Alison DeNisco Rayome Managing Editor
Managing Editor Alison DeNisco Rayome joined CNET in 2019, and is a member of the Residence crew. She is a co-lead of the CNET Ideas and We Do the Math sequence, and manages the Residence Ideas sequence, testing out new hacks for cooking, cleansing and tinkering with all the devices and home equipment in your own home. Alison was beforehand an editor at TechRepublic.
- Nationwide Silver Azbee Award for Influence/Investigative Journalism; Nationwide Gold Azbee Award for On-line Single Subject Protection by a Group; Nationwide Bronze Azbee Award for Net Characteristic Collection
Why You Can Belief CNET
Minecraft is without doubt one of the hottest video video games on the planet, with hundreds of thousands of gamers constructing worlds and digging deeper and deeper into mines. If you need your residing world in Minecraft, which your folks can be part of even once you’re not on-line, internet hosting a devoted Minecraft server is the best way to do this.
Utilizing a devoted server internet hosting supplier for Minecraft is like utilizing an internet host. You pay a month-to-month price to make use of a vendor’s servers, which might give you improved security, performance and the power to use modpacks for custom-made multiplayer experiences.
With so many Minecraft internet hosting server choices available on the market (some higher than others), it’s your decision help in figuring out which is the most effective Minecraft server internet hosting choice for you.
Which Minecraft internet hosting service will finest optimize your Minecraft gameplay? One choice is Minecraft Realms, Mojang’s official server subscription service (out there for Java and Bedrock editions). If you need extra back-end management over your server — or modpacks and maps that are not out there in Realms — you will want a modded Minecraft server. In that case, chances are you’ll go for a third-party server host that may present ample bandwidth and management over your Minecraft world seed’s configuration and settings.
Under, we have reviewed a number of the finest Minecraft server internet hosting distributors, together with Hostinger, Shockbyte and GGServers. We centered on service suppliers that supply 24/7 assist and a wide range of plan choices.
CNET is within the technique of updating our assessments of the most effective hosting providers. We periodically replace this story to keep up correct costs, however our general rankings could change after we have been in a position to re-evaluate these providers.
Learn extra: Best Web Hosting for 2023
How we selected the most effective third-party Minecraft server hosts
It is essential to notice that we did not explicitly “check” the Minecraft internet hosting supplier choices on this record. As a substitute, we compiled a aggressive overview primarily based on a wide range of elements, together with third-party rankings and options provided by every internet hosting firm. We have additionally weighted the rankings of those companies by the Higher Enterprise Bureau and TrustPilot. With that information in hand, we break up them into two tiers:
Finest Minecraft internet hosting suppliers (high tier): These Minecraft host distributors all have a score of A or larger from the nonprofit Higher Enterprise Bureau (besides in instances when the businesses are primarily based exterior of North America and never included within the BBB rating system) and a score of 4.0 or larger out of 5 from TrustPilot, a Danish shopper assessment web site. The entire TrustPilot rankings are primarily based on at the very least 1,000 consumer critiques. The entire distributors listed in our high picks additionally say they provide 24/7 assist and modpack assist.
Different Minecraft internet hosting choices to think about (second tier): All of those Minecraft host distributors have TrustPilot rankings of 4.0 or above; nevertheless, these rankings are primarily based on fewer than 1,000 consumer critiques. One — Nodecraft — has a D+ score from the BBB. The others have both As or larger, or no BBB web page as a consequence of location.
Essential caveats: The Better Business Bureau just isn’t affiliated with any authorities company and doesn’t fee firms exterior of North America. To be BBB Accredited, firms pay a price to the group. TrustPilot, in the meantime, additionally gives a paid tier that gives firms extra interplay with their consumer rankings. It additionally removed 2.2 million fake reviews in 2020.
A notice on pricing: We have made each effort to confirm that the costs listed right here had been correct on the time of final publication, however costs on this class are topic to frequent fluctuations and are additionally constantly topic to particular gives and restricted offers. Additional, most of the costs listed right here mirror the month-to-month charges in the event you prepay for 12 months of service, or are limited-time introductory costs. Please test the distributors in query to confirm pricing at any given time.
Finest Minecraft server internet hosting providers
Present much less
One among our high web hosting provider picks, Hostinger gives three totally different Minecraft internet hosting plans. All of its plans embody mod assist, full root entry, DDoS assaults safety, free MySQL, automated off-site backups and 99.99% uptime. Minecraft internet hosting options embody Minecraft devoted server, Sport Panel management panel, Modpacks and plugins and low latency because the server location is deployed in globally linked Tier-3 information facilities. The variations in pricing are as a consequence of totally different RAM and vCPU {hardware} choices, beginning at 4GB RAM and two vCPU {Hardware} for $7 a month and rising to 16GB RAM and eight vCPU {Hardware} for $30 a month.
Hostinger is predicated in Lithuania, so it doesn’t have a BBB web page (that group solely focuses on US-based companies), nevertheless it does have a TrustPilot rating of 4.6 out of 5, with greater than 20,000 critiques.
