The Top 10 Minecraft Server Hosting of 2024

With Minecraft becoming one of the most popular online multiplayer games it comes as no surprise that people want to run their own servers so they can play with their friends. Having a server of your own gives you total control over the most minuscule details so you can set it up just like you want it to be.

Even though it is possible to run a Minecraft server from your home, it is not the best solution since you would need high-speed internet and high-performance hardware. Furthermore, you would need to have the server running 24/7 if you want your friends to have access at all times. This is why Minecraft hosting providers are becoming more and more popular.

Finding the best Minecraft hosting provider for your use case can be easier said than done. We want to make it easy for anyone who is interested in getting a Minecraft server. By doing the time-consuming research we have found the best providers for you. Below you will find out what the strengths and weaknesses of each are and which one is the best for you.

Top 10 Minecraft server hosting in 2024

Here’s our list of the Top 10 hosting providers in order:

1. BisectHosting
2. ApexHosting
3. BloomHost
4. Shockbyte
5. UltraServers
6. Gportal
7. GGServers
8. SparkedHost
9. Pufferfish
10. Nitrado

As you can see BisectHosting is the Minecraft hosting provider that comes in as the top contender. This is the provider that we would recommend you use as they are the best overall alternative.

All of our reviews are based on objective metric data that we have gathered with the help of our in-house research model. All data and information are gathered in a methodical manner. If you want more information on how we conduct our data and information gathering, analyzing, reviewing, and rating process, you can click here to read more.

Here are our Top 3 hosting providers catering to what you’re looking for, any of these options will be a great choice but here’s a run down of what you’re looking for.

	Best overall	Best for beginners	Best on a budget
Hosting provider	BisectHosting	Apex Hosting	Sparkedhost
Reason for pick	Great value, Great control panel, Premium DDoS protection.	Extensive library of tutorials and easy-to-navigate control panel.	Budget-friendly and offers a free trial.
Price	Starting at $2.99	Starting at $9.99	Starting at $1.50
RAM	DDR4 ECC 2166	DDR4 ECC 3200	DDR4 ECC 2133
No. players	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Control Panel	Multicraft based control panel that is styled perfectly for easy access	Multicraft 2.0 based control panel that’s easy to navigate for beginners.	Custom control panel with a nice looking design, based on Pterodactyl.

	Total Metric Score	Performance	Control Panel	Support	Locations	Price per GB	DDoS	Modpacks
BisectHosting	29.5	4	4.5	3.5	3.5	4	5	5
ApexHosting	28	4	4	4	4.5	3	5	3.5
BloomHost	28	3	5	3.5	2.5	5	4	5
Shockbyte	27	4	5	2	2.5	5	5	3.5
UltraServers	27	5	5	4	2	4	4	3.5
Gportal	26.5	4	4	3	3.5	5	3	4
GGServers	26	3.5	4	3.5	3.5	4	3.5	4
SparkedHost	25.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	3.5	5	4	2.5
Pufferfish	24.5	3.5	4	1.5	3.5	5	4	3
Nitrado	24.5	4.5	4	2	3.5	2.5	4	4

Minecraft Hosting: What do you need?

There are things you should always consider when searching for a Minecraft server hosting provider, listed below are the most important points that will allow you to understand what to look out for. Alongside a small explanation of what each point is, this information will be super helpful to you when choosing your hosting service. 

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Why run a Minecraft server of your own?

Running a Minecraft server is one of those tasks that are best left to the professionals. If you want to run a successful and smooth Minecraft server, it requires high-end hardware specs and talented workers to create an easy-to-use and professional service. Online games, especially multiplayer games, require more resources to run smoothly and hassle-free.

By running a server through a server hosting service you lose the risk of running a laggy and underperforming Minecraft server. These services provide improved performance, 24/7 uptime, and low latency with reduced cost.

When you’re playing Minecraft through your home internet connection, you don’t have the ability to add your own modifications or make changes to the hardware. A dedicated gaming server also gives you unprecedented control over modifications and software upgrades that can improve your gaming experience overall. 

When you have your own dedicated server host, you also have total control over who can access your Minecraft world. This makes it possible to pick and choose whether you want to keep it limited to just a few close friends or open it up to people across the globe.  For example, SMPearth was one of the first hugely popular Minecraft servers due to a large amount of popular YouTubers and streamers on the server.

Who are we and what is our goal?

We are a group of people who feel that information should be easily accessible to everyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s regarding important information that could benefit your life for the better or if it’s about what hosting provider you should host your Minecraft server with.

