Finding the best Minecraft server hosting company can be a bit of a daunting task. There are so many different factors to consider when purchasing a Minecraft server from hardware to support to pricing. Luckily, we consider all of these factors and more to create this list of the best Minecraft hosting companies.
Our Top Picks
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Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. We may receive a commission at no additional cost to you if you go to these sites and make a purchase.
Why trust us with your Minecraft server hosting?
For years, we have been a leader in Minecraft tutorials. With this, we have helped millions of people create Minecraft servers of their very own, and while we do encourage you to try hosting a server on your own computer, we also know that using a Minecraft server hosting company is a lot easier.
This has led us to try, use, and review all of the most popular Minecraft hosting companies. Here, we have combined all of the information we have gathered on these hosts in one place in order for you to choose the perfect host for your Minecraft server.
What to consider when choosing a Minecraft hosting company?
There are 5 key things you need to consider when you are company server hosting.
- Pricing: Obviously, the amount you want to spend on your Minecraft server hosting is extremely important when considering hosts. We will be using a 4GB plan to compare all hosts.
- Support: At some point, you will have an issue with your Minecraft server. Quick, efficient, and easy-to-access support is a must-have with Minecraft hosting.
- Hosting Locations: The more options for server locations, the more options for getting a server with low latency. That said, the closer the server's location is to you the better.
- Modpacks Supported: One-click installation of modpacks is standard at all hosts in 2023. How many they support does vary, so we are looking at that when comparing hosts.
- Server Hardware: It doesn't matter how much RAM your server has or how good the hosting company's support team is if the hardware your server is being hosted on is low-quality. This information can be challenging to find with many hosts, but we've found it for this list.
Apex Minecraft Hosting
Apex Minecraft Hosting
Best Overall Host
Price: $19.99/mo for 4GB
Support: 24/7 Live Chat Support
Hosting Locations: 15
Modpacks Supported: 260+
Pros
- 24/7 Live Chat Support
- High-End Hardware for Everyone
- Pre-Made Servers for SkyBlock, Factions, Minigames, and more
- Free DDOS Protection & Subdomain
- Automated Daily Backups
- 7-Day Money Back Guarantee
Cons
- Limited Game Support Outside of Minecraft
- Only 15 Hosting Locations
Why Apex Hosting made the list:
Apex Minecraft Hosting is the number one pick on this list and is the best overall Minecraft hosting company in 2023.
This is because Apex provides high-quality 24/7 support, has created a genuinely incredible knowledge base for you to get help with your server, supports over 250 modpacks, and has high-end hardware for all of its servers. This, combined with a competitive price and 15 hosting locations around the world, positions them as Minecraft's top server hosting company in 2023.
Let's take a look at each of these categories a bit more in-depth, though.
Pricing
At Apex, you can purchase a 4GB Minecraft server for $14.99 for the first month. It will then renew at $19.99/month.
This does put Apex on the premium end of Minecraft server hosting in line with other premium hosts. With that, Apex provides premium hardware and support, meaning you get value for the price.
Support
With 24-hour, 7-day-a-week live chat support, Apex Minecraft Hosting is a leader in the Minecraft hosting industry. No matter what the issue your server is having at any time of day, you can get help.
This is huge as you never know when your server will have an issue, so extremely important to have someone to help day or night.
On top of this, Apex Hosting has the best knowledge base out there. You can easily search it, and 80% of their guides have text and video options. Allowing you to follow things at any pace you see fit.
This is all paired with the fact that when you manage your Apex server via the backend management software, there are videos on the left-hand side that are relevant to the page you are on. This is great for getting assistance right as you need it.
For these reasons, Apex ranks number one on our list in regards to support.
Hosting Locations
Apex is the middle-of-the-road option for hosting locations on this list with 15 different data centers around the world. Overall, they have competent support for most major population centers around the world, allowing 80% of people to find a server location very close by.
One of the reasons for the 15 locations instead of the 20+ that other hosts offer is due to the high-end hardware that Apex uses on their servers. This means that they don't have as many data center options available to them in comparison to other hosts with lower-end hardware.
Modpack Support
Apex, like all other hosts on this list, features one-click installation of modpacks. It's super easy to setup any of their supported modpacks.
