PebbleHost
Budget 6GB
- 6 GB RAM
from$6.00/mo
- Cheapest per-GB Minecraft/Hytale (Budget from $1/GB)
- 72-hour refund policy, 24/7 Discord support, automatic backups
Price checked September 28, 2026
Advertising disclosure: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It does not change the price you pay or the order of the list.
Game server
Minecraft server hosting: Java or Bedrock, vanilla or modded
Minecraft server hosting keeps your world online for friends or a whole community, whether you play Java or Bedrock. The calculator below sizes the plan for your player count and mods, and the offers show plans from game hosts and VPS providers side by side.
RAM calculator
You need at least
3 GB RAM · 2 vCPU
Our rule of thumb with headroom, never below the developer’s published minimum.
Cheapest VPS plans with 4 GB RAM → OVHcloud · VPS-1 · $4.54/mo
Hosts that run this game
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It does not change the price you pay or the order of the list.
Hostinger
Game Panel 1
- 4 GB RAM
from$6.99/mo
- NVMe + AMD EPYC on all VPS plans
- Free weekly backups
Price checked September 28, 2026 · Renews at $11.99/mo
Shockbyte
Cobblestone
- 3 GB RAM
from$8.39/mo
- Cheap entry plans named after Minecraft blocks
- Big affiliate payout
Price checked September 28, 2026
Apex Hosting
4 GB
- 4 GB RAM
from$8.99/mo
- Established Minecraft specialist
- Unlimited slots
Price checked September 28, 2026 · Renews at $14.99/mo
ScalaCube
3 GB
- 3 GB RAM
- 👥 40
from$10.00/mo
- Free 24/7 6 GB plan for Minecraft and Hytale
- Free domain, DDoS protection, SSD, 14 locations
Price checked September 28, 2026
GTXGaming
Iron
- 4 GB RAM
from$10.35/mo
- Has a dedicated ARK: Survival Ascended page
- Advertises crossplay for Valheim, Palworld, 7DTD
Price checked September 28, 2026
Game host or your own VPS?
| Game host | Own VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | One click in a panel | Terminal / SteamCMD |
| RAM per dollar | Less | More |
| Mods | From the panel | By hand |
| Several games at once | Paid separately | On one server |
Java, Bedrock and what drives the load
Minecraft comes in two editions with different servers. Java Edition runs the official server jar or a performance fork such as Paper, and it is where plugins and big modpacks live. Bedrock Edition - consoles, phones and Windows - uses Bedrock Dedicated Server. Decide which one your players use before you buy; the Geyser plugin can let Bedrock players join a Java server.
On Java, the heaviest factors are loaded chunks and view distance, how spread out players are, farms packed with mobs or items, and above all modpacks from CurseForge or Modrinth, which can multiply what a server needs. Minecraft runs its main game loop on one core, so a fast CPU core matters more than a high core count.
Minecraft server hosting or a VPS?
A game host gives you a panel with one-click installs for Paper, Fabric, Forge and popular modpacks, plus backups and a file manager. It is the shortest route from payment to playing, and the easiest to hand over to a friend who helps run the server.
A VPS costs less per gigabyte and lets you run a proxy network with several servers, a Discord bot or a website on the same machine. The price is admin time: Java updates, the firewall, start scripts and backups are yours to manage. If you already know Linux it is the most flexible option; if not, a panel saves you many evenings.
Tip: pre-generate the world and use the whitelist
Exploring new terrain is what makes most servers stutter, because chunks are generated on the fly. Pre-generating the area around spawn with a plugin such as Chunky before players arrive keeps things smooth on day one.
For a private server, turn on the whitelist so only invited players can join, give operator rights sparingly, and schedule automatic backups of the world folder - griefing and corrupted chunks are both much easier to undo with yesterday’s copy.
Set it up in 5 steps
- Choose Java or Bedrock, then size the plan with the calculator for your players and mods.
- Pick a plan from the offers with a data center close to most of your players.
- Install Paper, Fabric, Forge, a modpack or Bedrock Dedicated Server from the panel or by hand.
- Accept the EULA, set the whitelist and operators, and adjust the view distance.
- Share the address, pre-generate the world and turn on automatic backups.
Server requirements (community wiki)
- RAM
- not published
- CPU
- not published
- Ports
- TCP 25565 (server-port default); query UDP 25565 if enabled; RCON 25575
- Max players
- 20
Source: minecraft.wiki · September 28, 2026
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest Minecraft server hosting?
The offers above show current prices with the date we checked them. A cheap plan is fine for vanilla with a few friends; for modpacks, pay for enough memory rather than the lowest sticker price.
How much RAM does a Minecraft server need?
It depends on the edition, the number of players and above all the mods - a big modpack can need several times more than vanilla. The calculator above gives a figure for your group.
Can Bedrock and Java players join the same server?
Not natively, but the Geyser plugin lets Bedrock players connect to a Java server. Some Java-only features may behave differently for them.
Can I host a Minecraft server for free?
Free hosts exist, but they usually queue your server, limit resources and shut it down when nobody is online. For a server friends can join any time, a paid plan is far more reliable.
Other games
Valheim serverYour own Viking world, always online for the whole crewPalworld serverA persistent Palworld world for your guild, online around the clockARK serverARK: Survival Ascended servers for tribes, clusters and mods7 Days to Die serverHorde nights with your crew on a server that never sleepsProject Zomboid serverA persistent Knox County for your group, with Workshop modsSons of the Forest serverKeep your co-op island online even when the host is awayRust serverYour own Rust server with your wipe schedule, rules and pluginsEnshrouded serverA dedicated world for your group of Flameborn, online 24/7Hytale serverHosting Hytale with friends: options and what to check firstDayZ serverA DayZ server with your own mods, loot and rules for your communityArma Reforger serverYour own Arma Reforger server for your unit or a public community
PebbleHost · Budget 6GB
from $6.00/moSee plan →
from $6.00/moSee plan →