All this started when we were in the market of getting a Minecraft server. While searching the internet for reviews and information we found that there really isn’t that much good information on the subject. What little information you can find is often lacking in research and key information is missing.

With our extensive research into this subject, we have tested, listed, and ranked our Top 10 Minecraft hosting providers accordingly. Our reviews are unbiased and we have not been influenced in any way, shape, or form.

We have a certain set of metrics that we use whenever we test, review and rank any provider. Below you will find a detailed description of what these metrics are and how we use them.

We aim to help you find the best Minecraft hosting provider that fits your needs and requirements. We hope you will find these reviews helpful and informative so that you can spend your time on what you really want to do. Play Minecraft!

What metrics do we use when ranking and reviewing?

[icon name=”gauge-high” prefix=”fas”] Performance – We take a look at their CPU, RAM and Storage and give a score regarding how well their specifications will run your Minecraft server.

[icon name=”browser” prefix=”fas”] Control Panel – We look into their control panel and take into account how easy it is to use, its layout and what type of panel it is.

[icon name=”envelope” prefix=”fas”] Support – We test their support ourselves by submitting a ticket and opening live to chat to test their response time and quality of service.

[icon name=”earth-americas” prefix=”fas”] Locations – We check the server location availability for each server and score based on how well each area of the world is covered.

[icon name=”sack-dollar” prefix=”fas”] Price per GB – We check their plans and pricing and give a score on how affordable each provider is per GB or RAM.

[icon name=”shield-quartered” prefix=”fas”] DDoS – We look into what level of DDoS protection each provider has, how much traffic it can handle, and if it’s available for all server locations.

[icon name=”gamepad-modern” prefix=”fas”] Modpacks – We look into how many modpacks are available as a one-click installation for your server, if you have to pay extra for modpacks, and if modpacks have to be installed manually.

Comparison of Minecraft Hosting Providers of 2024

Provider	CPU	RAM	Storage	Games Available	Game Swapping	Free Subdomain	MySQL Database	Locations
BisectHosting	2x XEON E5-2643v3	DDR4 ECC 2166	NVMe/SSD	21	Partially	Yes	Yes	17
ApexHosting	2x XEON Gold 6348	DDR4 ECC 3200	NVMe	18	Yes	Yes	Yes	15
BloomHost	AMD Ryzen 9 3900/5950X	DDR4 non-ECC 2400	NVMe	Minecraft only	No	No	Yes	4-6
Shockbyte	AMD Ryzen 5 3600X	DDR4 3200	NVMe	20	No	Yes	Yes	9
UltraServers	AMD EPYC 9654	DDR5 ECC 4800	Ent NVMe	8	Yes	Yes	Yes	3
Gportal	Intel Xeon E-2288G	DDR4 ECC 2133	NVMe	100+	Yes	Yes	Yes	9
GGServers	XEON E5-1650v3	DDR4 ECC 2133	NVMe/SSD	Minecraft only	No	Yes	Premium	9
SparkedHost	2x XEON E5-2697v3	DDR4 ECC 2133	Ent NVMe	9	No	Yes	Yes	8
Pufferfish	Ryzen 9 5959x	DDR4 RAM	NVMe/SSD	Minecraft only	No	Yes	Yes	4
Nitrado	CPU NOT SPECIFIED	ECC RAM	SSD	129	Yes	Yes	Yes	9

Benchmark Graphs

^click to enlarge.

Top 10

1. BisectHosting

BisectHosting is a provider that is on the more expensive side. Although they offer budget plans they don’t include all the features you may need for your server. Apart from not being affordable, BisectHosting still delivers a service of good quality even though some features are limited to premium plans.

Their service offers a good gameplay experience with no major issues in performance. Since they own most of their servers they have complete control over how their Intel XEON servers are configured, ensuring you will get a good experience while playing Minecraft. While budget plans have regular SSD storage, premium plans have fast NVMe storage.

The control panel on BisectHosting is very organized and helpful, there are many options available at the top of the screen for what action you would like to do to a certain file. The control panel is similar to others reviewed here so if you’re looking for something familiar this is a good option.

If you want access to all of your backups There is an extra cost depending on how many days of backups you want access to. This costs up to $3.99 for 7 days worth of backups and is one of the reasons why we recommend you go for the premium plans.

BisectHosting support also has another case of adding extra cost for more support, $3.99/month for extra support on your server which isn’t good for beginners who are on a budget. This hosting service is more for people who have owned servers before and understand the configuration behind them.

