrock Edition are supported. The company also offers 24/7 support, and you can ask for a refund, but only within 24 hours.
- Read our full GG Servers review
- Sign up for GG Servers server hosting
As the name applies, Minecraft Hosting Pro is a specialized Minecraft server provider, offering only hosting services for that game so you can expect some nice features. The company doesn’t have as many server locations as some of the other providers but it should still suffice for most users. There are 6 locations, 4 in the US, and one in Europe and Australia.
All servers have DDoS protection, automatic backups, unmetered storage, a 100 MB MySQL database, and instant setup, meaning you can get it running in a few seconds. In addition, all servers have a 99.9% availability and you get a free domain and subdomain.
The offering starts at $9 per month, $7.20 per month if you choose the yearly payment. This will get you 3GB RAM, unlimited player slots, and a Ryzen 3900X CPU with 2 cores. You can have the 6-core version if you pay an extra $7.5. You can also pay extra for automated tasks, custom domains, and advanced backups. In addition, the provider has a free server as well, which you can use for 10 days, giving you the option to test the service out.
Minecraft Hosting Pro servers are low-latency with dedicated 24/7 support via tickets. Their own server hosting control panel is intuitive and user-friendly so even if you’re a newbie you shouldn’t have much trouble figuring things out.
Best Minecraft server hosting FAQs
What is a Minecraft server?
If you’ve ever played Minecraft, you’ll know that the multiplayer mode makes it a more worthwhile and enjoyable game, enriching the experience considerably. After all, one of the many skills that Minecraft can help you develop is teamwork.
A Minecraft server is basically a private network that anyone can create, making it possible for other people to join if they wish to play in multiplayer. Owners can control who gets to join via simple restrictions such as an IP or username. There are additional settings and commands too, for example, rules, PVP mode, limiting the number of players, and several more.
Minecraft servers require hardware to run on, of course, so entail an expense in that regard – and if you’re going the hosting route, that means a fee to rent the actual hardware required.
The best Minecraft server hosting: How we test
After intensive testing of a large number of Minecraft hosting services, we first started to look at key features and then we picked the best on the market.
We weighed up aspects such as server locations, ease of installation, server performance and speeds, before exploring the robustness of each offering in terms of their security and stability.
We also reviewed customer support availability and response times, and listed any discounts or money-back periods offered. Our team of experts sign up to each Minecraft server hosting service by creating a connection to the server, installing the Minecraft server, sharing port, and joining the server.
Note that if you’re just hosting a server for players on your local network, you don’t need to worry about port forwarding.
How to choose the best Minecraft server hosting service?
After you have decided to run your own Minecraft server via a host, the next move is to find the right hosting provider for you. Naturally, we’ve covered you on that part as we already picked the best hosting options right now (see above).
Before you pick a web hosting provider, make sure you learn all the knicks and knacks. Above, we highlighted all the key factors you should look out for before deciding on anything.
Hardware: This is of utmost importance and the primary thing to look out for when running online multiplayer games. While Minecraft isn’t a demanding game on its own, that can change when you add several players and various mods to it. Look at the CPU and RAM as those play a vital role in making sure the multiplayer experience remains optimized. It’s safe to say that the right hardware will either make a Minecraft server or break one.
Pricing: Of course, since you’re relying on third-party services to take care of hosting your Minecraft server, costs will also be a factor. Aside from the hardware, your hosting service will also be providing security, maintenance, plugins, features, the list goes on. The good news is that hosting companies offer several kinds of plans that cater to whatever your needs may be.
Easy configuration: Let’s face it, you don’t want to waste time and get frustrated by a convoluted setup process, so providers that offer an easy and swift setup are obviously attractive. That said, it’s one thing to be novice-friendly, but also make sure that the hosting company gives you full control over your server so you can make any necessary changes in terms of settings and so forth.
Support: There’s always a chance that things will go awry, even with the best hosting companies, and so it’s safe to assume that you will need customer support at some point. Whether you find yourself unable to change an important setting, or you need help to defend against or respond to something truly nasty like a DDoS attack, it can be crucial to have customer support which responds quickly. Any downtime could put off your precious players, after all.
Maintenance: Furthermore, in general terms it’s absolutely vital for the server to always be up, otherwise players will leave, take their game elsewhere, and you’ll lose money. This is a scenario you obviously want to avoid at all costs. Some of the things you might want to look for include FTP access for when you’re switching between mods and a web-based control panel.
