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Best for customization
Hostinger is your best all-around option for cheap Minecraft server hosting, with its usual budget-friendly features and VPS plans optimized for gaming. However, UltaHost is very easy to use, and IONOS is even more affordable, so it’s good to shop around.
In this article, we’ll find out which host should be the home of your next adventure in a randomly generated world.
Compare the cheapest web hosting services for Minecraft servers
Hostinger: Best Minecraft server host for customization
IONOS: Best budget Minecraft server host
UltaHost: Best Minecraft server host for performance
What you need for a Minecraft server
How we tested
Bottom line: The cheapest web hosting service for Minecraft servers
FAQs
The cheapest web hosting services for Minecraft servers
Compare the cheapest web hosting services for Minecraft servers
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| Best for | Best for customization | Best for affordability | Best for performance |
| Star rating | |||
| Starting price | Starts at $2.99/mo | Starts at $5.00/mo | Starts at $3.50/mo |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 30 days |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.9% | 99.99% | 100% |
| Storage | 50 GB - 400 GB | 120 GB - 720 GB | Unmetered |
| CPU cores | 1 - 8 | 4 - 12 | Not listed |
| RAM | 4 GB - 32 GB | 64 GB - 192 GB | 4 GB - 14 GB |
| Server locations | Europe, North America, South America, and Asia | Europe and North America | Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Asia |
| DDoS protection | |||
| Automatic backups | |||
| Mod support | |||
| Customer support | 24/7 — live chat, email, guides | 24/7 — live chat, phone, help center | 24/7 — live chat, phone, email, guides |
| Learn more | Get Hostinger | Get IONOS | Get UltaHost |
Hostinger: Best Minecraft server host for customization
What we liked
Minecraft-specific VPS plans: Hostinger offers VPS plans optimized for Minecraft, with the features you need to run a server well.
One-click installation: Hostinger offers 1-click installs for gaming servers, making it an ideal platform for anyone who just wants to play Minecraft online in just a few clicks. And of course, there’s quick and easy mod support too.
Worldwide data centers: Hostinger offers a wide selection of server locations worldwide. Since being close to your server reduces lag, this is a pretty important feature of any game server host.
What we didn’t like
Slightly more expensive renewal prices: Hostinger’s cheapest Minecraft-capable plan renews at $8.99/mo, which is pretty good. But if you have a lot of people playing with you and mods, you might need the Game Panel 4 plan, which renews at $26.99/mo. That’s a bit steep compared to other web hosts like IONOS.
Test results
Hostinger performed quite well in both our performance and server stability tests, maintaining good uptime and low server response times. Speed and stability are both very important for any game server, so it’s an easy recommendation.
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| Uptime | 99.95% |
| Average response time | 673 ms |
| Did Hostinger pass the stress test? | Yes |
| Learn more | Get Hostinger |
Star rating summary
Our rating system heavily favors performance, features, and the security of the service, while also taking pricing and other factors into consideration. But, in those first three categories, Hostinger scored 5/5 every time, and that’s honestly pretty impressive.
Hostinger earned a near-perfect star rating of 4.5 because its user-friendly and comprehensive, provides reliable performance, and affordable for small- to medium-sized businesses.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 10% | 5.0 |
| Value and capacity | 18% | 4.2 |
| Performance | 20% | 5.0 |
| Features | 25% | 5.0 |
| Security | 20% | 5.0 |
| Support and reputation | 7% | 4.9 |
IONOS: Best budget Minecraft server host
What we liked
Affordable plans: IONOS is pretty cheap, and its budget Minecraft-capable plan renews at $8/mo. It’s not much cheaper than Hostinger, but when you go to higher-tiered plans, you see a bigger difference in the hardware resources you get for the money.
Game server variety: IONOS offers lots of web hosting types: VPS, cloud hosting, and dedicated servers. And, you can install your Minecraft server on any one of them, depending on your needs. It’s all supported.
Official game server installation guides: IONOS has the small downside of being more of a do-it-yourself host. You’ll need to install the Minecraft server manually, but the IONOS knowledge base comes with handy guides to help you.
What we didn’t like
You have to do everything manually: That makes things a little harder, as it does require some technical knowledge. But some people may find the savings are worth it.
Test results
Our testing of IONOS’ servers revealed fantastic performance across the board for uptime, server stability, and overall performance. Getting this kind of performance for the price almost feels like cheating.
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| Uptime | 100% |
| Average response time | 311 ms |
| Did IONOS pass the stress test? | Yes |
| Learn more | Get IONOS |
Star rating summary
Since IONOS is more of a do-it-yourself platform, it ranks a bit lower in terms of features. But where game servers are concerned, the security and performance categories matter more, and IONOS scores 5/5 in both.
IONOS received a high star rating of 4.7 due to its highly intuitive dashboard, comprehensive features for affordable prices, and impressive performance.
Although we had a positive testing experience with IONOS, it received in a lower score in the experience category due to the upsells on various pages of the dashboard. IONOS also lacks built-in content delivery network.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 10% | 4.5 |
| Value and capacity | 18% | 4.8 |
| Performance | 20% | 5.0 |
| Features | 25% | 4.5 |
| Security | 20% | 5.0 |
| Support and reputation | 7% | 4.9 |
UltaHost: Best Minecraft server host for performance
What we liked
Strong security features: UltaHost takes security seriously, with a suite of features designed to keep your server safe from external threats. On top of the regular DDoS protection and daily backups, there are malware scanners, extra firewall options, and more.