Still, their regular ticket support and live chat responded within minutes and were very professional during both interactions. Their customer support staff seems to be knowledgeable and keen to serve their customers.

Lots of the great features of BisectHosting are limited to premium plans. Locations are one of these features, without a premium plan you will only have access to 3 server locations out of the total 17. Adjusting the number of players on your server is also a feature saved for the premium plans.

Their lowest-priced budget plan starts at $2.99/month which makes them fairly affordable if you can live without certain premium features. If you would want those features, their premium plans start at $7.99/month.

During our data and information gathering on BisectHosting, we were in contact with them via ticket. While asking about their level of DDoS protection and how much traffic it can handle, we got this answer. See the below quote.

“We do not offer protection at all of our locations because less than 1% of clients need it. By not offering it at all of the locations it costs us less to host your server. This allows us to offer you better prices. In the unlikely event your server does get attacked we will move it to one of our DDoS-protected locations for absolutely free.”

BisectHosting also offers a long list of modpacks to be pre-installed on your server. However, if you don’t see the modpack you want; you can purchase the Advanced Support Addon for your server, which is just $3.99/month and includes unlimited modpack installs and updates for your server. 

Furthermore, they offer some fun features outside of your server such as mailing you stickers if you want to represent their services outside of the game too! “We’ll mail you 4 high-quality vinyl BisectHosting stickers of 2 different sizes.” This option is found at the end of their checkout, pretty cool!

2. ApexHosting

While not the most affordable Apex Hosting is still a good pick for beginners since they have an extensive library of Minecraft tutorials. Though they have some work to do on their modpack permissions and control panel layout.

Apex Hosting has a wide range of Minecraft server plans that you can pick and choose from. Their documentation for issues you may run into whilst using your server is great, it is well-written and easy to navigate.

When it comes to performance Apex Hosting offers Intel XEON processors coupled with DDR4 RAM and fast NVMe storage. Staff will monitor all servers and make sure that they won’t overload and cause your gameplay experience to be bad.

However, they don’t quite reach our top rank as they are lacking in areas such as modpacks and their control panel could use some optimization. The current layout and features can be hard to navigate as a first-time user as there are many tabs that can be confusing to people who haven’t owned a server before.

Apex Hosting has a great array of locations for you to choose from, they cover all areas of the world so no matter where you are you can have a low-latency server. They host 3 server locations in Europe, 6 in North America, 1 in Oceania, 1 in Asia, and 1 in South America. These locations are all available for no extra cost with all plans offered.

The support on Apex Hosting is great, they respond quickly and professionally, although if you are in need of a bit of extra support they require you to pay. It’s an extra $5.00 on whichever plan you’re buying if you want access to premium support. 

Apex Hosting has a price of $5.00/GB of RAM. Their cheapest package is $7.49 first month Recurring Price $9.99/per month. This is a reasonable price range for their services since they offer many interesting features with their Minecraft server plans.

Information on DDoS protection for servers of Apex Hosting is limited. This is the only information given on the subject “Our network is secure and safe from DDoS attacks. Stay protected behind our enterprise-level threat mitigation system that has been rated to handle the largest of attacks, including those up to 300Gbps”

We do not recommend Apex Hosting if you would like to play modded Minecraft and you’re on a budget. To have access to all modpack installations you are required to purchase the more expensive plans, this means you will be needing to spend $29.99 rather than the lowest $9.99 monthly fee.

3. BloomHost

BloomHost is a Minecraft hosting provider that offers a wide range of features to its users. One of the standout features of BloomHost is its well-designed website and control panel. The control panel, which is named DuckPanel and is based on Pterodactyl, has been heavily customized to provide an intuitive and user-friendly experience. With this control panel, users can easily navigate and manage their servers without encountering any difficulties. The design of the control panel is also quite attractive, making it a pleasure to use.

In terms of performance, BloomHost offers Minecraft servers that run on AMD Ryzen 9 processors, paired with DDR4 non-ECC RAM with speeds of 2400-2933MHz depending on the plan chosen. Furthermore, they utilize NVMe SSD storage, which ensures that the servers perform at lightning-fast speeds. It is worth noting that none of their plans offer unlimited storage capacity.

As previously mentioned, BloomHost utilizes a control panel named DuckPanel, which is quite impressive. It offers easy access to all the features that they provide, and its design is aesthetically pleasing.

It is worth noting that BloomHost offers Minecraft servers in six locations, with four of them being in the US. Specifically, these locations are in Ashburn, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Miami. They only have one location in the EU, which is Germany. The last server location is in Singapore, but it is only available for the Performance+ plans.

