11 Best Minecraft server hosting in 2024
There are many Minecraft hosting services on the net. But they are not all equal because most of their offers are packaged for different use scenarios.
Minecraft uses quite a bit of computing resources. So, you need to know which hosting provider to work with for best results. You also need to understand what to look for in a hosting package.
This includes the processor and random access memory specs. As they determine how many mods, plugins, and players the server can host at once. You will also need to consider the server location to reduce latency as much as possible.
Then, there is the issue of DDoS protection and custom mods. A hosting package that allows or even includes mods is preferred. Following is a list of the top packages out there and what they have to offer.
Top Minecraft server hosts
Name | RAM | Players | Cost | Website |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sparked Host | 1 GB | Unlimited | $1/month | sparkedhost.com |
Hostinger | 2 GB | 70 | $8.95 /month | hostinger.com |
Apex Hosting | 1 GB | Unlimited | $5.99 /month | apexminecrafthosting.com |
Shockbyte | 1 GB | 20 | $2.50 /month | shockbyte.com |
Nodecraft | 2 GB | Unlimited | $9.98 /month | nodecraft.com |
GGServers | 1 GB | 12 | $3 /month | ggservers.com |
ScalaCube | 3 GB | 1 | Freemium | scalacube.com |
CubedHost | 0.7 GB | 5 | $5.24 /month | cubedhost.com |
Bisect Hosting | 1 GB | 12 | $2.99 /month | bisecthosting.com |
Server.pro | 1 GB | 10 | Freemium | server.pro |
Aternos | N/A | Unlimited | Free | aternos.org |
1. Sparked Host
Ram: 1GB
Players: Unlimited
Website: sparkedhost.com
Starting just $1/GB for the budget plan, Sparked Host is a budget host and one of the most affordable hosts on this list, and in the market. If you are an enterprise user, they have enterprise and extreme plans too.
Immediately you place an order, your server will be instantly up, and you can then install your favorite plugins, version, or modpacks. Their revolutionary Apollo Panel allows you one-click installs for mods and plugins. The panel also has a server importer for a smooth transfer from your old host.
Customer support is very important when you run into a problem, Sparked Host has a very responsive support team who are very knowledgeable. And support is not based on your plan, whatever plan you are on, you get the same level of support as others. Online support is available 24/7.
They have 8 international locations covering North America, Europe, Australia, and South East Asia. Plus they offer CosmicGuard Layer 7 DDoS Protection in Dallas and London.
You get an unlimited player slot, subdomain creator, SFTP access and subuser access. These are all included from the smallest plans to the biggest.
Sparked is easily the top “bang for your buck” host on the market, and in addition to that, you still get DDR4 RAM with SSDs. Whatever you are hoping to achieve with your project and set-up, they can handle it well. There is a plan for small projects and big projects. Be sure to choose a suitable plan. One other thing we like about them is they have a lot of documentation and resources to help users get started.
2. Hostinger
RAM: 2 GB
Players: 70
Website: hostinger.com/minecraft-server-hosting
Hostinger is a versatile web hosting company with different packages for different uses, and this includes a dedicated Minecraft hosting package that runs in the cloud.
The offers start from the Alex Plan, which costs $8.95 per month and comes with 2 GB of RAM, 2 virtual CPUs, DDoS protection, full root access, and mod support.
You can host up to 70 players at a go using this plan. And if you want to host up to 100 players, then you can choose the Villager Plan with 3 GB of RAM and 3 vCPUs. Hostinger also offers larger packages with higher capacities.
All the plans come with fast SSD storage, backups, easy setup, and the Multicraft panel to easily manage the server. Hostinger also offers data centers around the world to help cut down on latency.
For downsides, there is no free plan here, but Hostinger offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. It also offers a range of general hosting plans, such as shared web hosting, VPS, cloud, and email hosting.
3. Apex Hosting
RAM: 1 GB
Players: Unlimited
Website: apexminecrafthosting.com
Unlike Hostinger, Apex Hosting is completely dedicated to Minecraft server hosting. And it guarantees that you can have your server up and running in as little as 5 minutes.
Apex also has a wider range of packages. And they start from 1 GB for $5.99 per month up to 10 GB for $49.99 per month for servers with basic configuration. They additionally offer an advanced server with 15 GB of RAM for $79.99 per month.
All servers include unlimited player slots, full DDoS protection, a free MySQL database, unlimited storage, a free sub-domain, automated backups, instant setup, and a Multicraft administration panel.
Apex Hosting also has numerous server locations around the world. So your server’s payers get the lowest possible ping times, from America to Europe, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Russia, and Australia.
4. Shockbyte
RAM: 1 GB
Players: 20
Website: shockbyte.com
With plans starting from just $2.50 per month, Shockbyte offers one of the most affordable Minecraft hosting services.
This Dirt Plan runs with 1 GB of RAM and comes with all the other features of Shockbyte’s Minecraft hosting, including 24/7 support, DDoS protection, instant setup, and a free sub-domain.
You can also scale up with larger plans. They include the Sand plan with 2 GB and 40 player slots for $5 per month, the Cobblestone plan with 3 GB and 60 slots for $7.50 per month, and so on.
The largest plan is called the Obsidian. It features 9 GB of RAM for about 180 players and at $22.50 per month. Shockbyte equally offers hosting services for other games, such as Rust, Valheim, Evolved, Hytale, and Arma 3.
You should note that while the plans are attractive, Shockbyte offers no information on CPU resources. They offer easy upgrades or downgrades anyway, so you can scale your server as you like, automatically.
5. Nodecraft
RAM: 2 GB
Players: Unlimited
Website: nodecraft.com
Nodecraft also uses shared hosting. But it uses a powerful 3.8 GHz Intel Xeon processor and limits the number of users per machine to 12 to maintain quality.