How many modpacks does Apex Minecraft Hosting support? Well, they currently have over 260 modpacks listed on their site. While not the most on our list, they are towards the top, and one thing that is great about Apex is that they actually keep their modpacks up-to-date, ensuring that you are always running the most recent version when you start your server.
Server Hardware
Hardware is something that many hosting reviews don't mention at all. This is a disservice however as it is extremely important to know the hardware you are getting with your Minecraft server host.
Luckily, Apex has full transparency when it comes to the hardware they are using in their datacenters. In most cases, they are using AMD Ryzen 7 or Ryzen 9 CPUs. These are great CPUs for gaming. Some of their data centers feature Intel CPUs such as the i7-770K, but those are much more rare than their AMD servers.
If you want to see exactly what hardware Apex uses in each of their locations, you can check out this page.
Nodecraft
Nodecraft
Best for Multiple Modpacks
Price: $19.98/mo for 4GB
Support: 9 Hours/Day; 7 Days/Week Live Chat Support
Hosting Locations: 22
Modpacks Supported: 200+
Pros
- “Save & Swap” Features for Easy Multiple Modpack Support
- Free DDOS Protection & Backups
- Diverse Server Locations with Great North America Coverage
- Dedicated IPs for All Customers
- 7-Day Free Trial for Servers
Cons
- Premium Pricing for Hardware
- Live Chat Support Daily from 12:30PM – 9:00PM EST
- Older Hardware That Isn't Great for Game Hosting
Why Nodecraft made the list:
Nodecraft's main benefit is that it allows for incredibly easy switching between multiple Minecraft modpacks and games using their Instances setup. This allows you to have one server and play vanilla Minecraft, two modpacks, and another game, all with just one monthly payment.
Now, I want to mention that you can't play on all of these simultaneously. You can only ever play on one instance at a time. However, the ease of switching between them without any data loss is incredible.
How does Nodecraft stack up in the other categories, though?
Pricing
Nodecraft's pricing is right in-line with other premium hosts. I would like to see better hardware and 24/7 support, both outlined below, for the price you are paying. However, the convenience of easily switching between modpacks and games does help justify the price.
Support
Nodecraft has live chat and phone support 9 hours a day 7 days a week. Their specific support hours are 12:30 PM – 09:00 PM EST. If you play on your server outside of these hours, I'd recommend another host that has support teams available during those hours.
Hosting Locations
With 22 locations around the world, Nodecraft is tied for the most locations on the list. They have a large presence in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacfic regions. Meaning if you live in any of these locations, you can expect to find a server with low latency.
Modpack Support
In regards to modpack support, you can one-click install over 200 modpacks with Nodecraft. This isn't a ton, but it represents all of the most popular modpacks. Any modpacks that they don't support can in theory, be setup manually. However, this is very technical in a lot of cases.
The biggest benefit to modpacks at Nodecraft is the ability to switch between them easily using instances. This allows you to try different packs with friends and quickly move back and forth between them.
Server Hardware
Nodecraft is lagging a bit behind in regards to server hardware. They do claim to not overstuff servers which is very important. However, they use server CPUs instead of more modern AMD or Intel CPUs. This means that you will get worse performance than with hosts that use gaming-focused CPUs like AMD Ryzen. You see Nodecraft's exact hardware specs here.
BisectHosting
BisectHosting
Best Budget Hosting
Budget Price: $11.96/mo for 4GB
Premium Price: $19.96/mo for 4GB
Support: 24/7 Live Chat Support
Budget Hosting Locations: 4
Premium Hosting Locations: 18
Modpacks Supported: 1,000+
Pros
- Best Budget Minecraft Hosting
- 24/7 Live Chat Support
- Free Subdomains
- 3-Day Money Back Guarantee
Cons
- No Hardware Difference Between Budget & Premium Plans
- Data Center Hardware That Isn't Great for Game Hosting
Why BisectHosting made the list:
If you are looking for the top-budget Minecraft server hosting, BisectHosting is what you are looking for. Specifically, the Budget Plan at BisectHosting, and it is what we recommend here.