One of the areas where BloomHost falls short is in its support. Although they do offer support, it is not available 24/7, and there is no live chat option except for their Discord server. However, they claim to respond within five minutes on their Discord server. In terms of pricing, BloomHost offers very affordable plans, with a starting price of $10 per month for the Minecraft plan of the lowest tier. They offer three different tiers of Minecraft plans, and the price per GB of RAM is $2.25, $2.50, and $3.00, which is quite affordable even for the Performance+ plans.

To protect its network infrastructure, BloomHost utilizes DDoS protection with Cloudflare Magic Transit. With over 100Tbps of L3/L4 mitigation capacity, they ensure their customers are sufficiently protected against DDoS attacks.

In addition to all of these features, BloomHost offers more than 100 Minecraft modpacks that are available to install from their control panel with just one click. Overall, BloomHost is an excellent Minecraft hosting provider that offers a lot of features, even for lower-tier Minecraft plans. We at Top10MinecraftHosting highly recommend BloomHost to anyone looking for an affordable Minecraft server with great features and performance.

4. Shockbyte

Though lacking in support and server locations Shockbyte offers many features while staying affordable. However, with the improved quality of their customer support and an expansion of server locations, they can truly become a top pick.

Shockbyte has many features that will ensure a good gaming experience, they are a great option if you are on a budget and want to play modded Minecraft. Their plans are cheaper than the providers previously mentioned and also have unlimited player slots but do recommend a certain number of players depending on your server type. 

Their server hardware consists of AMD Ryzen 5 3600X processors and DDR4 NON-ECC RAM with a speed of 3200 MHz. Together with fast NVMe storage, this ensures you will get a good gameplay experience.

We had an overall a really bad experience with our attempts in contacting Shockbyte via ticket and live chat. As we mentioned earlier our messages were read while chatting, but we got no response back. 

The next day we tried contacting them via live chat once more, but after entering our contact details and starting the chat it didn’t take long before the session was closed without a response. 

While most providers responded via ticket within minutes, some a couple of hours. Shockbyte still has not responded as of writing this review a whole 48 hours after we sent the initial ticket.

This shows that they need to expand their customer support staff so they stand by the 24/7 support they claim to have. This is not acceptable for users as more severe problems can be left unsolved for hours on end without any idea of when a solution will be available. 

The locations on Shockbyte could be improved as they only list one server location in Europe, one in America, one in Australia, and one in Singapore as well as the specific locations not being listed. So latency may vary when using Shockbyte and they can not guarantee a lag-free server.

Shockbyte’s pricing for their plans comes to $2.50/GB. Their cheapest plan starts at $2.50 and includes 1GB of RAM. The recommended player slots are 8 but their actual number is unlimited.

All of their Minecraft server plans have the ability to install all modpacks, so if you are planning on playing modded Minecraft on a budget this option is great. There are no pre-installed modpacks available or one-click installations pre-setups. Though you can install modpacks manually when you have a Minecraft server up and running.

5. UltraServers

Our next review goes to UltraServers and with all the features offered and affordable pricing it’s not hard to see why. Their all-in-one control panel is very user-friendly and gives you access to everything, including billing and support. With affordable pricing and enterprise grade hardware, UltraServers is a great choice for those that want an amazing gameplay experience.

UltraServers is one of the unique servers reviewed here, they offer great game flexibility with their resource splitting feature. Which lets you split your server resources into sections and have several games installed and running at the same time. 

This feature is very useful for people who like to easily switch between versions of Minecraft and JARs such as: Spigot, Paper, Purpur, Bungeecord, SpongeForge, Feather, Fabric, Forge, and many others.

Though other providers will let you swap games, you will not find this resource splitting feature at any other provider, making UltraServers really unique in that regard.

UltraServers plans have the best proposed cost for value, and all plans offer unlimited player slots. Ultraservers plans start at $5.95 USD / mo with 4 GiB Memory, 2 vCores CPU, 100 GiB Storage. Which is one of the lowest priced hosts considering the price per GB and cost of resources overall.

UltraServers have made sure they live up to their name. All their servers are equipped with AMD EPYC processors and DDR5 ECC with a speed of, 4800Mhz. To match this high performance hardware, all servers also use enterprise grade NVMe storage. We can with a high degree of certainty say that you will not have a bad gameplay experience with these specs.

