The short answer
A Minecraft server costs nothing if you run it on your own computer, and a few dollars a month if you rent one. What you pay for rented hosting follows the memory you need: a small vanilla world sits at the bottom of the range, and a heavy modpack or a network at the top.
The software is never the cost. Mojang gives away the server for both Java and Bedrock, and Paper, Fabric and Forge are free as well. You pay for the machine it runs on and for keeping it online.
Three ways to run one
| Option | Cost | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own computer | Free, plus electricity | Trying things out with a friend or two | Offline when the computer is, and friends connect to your home address |
| Realms | A fixed monthly subscription | A small private world with no setup | A player limit, and no plugins or full modpacks |
| Rented hosting | By memory, monthly | Plugins, modpacks and worlds that stay online | Picking a size: too small lags, too large is wasted |
Realms is run by Mojang, and its current price and player limit are on its own page. It is the simplest choice if a small, unmodded world is all you want.
What hosting costs by size
Hosts price Minecraft by memory, because memory decides what a server can run. These are our own Minecraft plans, each at the price of its cheapest location:
| RAM | Good for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | Vanilla with a few friends | ₹110/mo$1.17/mo€1.06/mo£0.88/mo |
| 4 GB | Paper with plugins, about 10 players | ₹220/mo$2.34/mo€2.11/mo£1.76/mo |
| 6 GB | Plugin servers, about 20 players | ₹330/mo$3.51/mo€3.17/mo£2.65/mo |
| 8 GB | Light modpacks or a busy SMP | ₹440/mo$4.68/mo€4.22/mo£3.53/mo |
| 12 GB | Mid-size modpacks | ₹660/mo$7.02/mo€6.33/mo£5.29/mo |
| 16 GB | Large modpacks, about 40 players | ₹880/mo$9.36/mo€8.44/mo£7.06/mo |
| 24 GB | Heavy modpacks and small networks | ₹1,320/mo$14.04/mo€12.67/mo£10.59/mo |
| 32 GB | Networks with several worlds | ₹1,760/mo$18.71/mo€16.89/mo£14.12/mo |
Not sure which row is yours? Our guide to how much RAM a Minecraft server needs works it out from your mods and player count.
Does Bedrock cost less than Java?
The server software is free for both, so the edition does not change the price by itself. Bedrock’s dedicated server is lighter than Java’s, so the same group of players usually fits in a smaller plan. Java costs more when you add what Bedrock does not have: large modpacks, which need far more memory than the game alone.
If your friends play on consoles or phones, they are on Bedrock. A Java server can still let them in with the Geyser plugin, which is free.
What moves the price up or down
- Mods. The biggest factor. A modpack with five players can need more memory than vanilla with fifty.
- Players online at once. Count the busiest evening, not everyone who has ever joined.
- Location. Prices differ a little between regions. Pick the one nearest your players first, because a cheap server far away feels worse than a dearer one close by. We host in India, Germany and the USA.
- The processor. Minecraft does most of its work on one thread, so a faster core matters more than extra ones. A host that names its processor lets you compare.
- How long you pay for. Most hosts bill monthly, and a server you only need for a holiday can be cancelled after one month.
Which should you choose?
- Testing an idea this weekend: run it on your own computer.
- A small unmodded world for close friends: Realms, or the smallest hosting plan.
- Plugins, a modpack or a community: rented hosting, sized by memory.
- Several servers, or full control of the machine: a VPS or VDS, where you install and manage everything yourself.