7 Best Minecraft Server Hosting Services for Minecrafters Wanting a Next-Level Experience

Minecraft has low system requirements and places no limits on player creativity – no wonder the game has a monthly player base of 131 million and counting. There are many ways of playing Minecraft, but if you want to get the most out of the multiplayer experience, you will find yourself needing to host your own game. Luckily, several hosting providers offer Minecraft hosting.

The best Minecraft server hosting provides a lag-free experience consistently. But excellent performance and high availability are often not enough for the best experience. DDoS protection, ease of setup, and mods allowed are other important features that make the best Minecraft server hosting service.

In this post, we review the features of some of the top Minecraft server hosting providers and determine which one of them is the best Minecraft server hosting service.

7 Best Minecraft Server Hosting Services Reviewed

Here’s a detailed look at the best the industry has to offer:

#1 Apex Hosting

Apex Hosting is among the best-known Minecraft server hosting companies, having deployed over 200,000 servers through its years in the industry. It’s not hard to see why the company has a good reputation. 

The company has servers in 16 locations spread out globally, ensuring that all Minecrafters get the low-latency performance they want. After you sign up, you can set up your Minecraft server in as little as five minutes with the easy-to-use control panel.

If you have trouble setting it up, you can refer to the video tutorials on the site or contact the expert support team via live chat. Ticket support is also available. 

The company offers over 200 modpacks that you can install in one click. Additionally, you can integrate several plugins, mini-games, and maps into the game with ease right through the control panel.

What’s more, the company offers a free sub-domain to all users regardless of what plan they get. This makes it very easy for players to connect to your server.

Backups of your server are created automatically, guaranteeing that data won’t be lost in the event of a hardware failure or a bad configuration.

Apex Hosting is one of the only Minecraft server hosting providers that gives users complete server control while also providing a rich set of options to enhance the world-building experience. Apex Hosting is one of the best Minecraft server hosting providers, making it hard not to recommend.

Pricing

With eight plan tiers starting at $9.99/month, Apex Hosting offers something for every Minecrafter. If you pay quarterly, you will get a 10% discount on the plans.

Apex Hosting also offers an “EX Series plan,” which offers servers with 15GB of RAM, giving access to all the available modpacks. Additionally, it comes with a free dedicated IP and premium support. 

Coming in at $79.99/month, it’s a reasonable hosting choice for players looking to host massive games with many players.

The seven-day money-back guarantee is reassuring of the company’s commitment to quality service.

Pros

• 24/7 live chat support
• Changing server version files is allowed
• Automated backups
• Java or Bedrock servers provide low-latency gameplay
• Free subdomain provided to every customer
• Minecraft maps, mini-games, and plugins supported in addition to mods

Cons

• Not available in many languages

#2 Hostinger

Hostinger is considered one of the best website hosting providers in the industry. However, the company also offers excellent hosting plans explicitly tailored for Minecraft. 

The Game Panel enables you to set up and manage your Minecraft server in a few clicks. Further, your data is stored on a double RAID setup, and the company makes backing up your data very convenient.

Since the servers use SSDs, you don’t have to worry about the server’s performance limiting your gameplay. The company’s Minecraft servers are located in the US, UK, Singapore, Netherlands, and Lithuania, so you will not have latency issues no matter where you are in the world.

All users get full root access, which means there are no limits to how many modpacks you can install. The company makes using modpacks convenient by including pre-installed ones in the control panel. 

You can add or remove the modpacks as you please or add modpacks that don’t come included in the Control Panel without much hassle. 

If you’ve never set up a Minecraft hosting server before, the site contains tutorials to guide you through the process. And if you get stuck, the support team is fast to respond and will help you with any questions.

Pricing

Hostinger offers a total of seven Minecraft server hosting plans, with prices starting at $8.95/month and going up to $77.99/month.

The lowest plan comes with 2GB RAM and two CPU cores, and the RAM and CPU cores increase as the plan tier goes up. All plans come with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to all users.

The solid features offered for the affordable pricing make Hostinger one of the best Minecraft server hosting services out there.

Pros

• Instant server setup
• Easy-to-use Game Panel
• Fast support team
• DDoS Protection
• Free MySQL
• 99.9% uptime guarantee
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

• No phone support
• Live chat requires login

#3 Shockbyte

If you’re looking for a reliable Minecraft server hosting at affordable prices, Shockbyte is among the best Minecraft server hosting options.

The company has been offering hosting to gamers since 2013, and enables you to host games on Ark, Rust, and Terraria in addition to Minecraft.

When you sign up, the automated system will set up your server instantly, so you can start playing in a matter of minutes.

