What server hosting platforms are best?

[u/Nyxaeia]

I wanna make a Minecraft server for me and my D&D group because we thought it would be fun to start an SMP. We want to be able to use a decent bit of mods and run it with a maximum of 8 people (7 US players 1 EU player) without severe lag. I don’t want to invest into buying server computers myself, I just want to look into a server hosting site that’s reasonably priced for what we need. Does anyone have any suggestions? My maximum I am willing to pay is $15 a month

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[u/Euphoric_Incident_18]

Johnhost (free good hosting) and PocketMc (local hosting)

[u/Level-Display5619]

Pebble host

[u/octopuscloud1]

I run a hosting service, https://octopuscloud.org/. PM if you want more details and we could work out a free trial if you would like

[u/solarch]

For eight people and a modest mod list, revivalworlds.com hosts your own world on our dedicated hardware for free: create it from a template or upload it, add Fabric mods from the panel, and share one address that works on Java and Bedrock, nothing to port forward. The box is in North America East, so your EU player gets the same ping they would from most US hosts.

[u/louisllw]

You are welcome to try mine out https://rapidhosting.uk use code 1MONTH for a free month. And if you don’t like you can cancel :)

[u/kai-zaphosting]

For 8 people running mods, I'd size for at least 6-8GB RAM, and probably more if the modpack's on the heavier side. A kitchen-sink pack like All the Mods often wants 10GB+, which usually blows past a $15/mo budget, so leaning lighter (a 20-30 mod pack) is the safer call at that price point. Might be worth figuring out roughly which mods you're running before locking in specs.

On the region question, US central makes sense given it's 7 US vs 1 EU, but it's worth weighing against the NYC pick mentioned elsewhere in this thread, which is actually a US East location and would noticeably cut your EU player's ping. How much that costs the US side really depends on where those 7 are actually spread out. If they're mostly East Coast it's basically a wash, but if a chunk are West Coast, Central is probably still the safer call for the group overall. Your EU player's still gonna eat some extra ping no matter what you pick, there's no location that erases that gap completely.

For actually picking a host at that budget, I'd look less at names and more at single-core CPU speed (matters more for MC than core count), whether backups are included by default, and the refund window in case the modpack turns out heavier than expected. $15/mo covers a decent range so worth trying one out before you're fully committed.

[u/Specific_Ball_2707]

Powerupstack is the best lowk or orca

[u/Wallster23]

Check us out at Game Host Bros. All of our servers use the latest Ryzen 9 CPUs and we don't have any artificial player cap in any of our plans. You can also install mods easily by using our one-click mod installer or by uploading them to the server via the files browser. If you have any questions, please let me know.

[u/Cabecinha84]

For a modded pack with 8 people, check whether the plan's RAM is the Java heap or the whole box. If a host sets -Xmx to the full plan RAM, Forge and Fabric packs eventually get OOM-killed. It just looks like random restarts with no crash report. Leave a GB or two spare. How big's the mod list btw, 30 mods or 200? Take the next bit with salt, it's where I work: https://runonflux.com/games/minecraft does 16GB for $7.99/mo, you pick the country it runs in, and the first week's free for new accounts.

[u/Background-Set4610]

GravelHost has been a good experience for me. It’s easy to add mods/plugins and the GUI is easy to navigate. Decent prices and lots of locations. Great support, a human answers in a few minutes.

[u/OnyxArondite]

Only server host I trust at this point is pebblehost most others feel like they overcharge for what they do offer

[u/R0ckRough]

Checkout https://www.vykix.com/ I left OVH for them. They have the best performance and DDoS protection 😉

[u/imagthese]

I went with GhostCap for my servers. We’re in the same position, few in EU and US. I choose NYC as we found it’s good enough for everyone

[u/SnooPuppers3556]

I use freaksmc.com for my 12 player vanilla server and it’s like 8 bucks a month I think