Are you searching for the best Minecraft server out there?
Something budget-friendly yet doesn’t fall short of delivering the best gaming experience?
If Mr. Google is giving you a lot of game hosting provider names and narrowing the list presents a challenge.
This article features the factors to consider when choosing a game server and the best ones to host Minecraft.
What is a Game server?
According to Wikipedia…
“A Game Server or Game Host is a server which is the authoritative source of events in a multiplayer video game.”
And Minecraft can be a multiplayer game.
Minecraft was developed by Markus “Notch” Persson under the company Mojang Studios. If you’re here looking for the best Minecraft server, you already know that is a 3d sandbox game and you can do whatever you want in there like build a world of your own.
So, without further ado, here are the best Minecraft server hosting:
Best Minecraft server hosting:
Apex Hosting is a trusted name when it comes to providing good hosting infrastructure for Minecraft game servers. Apex is using the latest types of hardware to ensure fast connection speed and reduce latency and high ping rate.
Best Plan for Beginners
Hosting Plan: 4GB Ram
Monthly Price: $14.99/mo
Disclaimer: Prices may change over time. Please check their website for the latest information.
- Unlimited Player Slots
- Blazing Fast Hardware
- Full DDoS Protection
- Free Subdomain & Dedicated IP Available
- Powerful Control Panel
- Dedicated Live Chat Support
- Automated Backups
ScalaCube is another budget-friendly and reliable hosting provider for Minecraft. They offer almost everything you need when it comes to setting up your server from loading 1000+ unique modpacks to 24/7 customer support on standby.
Best Plan for Beginners
Hosting Plan: Minecraft 4.5G
Monthly Price: $26/mo
- Ultra Low-Latency
- 70 Player Slots
- SSD Storage
- Total DDoS Protection
- Free Subdomain
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Automated Backups
ShockByte pride itself on running 6x faster than the competition in terms of hardware performance. They are utilizing NVMe SSDs which run 2 to 7x faster than the regular SATA SSDs. As you know the more powerful the hardware is, the faster it is to run applications.
Best Plan for Beginners
Hosting Plan: Spartan Plan
Monthly Price: $25/mo
- Low-Latency
- Unlimited Player Slots
- NVMe SSDs
- Total DDoS Protection
- Free Subdomain
- 24/7 Support
- Automated Backups
BisectHosting is another hosting provider that utilizes NVMe SSDs for its hardware. NVM Express does not only include solid-state drives but also has multi-core CPUs. These additional cores can handle more workloads simultaneously. This would further mean NVMe can deliver a faster response time in terms of running commands.
Best Plan for Beginners
Hosting Plan: 5 GB of RAM
Monthly Price: $24.95/mo
- Low Latency
- NVMe Drives
- Highly Custom Server Control Panel
- 1000+ Modpacks
- DDoS Protection
- Free Subdomain
- 24/7 Support
- Automated Daily Backups
Hostinger is a highly reliable web hosting provider that also offers great Minecraft server hosting. With multiple server locations across the globe, there’s an option location close to you. The closer you are to the server location, the lower the network latency. They also provide a user-friendly game panel that makes server management so easy.
Best Plan for Beginners
Hosting Plan: Enderman Plan
Monthly Price: $29.99/mo
- Ultra-Low Latency
- Fast SSDs & High Clock Speed CPUs
- Dedicated IPv4/IPv6 Addresses
- Full Root Access
- Automatic Plugin & Mod Installers
- PCI-DSS Compliant
- DDoS Protection
- 24/7 Support
- Automated Off-site Backups
Are you still searching for more hosting options?
Here are the other good Minecraft server hosts:
MC Prohosting
Sparked Host
GG Servers
Node Craft
Pebble Host
PloxHost
Aternos
Stipe
Server.pro
MelonCube
Server Miner
RamShard
Now, if you’re asking at this point, what exactly am I looking for in a game server hosting plan? Below is a simple list that will serve as your essential guide on what to look for.
What to consider for choosing a game server:
Low network latency
Location of data centers
Bandwidth requirements
Powerful hardware
HDD or SSD or NVMe
RAM
Easy-to-use Control panels
Free subdomains and Dedicated IPs
DDoS protection
Backups
Watch out for overselling
Customer support
Low network latency
Lag, delay, and buffering are the common terms we use when we don’t see a real-time reaction on the screen as we push those buttons on the console.
The lower the latency, the smoother the game experience; adversely, the higher the latency, the more annoying it is to play the game because of the delays in response time.
High-speed internet and powerful hardware like a faster CPU and GPU can help lower latency.