Unmetered storage: Minecraft servers can get pretty big as you build on your map, install mods, and generally grow your virtual community. UltaHost lets you forget about that with unmetered storage.
Minecraft-specific VPS plans: UltaHost’s UltaMine plans are labeled by the amount of RAM they have available, and are reasonably affordable. But the best part is that they come with easy installation, full FTP server access, automatic mod installation, and more bonus features to make setting up a server easy.
What we didn’t like
CPU cores are not listed for Minecraft plans: Strictly speaking, Minecraft servers can run with 1 CPU core, but it helps to have another 1 or 2 on hand, especially if you’re installing mods. Not having them listed is a bit of a downside. The live chat support said they couldn’t help, and I haven’t gotten a response to my email about this issue at the time of writing.
Test results
Our testing with UltaHost revealed very stable servers, both under calm conditions and under load. Performance scores were great, too, although the server response time in the UptimeRobot test could have been a little lower. All in all, you won’t have to worry about the server performance with UltaHost.
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| Uptime | 100% |
| Average response time | 759 ms |
| Did UltaHost pass the stress test? | Yes |
| Learn more | Get UltaHost |
Star rating summary
UltaHost is another one that nailed 5/5s across the board in performance, features, and security, making it an attractive option for game servers. With solid prices, it’s another easy host to recommend.
UltaHost earned a high star rating of 4.8 because it provides affordable, transparent pricing, comprehensive security for a great value, and excellent customer support.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 10% | 4.0 |
| Value and capacity | 18% | 4.6 |
| Performance | 20% | 5.0 |
| Features | 25% | 5.0 |
| Security | 20% | 5.0 |
| Support and reputation | 7% | 4.6 |
What you need for a Minecraft server
Here’s a rough estimate of the server resources you need for hosting a Minecraft server, based on the official specs for the Bedrock edition of the Minecraft server and the Minecraft Wiki.[1][2]
Note: You can technically use less RAM, but you’d need to use the Java edition.
- 1-5 players, 1 CPU core, 4 GB RAM, 180 MB to 1 GB storage
- 6-10 players, 2 CPU cores, 4-8 GB RAM, 180 MB to 1 GB storage
- 11-20 players, 4 CPU cores, 8-16 GB RAM, 180 MB to 1 GB storage
- 20+ players, 8+ CPU cores, 16+ GB RAM, 180 MB to 1 GB storage
Minimum CPU specs: Intel Core i3 3210, AMD A8 7600 APU, or equivalent. As mentioned above, you can technically get away with 1 CPU core, but more is generally better, especially for the Bedrock edition. We also recommend you invest in a lot more storage.
If you’d rather host your server from home, you can find more details about how to host a Minecraft server or port forward a Minecraft server in our handy guides.
How we tested the best web hosting services for Minecraft servers
We chose the services listed in this article based on performance, available features, mod support, security, and other metrics useful for game servers. Our tests included trying out the hosting to see how easy it was to use, seeing how their features were implemented, and running performance tests.
Here are the criteria we considered, in more detail:
- Server resources: We looked at CPU cores, RAM, and storage, and how easy it would be to upgrade them when needed.
- Mod and DLC support: We looked for hosts that offer good customer support so you can have help with modding, different Minecraft versions, or adding DLC to your game servers.
- Ease of game server installation: Server management can be tricky, so we picked hosts that have 1-click installations or easy-to-use interfaces.
- Knowledge base resources: Having a knowledge base to refer to as you set up your servers can make the process easier, so we chose hosts with strong documentation.
- Pricing: Game hosting can be expensive, especially when you’re adding mods. So, we looked at budget-friendly pricing options to pick out hosts that stay affordable.
- DDoS protection: Protection against DDoS attacks is essential if you’re doing large-scale multiplayer servers. We picked web hosts with built-in DDoS protection.
- Backups: Having an efficient way to save your progress and mod installations in the case of a disaster will make your life easier. The web hosts we listed offer frequent backups.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full testing methodology here.
Bottom line: The cheapest web hosting service for Minecraft servers
Hostinger is the best all-rounder in terms of features, price, and ease of use.
However, IONOS does offer control over your hosting plan and solid pricing to go with it. UltaHost, on the other hand, might provide the easiest, simplest Minecraft server hosting experience, with plenty of bells and whistles for the price.
FAQs
Can I host a Minecraft server for free?
Technically, yes, you can host a Minecraft server for free. There are some reasonably legit, ad-supported services that will let you run a Minecraft server for free, on demand. Honestly, though, you get what you pay for, and paid hosts will give you a better experience by far.
What is the cheapest Minecraft server hosting?
Technically, the cheapest Minecraft server host would be the ad-supported free hosts. But again, you’re better off looking for affordable options that give good value for the price. See the list above for our recommendations.
Can I run any mod on a budget Minecraft server?
Yes, you can run just about any mod on a budget Minecraft server. So long as the mod is up to date and works with your version of the Minecraft server, there’s no reason why not. More mods may require more server resources, however.
[1] Minecraft Bedrock server download page
[2] Tutorial: Setting up a Bedrock Edition server - Minecraft Wiki