As of writing this review, UltraServers only have three server locations to offer, they started out with 2 locations and due to customer demand, recently added a new loactioin. During our contact with their Customer Support, we did get confirmation that they will be expanding their server locations in the near future as popularity rises in other areas of the world. They currently host servers in New York US, Frankfurt Germany and Singapore.

All of their servers are protected from DDoS attacks of all kinds. That includes not only Layer 3 and 4, but also Layer 7. Not only will they protect their servers with on-premise DDoS protection, but they are also in partnership with Cloudflare Magic Transit.

Similarly, their support could also use a small improvement, as they are limited to tickets only for technical issues currently. Although their responses are fast and professional, a live chat is not available for sales, so anything related to customer’s existing servers offers support.

UltraServers offers full premium support for no extra cost, whereas other providers require extra payment for this feature. This means you will get all the help you need from their professional customer support staff.

The control panel on UltraServers is nothing but amazing. You can find your server dashboard, console, configurations, profile settings, billing, and everything else all in one place. This means you have easy access to everything you will need to tailor your gaming experience to your exact needs and requirements.

From the control panel, you will also be able to automatically install Minecraft modpacks with just one click of a button. Included in all plans is one of the largest local libraries of modpacks. Which means you won’t have to wait for a download to finish every time you install another modpack. 

Furthermore, in the control panel, there’s easy management for your automated backups. Apart from letting you store backups on the server or downloading them. UltraServers will also store your backups in an offsite location that is mirrored to a second offsite location in the future. This makes UltraServers the only provider who follows the Backup rule of 3.

Finally, UltraServers is also one of the few ones that fully owns their server hardware. Unlike other hosting providers that resell dedicated servers relying on other companies to provide what they need, UltraServers have the direct ability to tailor their resources to give you the best gaming experience. 

6. Gportal

Gportal is a game server hosting provider with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Overall, we found their offerings to be commendable, here is the review on various aspects of their service.

Gportal’s servers deliver solid performance, providing a smooth gaming experience for both myself and my friends. The stability of their servers is impressive and with low latency, even during intense gaming sessions. This aspect is crucial, as it ensures a seamless gameplay environment without disruptions.

The control panel provided by Gportal is user-friendly and intuitive. It offers a comprehensive range of features, allowing easy server customization and management. Whether you’re a seasoned server administrator or a newcomer, you’ll find it relatively easy to configure your server settings and install mods or plugins.

While Gportal offers customer support, their response times seem to be somewhat slower than expected. Although their support agents were knowledgeable and helpful, it took longer than anticipated to receive a resolution to my queries. I believe that Gportal could benefit from improving its support system to ensure faster response times and better customer assistance.

Gportal boasts an extensive selection of server locations, including Frankfurt and London in Europe, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Dallas, and New York in the USA, Sydney in Australia, Taipei in China, and Tokyo in Japan. This wide geographical coverage allows players from different regions to enjoy low-latency connections and an improved gaming experience. However, I hope to see Gportal expanding their location offerings even further to cater to a broader audience.

Gportal offers competitive pricing, particularly when it comes to their price per GB of server space. Their affordability makes them an attractive option for both casual gamers and those running larger communities or events. It’s worth noting that Gportal provides flexibility in terms of subscription durations, allowing users to choose the plan that best fits their needs and budget.

While Gportal does offer DDoS protection for its servers, it seems to be relatively average compared to some other hosting providers. While this might not be a significant concern for most users, those who prioritize robust DDoS protection may want to explore additional options.

Their modpacks support a wide variety of modpacks, making it easy for players to enhance their gaming experiences. With a vast collection of mods to pick from, you can customize your server to suit your preferences and create a unique gaming environment for you and your friends.

In conclusion, Gportal offers a reliable and feature-rich game server hosting service. With their extensive experience in the industry, they have developed a solid infrastructure and a user-friendly control panel. Despite some areas for improvement in customer support and DDoS protection, Gportal’s competitive pricing, a wide selection of server locations, and compatibility with various modpacks make them a reputable choice for gamers worldwide.

7. GGServers

GGServers control panel is not the best we have seen and they are missing some features in their budget plans. But their customer support staff is dedicated and eager to help. This makes GGServers a reasonable choice for anyone wanting a server.

They have a very nice website layout and easy checkout service. Unlimited player slots are not a feature with this hosting provider, the cheapest plan allows 12 player slots and the threshold heightens with the more expensive plans.

When it comes to performance and server hardware GGServers does not have top-of-the-line specs. Servers are equipped with older Intel XEON processors, and DDR4 ECC RAM with speeds of only 2133Mhz. Depending on if you have a budget or premium plan you will get regular SSD or NVMe storage.