Its base package costs $9.98 per month and comes with 2 GB of RAM, 5 GB SSD storage, and 10 GB for backups. Nodecraft also includes a free sub-domain, dedicated IP address, DDoS protection, and 1-click installation.
This base package includes 5 instances, while larger plans include 10 instances and more. An instance here is like a virtual machine instance. It allows you to save all the information in a current game, to resume later.
For the other plans, you get the Keelo with 4 GB RAM, 10 GB SSD, 20 GB backups, and 10 instances for $19.98 per month. There are also the Megs with 6 GB of RAM for $29.98 and the Omega with 8 GB RAM for $39.98 per month.
Nodecraft offers a 7-day free trial and lets you swap your Minecraft game for up to 28 other games. Plus they have plenty of server locations across the world.
6. GGServers
RAM: ggservers.com
Players: 12
Website: ggservers.com
Starting from $3 per month, GGServers’ plans are designed for all types and levels of Minecraft players. This plan is called Stone, but there is also the Coal plan for $6 per month, with 2GB RAM and up to 24 players. There are higher plans as well.
GGServers has 9 international locations to host your server for low latency gaming. Plus there is DDoS protection and fast SSD storage capacity.
You can also host all popular modpacks and server types, from Spigot to Atlauncher, CraftBukkit, Forge, and so on. They offer easy 1-click installs and you can swap at any time.
Your chosen package will also come with a highly customized Multicraft control panel. This provides easy management of your server, changing server type, remote console, logs, and creating worlds.
7. ScalaCube
RAM: 768 MB
Players: 10
Website: scalacube.com
ScalaCube is a multi-game hosting platform, from Minecraft to Hytale, Ark, Rust, and Valheim. It offers an impressive list of features and this includes a free domain for your server.
There is a free plan on ScalaCube, but it is limited to only 1 player. It is only helpful, therefore, for doing anything other than playing with your friends.
The real plans start at $2.50 per month and come with 10 player slots, 10 GB SSD storage, and 768 MB of RAM. Else, you will have to spend $5 per month to get 1.5 GB of RAM, 20 player slots, and 15 GB of storage.
Other features include multiple server installations, DDoS protection, custom launchers, backups, modpack support, and a free MySQL database server.
8. CubedHost
RAM: 768 MB
Players: 5
Website: cubedhost.com
If you are looking for a wide range of Minecraft server plans or intend to buy the plans in volume, then CubedHost might be worth your time. It offers 20 different plans, with volume pricing starting from 5+ servers.
CubedHost’s smallest plan comes with 768 MB and 5 player slots at $5.24 per month. The next plan features 1 GB RAM and 10 slots for $6.99. This goes on till the 12 GB plan with 50+ slots for $83.88 per month.
Another feature that sets CubedHost apart is the custom-built Prisma control panel. It is powerful, easy to use, and exclusively available for free to CubedHost customers.
For statistics, the company has served over 75,000 customers, deployed over 3,000 servers, and allocated 5 TB of RAM over the years.
9. Bisect Hosting
RAM: 1 GB
Players: 12
Website: bisecthosting.com
Available in budget and premium plans, the Bisect Hosting packages let you choose between two major machine configurations. Budget plans have limited player slots, while premium plans offer unlimited slots.
The 1 GB budget package, for instance, features 1 GB of RAM with 12 player slots for $2.99. While the 1 GB premium package features the same 1 GB of RAM but offers unlimited slots for $7.99 per month.
This structure repeats itself for the 2 GB packages with 24 slots at $5.98 per month, where the premium version costs $9.98. And the 3 GB plans with 36 slots for $8.97 per month and the premium version for $14.97.
Bisect Hosting’s largest plan offers 32 GB RAM with 160 player slots for $95.68 on the budget side. And $159.68 per month on the premium side with unlimited slots.
All plans include a Multicraft panel, DDoS protection, modpack support, a free sub-domain, instant setup, and SSD storage. Premium plans additionally include a dedicated IP and more server locations.
10. Server.pro
RAM: 1 GB
Players: 10
Website: server.pro
If you are searching for a free Minecraft server host, then you should consider Server.pro, as it offers three plans – free, premium, and pro.
The free plan features 2 virtual CPU cores, 1 GB of RAM, and 5 GB of storage space. It also allows up to 10 players and 10 plugins. But once you need to lift the limits, you can then go for the premium or pro plans.
The premium plan starts from $5 per month for the Basic and it comes with 2 vCPUs and 2 GB of RAM. The Medium plan features 4 GB and costs $10 per month. Both packages include 20 GB of storage, unlimited players, and unlimited plugins.
For the Pro plans, you can either get the High for $20 per month with 6 GB or the Ultra with 12 GB for $40 per month.
The platforms support Minecraft Java and Bedrock editions, as well as a wide range of other games. You also get mods, a free hostname, backups, and worldwide server locations.
11. Aternos
RAM: N/A
Players: Unlimited
Website: aternos.org
If you don’t like Server.pro for any reason, but you still want a free Minecraft hosting service, then Aternos might be worth a try.
It offers unlimited players as opposed to Server.pro’s 10-player limit on the free plan. It also comes with DDoS protection, mods and plugins, custom worlds, and backups.
Aternos is a really popular platform and sees over 750,000 daily players. But you should be wary of lags, as it does not guarantee CPU usage like Server.pro does.
Conclusion
We have reached the end of this list of the top Minecraft server hosts out there. And have gone from the free to the top-notch, the location-hosted to the cloud-hosted.
As you can see, there are many options out there for different needs. So, it is up to you to find which service will best serve you.