While the company offers 24/7 customer support like the other companies, the 100% uptime service level agreement and 100% protection from DDoS make it stand out.

Further, the server hosting offers Java and Bedrock edition support on all Minecraft server versions.

The low-priced plans will help you host a game for dirt cheap, but Shockbyte is more popular for its powerful high-end plans. 

But there are some downsides to getting Shockbyte hosting. Unlike Apex Hosting, you only get 40 installable modpacks on the control panel. While plugins are available, mini-games and map support is not available. That said, you are allowed to upload files to your server via FTP and install plugins.

Another disadvantage with Shockbyte hosting is that the company only offers a 24-hour money-back guarantee, which seems a bit stingy considering the guarantee period other hosting services offer.

On the plus side, though, the support team is fast and helpful, the plans are reasonable, the performance is great, and the support section is filled with helpful articles. 

While not the best Minecraft server hosting option overall, Shockbyte is commendable if their plans make more financial sense to you. 

Pricing

Shockbyte offers a larger array of plans than most other Minecraft server hosting services. The company’s 12 plans ensure that no player needs to pay more than they need to for the level of game hosting they want.

The “Dirt” plan is offered at $2.50/month, giving customers access to 1GB of RAM and 8+ player slots. Higher tiers offer more powerful servers and additional player slots.

Three of the twelve plans are premium plans, offering 10GB, 12GB, and 15GB of RAM for $25, $30, and $40, respectively. There is also an additional option of creating a custom plan if any offered plans do not meet your specific requirements.

Regardless of which plan you get, you can select the server location, get a dedicated IP for $5 extra a month, and get server management features for $15 extra a month.

All come with a free subdomain, which is a nice plus.

Pros

• DDoS protection 
• 24/7 support
• Custom JAR support and full FTP access
• Task scheduling options
• 100% uptime guarantee
• Excellent high-end plans

Cons

• Asia-Pacific server locations cost $2.50 extra
• No automated backups

#4 Bisect Hosting

Founded in 2011, Bisect Hosting is one of the oldest hosting providers on this list. While the company primarily provides Minecraft server hosting services, hosting games such as Rust, 7 Days to Die, Valheim, and Terraria is also available.

Further, the company also provides web hosting services and has several shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated server plans.

The well-designed site allows users to browse through their eight server locations and pick the one that suits them right with great ease. 

Support is available 24/7 via live chat, and the knowledge base has over 130 articles that will help you answer most questions you might have. 

Like most other hosting providers, Bisect Hosting offers the Multicraft panel to help users manage their servers. Features like a subdomain, daily backups, MySQL, dedicated IP, and FTP access are offered for free to premium users, making Bisect Hosting one of the best Minecraft server hosting providers. 

Budget plan users get DDoS protection, 24/7 support, custom JAR support, and a free subdomain, so the basics are covered. But customers that get one of the plans under the “Budget” category miss out on some of Bisect Hosting’s best features.

Pricing

One of the most impressive things about Bisect Hosting is the large array of plans offered. The company offers 40 plans: 20 in the budget category and 20 in the premium category.

The lowest-priced budget package comes in at $2.99/month, offering 1GB of RAM and up to 12 slots. The lowest-priced budget package in the premium category offers the same RAM but unlimited slots and premium features like daily backups, dedicated IP, additional locations, and more for $7.99/month.

Finding a plan specific to your needs and budget should be no problem with Bisect Hosting. But there is one caveat to note: regardless of which plan you get, you will only get a three-day money-back guarantee.

Pros

• Eight server locations ensure low latency 
• Free backups, dedicated IP, and unlimited slots with premium plans
• Affordable low-tier plans 
• 24/7 live chat support
• DDoS protection offered to all customers

Cons

• No uptime guarantee (but excellent uptime on GTmetrix)
• Three-day money-back guarantee

#5 ScalaCube

ScalaCube is one of the only Minecraft server hosting providers that offers a free Minecraft server hosting option. You can get access to a free server with 3GB RAM, but it only works with the basic and snapshot versions of Minecraft, and access to most features is limited. 

Further, the free server must be renewed every two days, else all of the config and game data is deleted automatically. For this reason, the free ScalaCube plan is only worth using for testing purposes.

But there’s a lot more to like about ScalaCube hosting. The company offers over 1000 mods that you can install in just one click. Plugins and custom JAR files are also supported. 

ScalaCube provides a custom launcher, which, while basic-looking, offers all the features you will need to host a game. The company also offers a free subdomain, free MySQL, DDoS protection, and full file access to all paying users regardless of which plan they get. 