Their control panel could use some work since it was poorly categorized and does not fit the page well so all of the settings and options look overwhelming. The settings are in a long unorganized list that is not optimized to manage your server, their control panel could use more complex tabs to split up features similar to other providers.

GGServers support team is very active and helpful, they are tolerant to even the smallest of questions that may seem obvious to more experienced players. While offering support via ticket they also have a live chat for those of you that prefer real-time support.

There are only 2 locations available for basic plans with GGServers, but with their premium plans, you will get access to all 11 server locations. Their rank on location is severely limited due to their lack of options open to the budget plans.

Their lowest-priced plan also has limited player slots, starting at 12 and increasing with the more expensive plans. Although you can choose to make the slots unlimited for an extra $2.00.

GGServers offers a selection of budget plans as well as premium plans. If you opt for a budget plan you will pay $3.00/GB, while the premium plan goes for $6/GB. Their lowest-priced budget plan starts at $3.00/month and the premium is $6.00/month.

We gathered DDoS information by chatting with GGServers, this is what they said.
“We offer DDR4 RAM at 2100+ MHz and no more than 64 GB per node.” We do not know if their support staff just misread our questions or if there’s some knowledge missing.

We tried several times to press the question further but did not get any more info than this “We provide protection for all types of DDoS attacks. This is not something you’ll have to worry about if you choose to host a server with us”. So unfortunately we have no detailed information about their DDoS protection.

GGServers also have great options for the types of servers you would like to run. Although their options are a bit unorganized as their list for mod installers/launcher has some random mod packs listed alongside them which can be a bit confusing.

8. SparkedHost

Coming in now is SparkedHost, and if you’re looking for a budget-friendly Minecraft hosting provider, this is definitely a provider you should be taking a closer look at. With servers starting at $1.00/month, they’re very easy on your wallet.

SparkedHost is a US-based Minecraft hosting provider that’s been in business for quite a while. In their own words, their mission is to offer affordable yet high-quality services, paired with innovative and intuitive features. 

Luckily, since there are many options, they have divided all Minecraft server plans into three different tiers: Budget, Enterprise, and Extreme. Included in all of these tiers are Free subdomains, Free MySQL databases, Unlimited Player Slots, SFTP Access, DDoS Protection, and more.

One of the areas where SparkedHost supposedly shines is Customer Support. With a score of 4.8 on Trustpilot you can rest assured that your interactions with them will be of good quality. Support is available 24/7 and apart from tickets they also offer live chat support. 

Although they have very good Trustpilot reviews our experience with them had a slow response time although they were still informative. They took over 64 minutes to respond which still beats some other providers but could be better

The selection of Minecraft server plans is of a wide variety and so are the server locations. Locations cover most of North America, Europe, and Australia. Though lacking locations in South America they have one location available in Singapore if you choose an Enterprise plan.

SparkedHost’s plans work out at $2.20/GB. Their lowest-priced plan starts at $2.20/month and $4.00/month for the “extreme plans”. There is also the option to go extra cheap with their budget option but it is paid quarterly only and has cheaper hardware that may not run your server as efficiently.

Besides being budget-friendly and offering quality customer support they also have an extensive library of guides and tutorials. Both for general things related to SparkedHost and more Minecraft-specific stuff.

SparkedHost has layer 7 DDoS protection at two of their server locations, which are Dallas and London. They do not offer any information on the level of DDoS protection for the rest of their servers.

SparkedHost do not offer pre-installed modpacks on your server at checkout, however, in their control panel you can download CurseForge, Modrinth, Technicpack, FTB, and Voidswrath modpacks.

Overall, SparkedHost is a good alternative for those with a small budget, and they definitely deserve a spot in the Top 10 Minecraft Hosting Providers of 2023.

9. Pufferfish

Pufferfish Minecraft Hosting excels in the performance department, earning a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. Pufferfish’s dedication to delivering top-notch hardware and server optimization truly shines through. Their CPU overpowers most of the other hosts on the market. This makes for a smooth and enjoyable gameplay experience, which should allow you to play with no limitations.

While Pufferfish offers a functional control panel, it falls short in terms of user-friendliness. It gets the job done, but it can be a bit unintuitive for beginners. However, more experienced users may appreciate the level of control it provides. A more user-friendly interface would greatly enhance the overall experience.

The feature alone of having to download the dashboard to your local PC can show to be a failing point for the host, since every different PC you would like to access your server from will require you to download the Pufferfish app.