With the budget plan at Bisect Hosting, you get the same hardware as their premium plan with the ability only to select your server's region and not its exact location. With this, though, you get a server at an extremely affordable.
Something worth noting is that you don't get automatic modpack installations or daily backups with the budget plan. We recommend using a premium host outlined above if you want these features.
Pricing
BisectHosting has two plan structures – Budget and Premium. Here, we are recommending their budget plan which allows you get a 4GB server for just $11.96/month. This is the best deal for a Minecraft server on our list.
We do not recommend the premium plan which is $19.96/month for a 4GB server as there are better premium options on the list.
Support
BisectHosting has 24 hour, 7 day a week live chat support. This is absolutely incredible for our budget Minecraft hosting option.
Hosting Locations
Looking at the budget plan on BisectHosting, you have four locations options – Montreal, New Jersey, Amsterdam, and France. This does limit options for your hosting location. However, for a budget price, it's more options than many hosts provide.
BisectHosting's premium plan offers 18 locations around the world, which is in-line with other premium hosting plans.
Modpacks
On their budget plan, BisectHosting doesn't offer one-click modpack installation. This is something we'd love to see added to this plan. You can manually setup modpacks, but this is much more difficult than one-click installation.
With their premium plan, though, BisectHosting supports one-click installation of over 1,000 different modpack versions. The exact number of modpacks is unknown as they don't have an easy-to-count list. However, we have confirmed there are well over 500 individual modpacks making them number one on our list in regards to modpacks support.
Server Hardware
According to their FAQ, BisectHosting uses Intel Xeon processors. These are data center focus CPUs, and while they can run Minecraft servers they aren't as efficient as AMD Ryzen or even desktop CPUs due to the differences in single-core performance.
There is no hardware difference between the budget and premium plan. Thus, we recommend the budget hosting plan at Bisect. If you want to pay the premium pricing, other hosts on this list have better hardware for the same price.
Shockbyte
Shockbyte
Another Budget Option
Price: $10.00/mo for 4GB
Support: 24/7 Live Chat Support
Hosting Locations: 4
Modpacks Supported: 120+
Pros
- Extremely Affordable Hosting
- 24/7 Live Chat Support
- 3-Day Money Back Guarantee
Cons
- Only 4 General Hosting Locations
- Low-End Hardware
Why Shockbyte made the list:
Shockbyte is the most affordable host on this list. If budget is your primary concern above all else, Shockbyte is a great option. With this, you lose out on some features and get lower-end hardware than other hosts, but you get a server for a budget price.
Let's take a look at a few categories in-depth and how Shockbyte stands up.
Pricing
Shockbyte is a budget host, and that reflects in the price being the cheapest on the list at just $10/month for a 4GB server. The downside is the hardware is lower-end than other hosts, and you cannot choose your server's location.
Support
Shockbyte has 24/7 live chat support. Something that is truly amazing since they are a budget host. They also have a pretty good response time when we tested their support responding to us within 90 seconds of a message being sent!
Hosting Locations
The biggest downside to Shockbyte is the inability to choose more than the region your server is hosted in. There are four options for your server's location – North America, Europe, Singapore, and Australia.
This means that you may have higher latency with Shockbyte as compared to other hosts that ensure you are getting a server close to where you for a better connection.
Modpacks
In regards to one-click modpack support, Shockbyte is at the bottom of our list, supporting around 120 modpacks with one-click installation. This is a huge area for improvement, in my opinion, and it is one of the biggest downsides of Shockbyte.
If you want easily modpack installation, going with another host on this list may be the best option for you.
Server Hardware
Shockbyte has, according to their FAQ, Intel Xeon E-2236 in the majority of their servers. They do have additional hardware including AMD Ryzen 5 and Intel Core i7-7700K, but these are the least common on Shockbyte. Thus, we must assume that most servers will receive the Xeon CPU, which isn't the best for hosting a Minecraft server.