Location of data centers
This is simply an issue of proximity or distance. The farther your players or users are from the server, the greater the distance data will have to travel.
The proximity between users and servers can affect speed connection and latency.
So, it is advisable to get or rent a server that is near the location of your players or users.
Bandwidth requirements
Bandwidth is the allowed maximum amount of data transmitted over a network in one second.
Knowing how much bandwidth you need usually depends on the game and the number of players.
Minecraft at least recommends 14 Mbps for 7-9 players.
Powerful hardware
Online gaming requires data-intensive workloads, you need powerful hardware to run the software smoothly.
When we say hardware, we immediately think of CPU (Central Processing Unit) and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).
CPU will basically run tasks and GPU is responsible for the visual output.
So, the more powerful your hardware is, the more it can render optimal performance.
HDD or SSD or NVMe
I won’t get technical here but these terms refer to storage devices.
HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is an older type of drive that is rather slow compared to SSD (Solid-State Drive) in terms of read and write speed.
On the other hand, NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is next generation SSDs and can transfer data up to 2-7x faster than SATA SSDs.
To better understand the difference between SSD and NVMe, check this article.
To date, NVMe is the latest storage technology. So, when choosing a hosting provider, always opt for those that are using NVMe or something more advanced that comes up in the future.
RAM
The more RAM the better! RAM stands for Random-Access Memory. It simply is the short-term memory in a computer or in this case, a server.
Easy-to-use Control panels
In plain web hosting, cPanel is the popular choice that most hosting providers use. Game server control panel is simply a tool you can use to manage your game server.
Most, if not all, game server control panels are designed to have user-friendly interfaces to allow easy navigation and use for server admins.
Using these control panels save you from doing complex server configuration, highly recommended if you’re not an expert.
Popular choices for game server control panels are TCAdmin, WISP, Multicraft, WindowsGSM, and Pterodactyl.
Free subdomains and Dedicated IPs
A lot of hosting providers offer free subdomains. You can use these subdomains as a substitute to your IPs.
So, instead of using 192.168.1.67:25612, you can use for example champion.shockbyte.com to connect to your server IP.
This is a lot easier to remember than a bunch of numbers stack together.
DDoS protection
DDoS is an abbreviation for Distributed Denial-of-Service.
In the simplest concept, a DDoS attack aims to overwhelm a server by sending a lot traffic from compromised computers and other devices, rendering the server to slow down in performance or crash.
DDoS Protection simply prevents that from happening.
Backups
Always have a backup! I guess this applies to life in general too.
In the event that you lose your data, you can simply turn to your backup and restore whatever progress you have lost, and pick up your play from there.
Restoring via backup is better than re-installing the game, right?
Watch out for overselling
I’ve witnessed this happened multiple times as I used a lot of web hosts over the years. And quite frankly, most hosting companies are guilty of this, not all but I’ve experienced quite a few.
You know when you see those ‘unlimited’ offer in hosting packages, especially if they are from Shared Hosting. They are never really ‘unlimited’!
Resources are always limited, so I advise before availing a package, talk to their sales person about whether they oversell their resources.
Customer support
Never compromise good customer support. This might come at the bottom of the list but a lousy or an irate support representative can be a deal breaker.
Make sure you test out the hosting company’s support response time and how good they are in addressing your issue before anything else.
These are at least 12 factors you should look into when choosing the right game server hosting for you.
Note: There might be changes to the hosting plan details by the time you’re reading this, so it is best to visit the website for the latest information.
Hands down, this Minecraft server hosting provider is a game-changer in the world of gaming servers! 🎮✨ With seamless performance, unparalleled reliability, and top-notch customer support, it’s the ultimate choice for any serious gamer or Minecraft enthusiast. Setting up and managing servers has never been this effortless, allowing you to focus on what truly matters – the gaming experience.
The server hosting platform’s robust infrastructure ensures minimal lag, providing a smooth and immersive gameplay environment for you and your fellow gamers. Whether you’re hosting epic PvP battles, intricate redstone creations, or simply exploring the vast Minecraft realms, this hosting service has got you covered.
The user-friendly control panel makes server management a breeze, even for those new to the hosting scene. With a range of customizable options and features, you have the flexibility to tailor your gaming server to suit your preferences and playstyle. Plus, regular backups and automatic updates ensure that your Minecraft world stays up-to-date and secure without any hassle.
What truly sets this hosting service apart is its commitment to customer satisfaction. Responsive and knowledgeable support teams are ready to assist you 24/7, ensuring that any issues are swiftly resolved. It’s this level of dedication that makes this Minecraft server hosting provider stand out from the crowd.