The support from Pufferfish Minecraft Hosting is commendable. They are responsive and helpful, with knowledgeable staff ready to assist with any issues or questions. However, they don’t get the 5/5 rating as some of the information requested in our ticket was ignored rather than being addressed as private information. This leads us to believe they either don’t want to give us answers or may just need to read all tickets on more than a surface level. But their response was among the absolute fastest of all the hosts we have dealt with.

Locations are where Pufferfish Hosting falls short. The limited number of server locations can be a drawback, especially for players who want to host their servers closer to their target audience. More geographical diversity would greatly enhance their service and cater to a broader user base. They have 2 USA locations, 1 Finnish locations and 1 German location. Which doesn’t leave a great option for central Asian users.

One of Pufferfish’s most attractive features is its competitive pricing. They offer an excellent price per GB ratio, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious gamers. The affordability, combined with their outstanding performance, is a significant selling point. Although their starting price per month is higher than most hosts since you are required to start at the 4GB plan as there are no lower RAM options available.

Pufferfish Hosting provides solid DDoS protection, which is crucial for maintaining server stability and security. While it’s effective, some users may desire even more robust protection, especially those running high-profile servers. Nevertheless, it should suffice for the majority of users. Their L4 and L7 DDoS protection is sure to make the users feel safe and will surely keep the servers safe too.

Unfortunately, Pufferfish Minecraft Hosting falls short when it comes to modpack support. Their limited selection and difficulty in adding custom modpacks may disappoint users who crave variety and customization. Expanding their modpack library and would significantly improve this aspect. Installing modpacks manually can be daunting, so expanding the modpack library is something I’m sure the users would look forward to.

In conclusion, Pufferfish Minecraft Hosting is a fantastic choice for gamers who prioritize performance and affordability above all else. With impeccable server performance, budget-friendly pricing, and strong customer support, it excels in several key areas. However, improvements are needed in terms of server location options, a more user-friendly control panel, and expanded modpack support to truly make it a well-rounded hosting service.

10. Nitrado

Nitrado boasts the utilization of the latest Intel CPUs, a commendable feature that contributes to the overall performance of their game servers. However, the lack of specificity regarding the exact model or generation of CPUs utilized introduces an element of ambiguity.

Assuming they are, indeed, leveraging the most recent Intel processors, the awarded score of 4 is justified. Clear communication about the technical specifications would undoubtedly enhance transparency and potentially elevate this rating. When inquiring about their exact CPU they stated they cannot and will not release the details of the information, so all we can base our score off of is the info stated on their page.

One of Nitrado’s standout features is its user-friendly control panel, which not only exudes a clean and intuitive design but also facilitates seamless navigation. This is particularly crucial for users who delve into the intricacies of game server configuration, as the ability to easily navigate settings ensures a smoother overall experience.

Dividing the settings into sections, each dedicated to essential configurations, showcases a thoughtful approach to user experience. The high score of 4.5 attests to the success of their efforts in this regard. The colour of the control panel can also be praised as it uses colours that are easy on the eyes and can be calming in a way which allows for a smooth and relaxed user experience.

While Nitrado’s service offerings shine in certain aspects, the support system reveals a notable area for improvement. A response time exceeding 10 hours for a support ticket, especially when submitted during business hours, raises concerns about the responsiveness of their customer support team.

This extended wait time could potentially impact users with urgent inquiries or pressing issues. A score of 2.5 reflects the need for Nitrado to address and enhance the efficiency of their support response mechanisms.

The geographical distribution of Nitrado’s servers across Europe, America, and Asia is a strategic move to cater to a diverse global user base. With a total of nine locations, this regional coverage ensures low-latency experiences for players worldwide.

While the distribution is relatively balanced, the score of 3.5 acknowledges the importance of a broad server network while leaving room for potential expansion to further bolster their global presence.

The pricing structure is an integral aspect of any service, and in Nitrado’s case, it presents both strengths and limitations. The intervals of RAM in GB is 2, 3, 4, and 7 for a 10 player slot server and whilst this may suit certain users, the absence of options in between these tiers may alienate those with specific hosting needs falling outside these parameters.

A more flexible pricing model that accommodates a broader range of requirements could enhance the appeal of Nitrado’s services. Consequently, the score of 2.5 underscores the need for greater pricing versatility.

As well as eliminating the restrictive player slot options, since Minecraft servers do not have limitations by default. For example, 20 people can easily play on an 8GB server without needing to pay extra for the slots and extra RAM options, personally, I think the player slot limitation is an easy way for them to make money and should be abolished.