What's the minimum requirement for a Minecraft server?
The minimum recommended RAM for running a Minecraft server used to be 2 GB. With the addition of new biomes, mobs, and other features along the way, however, this has increased to 4 GB or more for a server with a moderate number of players.
This is especially true for newer versions of Minecraft, such as 1.16 and later, which have added even more content and features with larger-scale moves like the Nether update, Caves and Cliffs update, The Wild update, and more.
For larger servers with many players and a large world, the recommended RAM can now be 8 GB or more, depending on the size and complexity of the server. Beyond this, modded Minecraft servers typically require even more RAM than vanilla servers.
This is because mods can entirely redesign or introduce massive features to the game, which can significantly increase the memory usage of the server. As a result, modded Minecraft servers often require at least 8 GB or more of RAM, with some reaching 16 GB and beyond.
This steady growth is made all the more complicated by Minecraft’s optimization issues when it comes to multi-thread performance, though this has been improved over time by mod and plugin developers.
How will things change with Minecraft 1.20?
The next major update in line, as it stands, seems a bit bare-bones in comparison to the last handful of major game updates. This means it will have less of an impact on the server hosting economy, at least in its current form. Should the update introduce more new gameplay features like Archaeology, however, technical requirements minimum and beyond will continue to grow, and it will be more important than ever to choose a server hosting service that’s capable of standing up to this process.
Minecraft server hosting pros and cons
You can think of a Minecraft server as your personal space in the game where you control things such as who gets to play with you. While you can set one up using your PC, it requires quite a bit of knowledge around technology and networking.
Lacking those skills, setting up a server would be a nightmare, in more ways than one, starting from the fact that you’ll leave yourself very vulnerable and susceptible to breaches and hacker attacks.
Security isn’t the only issue, your bandwidth would suffer too, to what extent would depend on your internet connection you have where you live.
Those are the reasons why many people don’t want to bother with installing and maintaining a Minecraft server. Instead, they pick a hosting company to do the work.
This kind of game server hosting is much like hosting a website. In web hosting, a third-party manages the website’s file storage including images, videos and the like. The web host rents out the server hardware on which the website is run – and without that hardware, the site obviously wouldn’t exist.
Game server hosting is pretty much identical, and as with web hosting, renting out a server will necessitate a monthly payment. At this point, you’re probably wondering, does the cost justify this kind of service?
Let’s look at some pros and cons of running your own Minecraft server via a hosting company, starting with the advantages:
Tighter security and privacy. As you may have heard a couple of hundred times, joining public IPs (third-party Minecraft servers) may increase the risk of your data being pilfered somehow. Running the server yourself can have obvious benefits in terms of keeping security in check.
Install one modpack after another, because why not? Switching is made easier, and with tons of modpacks made available in your private Minecraft server, who’s to stop you from making your experience as optimized as you want?
The potential to generate income. Okay, so this might be a long shot, but if you can set the slim odds aside and believe that it is a possibility after all, this might be a good reason to start investing in a Minecraft server. As a rule of thumb, keeping the server afloat with merely the (expected) donations is not advisable – aim higher, if you can. Successful Minecraft servers are able to start generating profit, but always remember that’s usually after tedious – not to mention nerve-racking – efforts to gain visibility.
Having full control. Not that you have to be a control freak to enjoy this advantage, but running a Minecraft server allows you to stay in control – configuring restrictions, permissions, giving commands, setting up rules and so forth. You become the master of your own Minecraft destiny, as it were.
All that said, there are also some disadvantages as follows:
The inevitable hosting issues. Managing a Minecraft server isn’t all keeping order and making rules. Hosting problems are one of the main reasons Minecraft servers do not last – it might seem a relatively straightforward route on the face of it, but it can certainly have challenging aspects. Think having to switch hosting provider multiple times until you find the one you’re most comfortable with, all whilst dealing with a range of specific issues for each individual hosting company just to keep your server afloat.
Shelling out more cash. As we’ve already touched on, hosting itself obviously comes with a cost, and attempting to gain exposure to make your Minecraft server more popular will do, as well. The possibility must definitely be considered that you may be left considerably out-of-pocket by just maintaining the server in the longer run.
Say goodbye to playing? Dealing with hosting a Minecraft server (or indeed running one yourself at home) and the technical issues which might pop up, as well as potentially promoting the server, will all take time. Perhaps to the extent that you struggle to find the time to actually play Minecraft.