Present skilled take Present much less
Present much less
MCProHosting gives 9 Minecraft server host plans, starting from $7 a month for 1GB RAM and 25 participant slots, to $75 a month for 32GB RAM and limitless participant slots. Each plan contains limitless cupboard space, worldwide server places and DDoS safety.
An enormous advantage of MCProHosting: You may check out its “Villager” plan free for seven days, or the step-up “Witch” plan for simply $1 for the primary month.
MCProHosting has an A- rating from the BBB, and a TrustPilot score of 4.8 out of 5 with greater than 5,000 critiques.
Present skilled take Present much less
Present much less
Shockbyte is a sport server supplier, providing 12 totally different Minecraft server internet hosting plan choices, together with the power to design a customized plan. Choices vary from $2.50 a month for 1GB RAM and 20 slots (the variety of areas on a sport server out there to gamers) to $40 a month for 16GB RAM and limitless participant slots. All plans embody 100% uptime, DDoS safety, immediate setup and a free subdomain title.
Present skilled take Present much less
Present much less
GGServers gives ten totally different Minecraft server internet hosting plans, every of which comes with the choice for traditional or premium (which doubles the value).
Customary plans provide DDR4 2133 MHz RAM, 3.2-4GHz CPU, and 400MBps learn/write SSD. It additionally prices an additional $2 a month so as to add on a MySQL database, or limitless slots. You do not get entry to all 9 server places, both. Premium plans provide DDR4 2400 MHz RAM, 4.4-5GHz CPU, 2,500-plus MBps learn/write SSD, and embody the MySQL database, limitless slots and all 9 server places worldwide. Each plan varieties embody a free subdomain, DDoS safety and immediate activation. Customary plans vary from $3 a month for 1,024MB RAM and 12 participant slots normal (or $6 a month premium) to $96 a month for 32,768MB RAM normal (or $192 a month premium).
GGServers is predicated in Canada and doesn’t have a BBB web page nevertheless it does have a TrustPilot rating of 4.4 out of 5 with greater than 3,000 critiques.
Present skilled take Present much less
Present much less
ScalaCube is one other game-specific server internet hosting vendor. There are eight paid plan choices starting from $5 a month for 1.5GB RAM, 2×3.4GHz CPU, 15GB SSD storage, 20 participant slots and limitless servers to $96 a month for 32GB RAM, 8×3.4GHz CPU, 320GB SSD storage, 600 participant slots and limitless servers. You may additionally discover Minecraft Pocket Version server internet hosting choices, starting from $0 a month for a fundamental server to $96 a month for 600 gamers. All Minecraft and Minecraft Pocket Version plans embody a number of servers, backup, DDoS assist, and free hosting, area and MySQL.
Present skilled take Present much less
The next Minecraft server hosts have barely decrease or fewer TrustPilot and/or BBB rankings than those above.
Hostwinds
One other of our high hosting web site picks, Hostwinds additionally gives Minecraft server internet hosting beginning at $5 a month. It has an A+ rating from the BBB and is BBB Accredited, and its TrustPilot rating is 4.1 out of 5, though it has fewer than 1,000 critiques.
BisectHosting
BisectHosting gives 20 totally different plans, every with an choice for a finances or premium bundle. Finances packages begin at $3 a month for 1,024MB RAM, limitless NVMe SSD and as much as 12 slots, and go as much as about $96 a month for 32,768MB RAM and 160 slots. Premium plans vary from $8 a month to about $160 a month, with the identical quantities of RAM as their finances counterparts however with extra places, and free day by day backups, modpack updates, sponge set up, devoted IP handle and limitless slots. BisectHosting has an F rating from the BBB, nevertheless it additionally has a TrustPilot rating of 4.5 out of 5 with greater than 5,000 critiques.
Apex Internet hosting
Apex Internet hosting gives Minecraft Java and Bedrock Version servers beginning at about $8 a month. It additionally features a seven-day money-back assure. Apex Minecraft Internet hosting has an A+ rating from the BBB, and its TrustPilot Rating is 4.8 out of 5, though it has fewer than 600 critiques.
Nodecraft
Nodecraft additionally gives Minecraft Java and Bedrock Version server internet hosting, beginning at round $10 a month. Nodecraft has a B- rating from the BBB however a 4.3 out of 5 TrustPilot rating, with greater than 1,000 critiques.
Sparked Host
Sparked Host gives sport and cloud internet hosting, with 13 totally different Minecraft server internet hosting plan choices, beginning at lower than $2 a month. It is primarily based within the US, however Sparked Host doesn’t seem to have a BBB web page. It does have a TrustPilot rating of 4.7 out of 5 with greater than 1,000 critiques.
PebbleHost
PebbleHost is house to each Minecraft and different gaming and devoted servers. It gives finances, premium or excessive plans relying in your wants, beginning at $1 per GB a month. PebbleHost is predicated within the UK and doesn’t have a BBB web page, nevertheless it has a TrustPilot rating of 4.8 out of 5 with greater than 2,000 critiques.
RAMShard
RAMShard gives 9 Minecraft server internet hosting plans, beginning at $3 a month. It has an A+ BBB rating, and a TrustPilot rating of 4.2 out of 5, however with fewer than 500 critiques.
Former CNET editor Dawnthea Value Lisco contributed to this report.