Nitrado’s inclusion of DDoS protection through SteelShield is a noteworthy asset in safeguarding the stability and security of their game servers. However, the lack of explicit details regarding the level of protection raises questions about its comprehensiveness and effectiveness can be a bit off-putting to most users.

Despite this, the well-articulated information about the type of protection employed contributes to the overall positive impression. With a more explicit specification of the protection level, the score of 4 could potentially be elevated.

Nitrado’s support for modpacks is commendable, offering users the flexibility to switch between them seamlessly. While the absence of a specific count of available modpacks may leave some users curious, the assurance of assistance in addressing related issues adds a layer of user support. The score of 4 reflects the overall positive experience users can expect when it comes to incorporating and managing modpacks within Nitrado’s hosting environment.

Nitrado seems to be a company that values their privacy when it comes to the specs of their servers. When inquiring as a customer about the details of their CPU control panel and DDoS, they stated they have NDA’s in place with the companies they are partnered with.

Finally, In addition to the discussed metrics, the imposition of an additional cost of $1.60 per player slot beyond a certain limit raises eyebrows. This pricing strategy may be perceived as restrictive and could be a potential deterrent for users with plans for larger gaming communities. A reconsideration of this approach might enhance the overall attractiveness of Nitrado’s offerings.

Other Providers We Have Reviewed

If you think we have missed reviewing some providers, do not worry. We have reviewed more than the ones in the Top 10 list. You can find a collection of all our reviews by following this link.

Our collection of reviews is constantly growing as we aim to give you the most up-to-date information about the Minecraft hosting provider industry. We will be reviewing new hosting providers and also revisiting those that we have already reviewed to make sure our information is still relevant.

Free vs Paid Minecraft Server: Should you pay or not?

There are a couple of providers that offer free Minecraft servers, and some of them are actually on our Top 10 list. But is this a viable option for your long-term use of a Minecraft server? Well, it depends on your use case. 

If you only need the most basic Minecraft server with no extra mods or features. A free server could actually be worth taking a look at. Though keep in mind that resources, features, and such things will be very limited.

As an example, we have ServerPro which offers a free Minecraft server at the surprisingly low price of $0/hour. For that, you will get access to a server with 2 vCores and 1 GB of RAM. So like we said, resources are very limited.

Even though free servers are available it is not really something that we would recommend if you have even the slightest plan to mod or just have some sort of ownership of the server. You would be better off taking a look at some of the cheapest plans offered by providers. Since those often have some features included in the price.

Our Review and Rating Process

In our effort to present you with a list of the Top 10 Minecraft Hosting Providers of 2023, we have made it a point to perform outstanding research. Gathering a lot of data and information is a key part of our review and rating process. 

To make sure all reviews are based on objective data we have created a research model that we apply to each of the providers that we review. During our research phase, we will not only gather data and information. We will also execute specific tasks aimed at determining the performance of numerous aspects.

When we review a Minecraft hosting provider we determine the quality based on a certain set of metrics. Following our strict testing methodology to make sure every provider meets specific criteria in several categories.

Below you will find the specific metrics that we have concluded to be the most important when you are looking for a Minecraft hosting provider. 

• Performance
• Control Panel
• Support
• Locations
• Price per GB
• DDoS
• Modpacks

All our reviews are based on the findings that we have gathered in an objective and methodical fashion. 

Our research and review staff pride themselves on always being objective and methodical in their testing and analysis of each hosting provider. Making sure that both the gaming experience and price-to-performance value are good.

All reviews go through a rigorous reviewing process where several of our staff will proofread and fact-check the reviews.

Testing Methodology

All of the Minecraft hosting providers that we test will be subject to rigorous testing performed by our staff who will perform a set list of tasks aimed at determining the performance of numerous aspects. Such aspects are server performance, ticket response time, quality of service, and many more.

These tests are carefully designed to imitate the actual use of the service provided, so as not to provoke any kind of suspicion during our testing. With our tests being designed to imitate actual use we can ensure that the outcome will be just as if a customer were to use the service.

Ranking Process

During the research and testing phase, the result of all the information and data that has been gathered will be compiled and ranked. Each of the metric categories will get a score between 0 and 5 depending on the results. 

After we have distributed the scored metrics for each category a total score will be calculated between 0 and 5. The process of calculating the metrics is done meticulously and with exact precision. To mitigate any errors this process is repeated several times before we go ahead and publish the results.

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