Customers can use custom forge servers to make their own Minecraft launcher, enabling you to configure your server in a few clicks. Only a few Minecraft server hosting companies offer this advantage, making ScalaCube stand out.

The 99.9% uptime guarantee, wide variety of options, and the fact that the company offers the same features to all users and prices plans according to server capability make ScalaCube one of the best Minecraft server hosting services.

Pricing

The Minecraft server hosting provider offers ten different plans, counting the free plan. The lowest-priced $5/month plan offers 768 MB of RAM, ten player slots, 10 GB SSD storage, and a 3.4GHz CPU. 

The prices of the plans go up to $192/month, with the most expensive plan offering 32GB RAM, eight 3.4GHz CPU cores, 320GB of SSD storage, and 600 player slots. 

Regardless of which plan you get, you can create unlimited game servers on your VPS server. New customers get 50% off on their plan for the first month.

Pros

• Create your own Minecraft launcher
• 1000+ modpacks available for one-click install
• Easy player monitoring
• 50% discount on the first month
• Competitive pricing

Cons

• Live chat support only available for sales
• No money-back guarantee 

#6 GGServers

GGServers has deployed over half a million servers globally since it was founded in 2013, making it one of the most popular and successful server hosting services.

The company’s servers are spread around the globe in nine locations, giving customers many options to choose from. 

Like most other top Minecraft server hosting services, GGServers offers DDoS protection and 24/7 support. Support is available via live chat and also via support tickets.

But what makes GGServers stand out is the powerful hardware offered to customers. Depending on the plan you get, you can get either 3.2GHz-4GHz CPUs or 4GHz-4.5GHz CPUs. 

Further, you get access to unmetered SSD storage and excellent mudpack support with multiple server types. The powerful hardware makes GGServers one of the best Minecraft server hosting services available.

The company also offers web hosting plans, and in addition to offering Minecraft server hosting, GGServers also offers hosting for Garry’s Mod, Rust, Ark, and Conan Exiles.

Pricing

The company offers eight plans, with each plan having a standard and a premium package. All plans offer the same features, and the only difference between them is the number of player slots you get. 

The difference between standard and premium packages is the hardware on the server. Standard packages offer servers with 2133MHz DDR4 RAM, a SOFT RAID 1 (400 MB/s r/w) setup, and a 3.2 GHz – 4 GHz CPU. 

On the other hand, premium packages offer servers with 2400 MHZ DDR4 RAM, NVMe SSDs (2500+ MB/s r/w), and a 4 GHz – 4.5 GHz CPU.

Standard packages start at $3/month and go up to $36/month. Premium packages cost twice as much, with the lowest-priced package offered at $6/month and the most expensive package coming in at $72/month.

Pros

• High-performance processors
• Unmetered SSD storage
• Customized Multicraft control panel makes for more intuitive server management
• One-click install of Modpack server
• Nine server locations 

Cons

• MySQL databases only included in premium packages
• NVMe SSDs only available in premium packages

#7 MCProHosting

The oldest Minecraft server hosting provider on this list, the company has provided over 943,000 hosting services since 2011.

MCProHosting uses Duel E5 CPUs across its architecture, ensuring that all of its users get best-in-class performance. The powerful CPUs coupled with the DDR4 RAM and the enterprise SSDs ensure a smooth experience. 

There are no limits on how much storage you can use, and with servers in 22 locations across six continents, you don’t have to worry about your game’s latency being high.

You are provided with unrestricted FTP access to your server, and you can choose from the hundreds of modpacks available on the control panel. Your data is automatically backed up every day, and all plans come with DDoS protection.

The support team is active 24/7 and responds quickly on live chat. Qualities like these and the fact that the company offers a free seven-day trial for six of its nine plans makes MCProHosting one of the best Minecraft server hosting companies out there.

Pricing

Offering nine plans, MCProHosting isn’t the most flexible of Minecraft hosting services. The plans start at $7.99/month and go up to $99.99/month.

The Titan plans are the three most expensive plans, giving customers access to unlimited player slots and ultimate server management and shield features. 

While the company’s plans are more expensive than other Minecraft server hosting services offer, the plans also offer additional player lots to make up for it. 

Pros

• Premium hardware
• Unlimited storage
• Low latency
• Free daily backups
• Mobile-friendly control panel
• Free trial

Cons

• Pricey plans

Conclusion: Best Minecraft Server Hosting Service?

Considering the pricing, server locations, and hardware used, it’s hard not to recommend Apex Hosting. The company strikes the right balance between the three, providing an optimal experience at an affordable price.

But there’s no such thing as the “perfect” plan. Glancing through the features and weighing out the pros and cons of the listed best Minecraft server hosting services should help you find the right hosting provider in no time.