MCProHosting
MCProHosting
Most Unique Backend
Price: $22.99/mo for 4GB
Support: Live Chat Support Daily from 11:00AM – 11:00PM EST
Hosting Locations: 22
Modpacks Supported: 200+
Pros
- Custom Made Management Panel
- Tons of Hosting Locations
- DDOS Protection & Daily Backups Included
- Ability to Custom Hosting Plan
Cons
- High-Priced
- Poor Hardware for The Price
- Live Chat Support Isn't 24/7
Why MCProHosting made the list:
MCProHosting is one of the longest-standing hosting companies out there. The reason that they are on this list, though, mostly comes down to their backend. MCProHosting has a complete custom server management software that allows for one login to manage every aspect of your server, from billing to the modpacks your server has.
On top of this, they have 22 locations around the world for you tying them for first in terms of hosting locations on this list.
Pricing
MCProHosting is very much so a premium host as it is the most expensive 4GB server on this list at $22.99/month. This is one of the biggest reasons we recommend considering other hosts before MCProHosting.
Support
With live chat support on available daily from 11:00AM – 11:00PM EST, MCProHosting doesn't have the 24/7 support that many other Minecraft server hosting companies have. I would love to see MCProHosting add 24/7 support in the future.
Hosting Locations
Locations is where MCProHosting shines featuring 22 locations around the world, including locations that many other hosts don't serve at all like South Africa and New Zealand.
Modpacks
Like many other hosts, MCProHosting is right around average, with 200+ modpacks available for one-click installation.
Server Hardware
The final place that MCProHosting could improve is its hardware. You can find a page with exact specs here, but MCProHosting uses Intel Xeon E5-2600 Processors. These are very old CPUs, and in some cases, may have issues with very CPU-intensive modpacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing the perfect host for your Minecraft server can be difficult and leave you with a lot of questions. Here, we hope to answer some of the common questions you may have when purchasing a Minecraft server.
Does using a server host give me a 24/7 server?
Yes, if you buy a server with a Minecraft hosting company, your server can will be and running 24 hours a day 7 days a week as long as you don't stop the server. These servers are setup and ready to be ran all the time.
Should I get a dedicated IP for my Minecraft server?
No, you do not need a dedicated IP address for your Minecraft server in 99% of cases. If you do need one, they can easily be acquired at that time with no interruption of your server. Thus, save the money on dedicated IPs until you know you need one.
How much RAM do I need for a Minecraft server?
The amount of RAM your Minecraft server needs depends on what you are going to use your server for. Modded servers should have at least 4GB of RAM in most cases.
Paper servers with under 10 plugins and under 5 players can usually have around 2GB of RAM without issues. The more players, plugins, or mods your server has the more RAM it will need.
As a general rule of thumb, 4GB will be good for most servers with modded servers and servers with a lot of plugins, players, or both needing more. You usually don't need more than 15GB dedicated to a Minecraft server, as anything more than this the server can't really use.
Can you host a Minecraft server for free?
The only way to reliably host a Minecraft server for free is to host it on your own computer. Here is our complete guide on creating a Minecraft server on your PC.
Be careful when hosting a server on your own PC, though, as it is only meant for your friends, family, and people you trust. Hosting a server in this way means using your own computer's internet and hardware, meaning you are responsible for security, lag, and ensuring everything runs safely and smoothly.
What is the best Minecraft server hosting?
From our research, Apex Minecraft Hosting is the best overall hosting company. They have high-end hardware, 24/7 live chat support, great modpacks support, and 15 locations all for a reasonable price.
Can you host modpacks on these Minecraft server hosts?
Yes, all of the hosting companies outlined on this list support modpacks. Some will support more than others with their one-click installers, but you can also add modded files directly to your server if the modpack you want to use isn't supported with one-click install.
It is worth noting that Bisect Hosting's budget plan does not support one-click installation.
How much does it cost to host a Minecraft server?
The price will vary with some budget hosting companies charging around $10 for a 4GB Minecraft server and some expensive hosting companies charging over $30 for a 4GB Minecraft server. The best hosts can usually be found in the middle with 4GB servers costing around $20. These middle ground hosts can usually get you the best hardware and still maintain great support.
Can you get a dedicated IP for your Minecraft server?
All of the hosting companies on this list will allow you get a dedicated IP address. With that being said though, it is not needed in most cases, and you are better off purchasing a domain and using that as the IP address on your Minecraft server.
