1What each option costs
Six ways to run a server for friends. What changes is whether it stays on, whether mods run, and who looks after it.
| A month | Always on | Mods and plugins | The catch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your own PC | $0, plus about $13 of power | While the PC is on | Both | The PC stays on, and you open a port on your router |
| A free host | $0 | Stops or sleeps when empty | Depends on the host | A queue at busy times, or 1 GB of memory |
| Oracle Cloud's free ARM server | $0 | Yes | Both | Only when a region has room, and sign-up needs a card |
| Realms for Java | $7.99 | Yes | No | You and 10 friends at once |
| A game host | $4 to $15 for 4 GB | Yes | Both | The most per GB of memory |
| A VPS with Playkeeper | From $8.99 for 8 GB | Yes | Both | You rent the VPS; Playkeeper runs the rest |
A game host charges by memory: PebbleHost's Budget plans start at $1 per GB a month, and Apex Hosting's 4 GB plan costs $14.99 after a cheaper first month. Oracle Cloud's Always Free tier includes ARM servers, and Playkeeper runs on ARM.
2What a VPS costs, by size
Memory decides what you rent. These are the sizing guide's answers for three groups, with the plan that fits at each provider.
| Needs | Hostinger | DigitalOcean | Vultr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–4 friends on Vanilla or Paper | 4 GB · 2 cores | KVM 2, 8 GB: $8.99, then $14.99 | Premium AMD, 4 GB: $28 | High Performance, 4 GB: $24 |
| 5–10 friends using lots of plugins or a few mods | 8 GB · 4 cores | KVM 4, 16 GB: $12.99, then $28.99 | Premium AMD, 8 GB: $56 | High Performance, 8 GB: $48 |
| 1–4 friends on a big modpack | 12 GB · 4 cores | KVM 4, 16 GB: $12.99, then $28.99 | Premium AMD, 16 GB: $84 | High Performance, 12 GB: $72 |
Running several servers on one VPS? Add up their memory, then pick the next size up.
3The cheapest reliable setup
For a group that plays most weeks, a small VPS with Playkeeper is the cheapest server that stays on and runs mods. Playkeeper is free and open source, so the VPS is the whole bill.
| 1–4 friends on Vanilla or Paper | 1–4 friends on a big modpack | |
|---|---|---|
| The VPS | Hostinger KVM 2: $8.99 | Hostinger KVM 4: $12.99 |
| Playkeeper | $0 | $0 |
| An address for friends | $0, a free playkeeper.me name | $0, a free playkeeper.me name |
| Backups off the VPS | $0 for the first 10 GB on Backblaze B2 | $0 for the first 10 GB on Backblaze B2 |
| A month | $8.99 | $12.99 |
Hostinger's prices are for two years paid ahead, then $14.99 and $28.99 a month.
Rent the VPS, then install Playkeeper with one command:
curl -fsSL https://playkeeper.io/install | sudo sh
Rent a VPS
Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 12+, the RHEL family 9+ or Amazon Linux 2023+, on x86_64 or ARM, sized by the sizing guide.
Run the command
It installs Playkeeper and prints a one-time link to the dashboard's setup.
Create a server and share its name
Friends join at a free name like survival.alex.playkeeper.me, without a port from three days after you claim it.
4Hidden costs
- Renewals. A low first price often means a year or two paid ahead, then a higher one: Hostinger's KVM 2 goes from $8.99 to $14.99 a month.
- Backups somewhere else. A copy off the VPS survives a dead server. Backblaze B2 stores the first 10 GB free, then $6.95 per TB a month, and Playkeeper encrypts copies before they leave.
- A domain. Optional: a free yourname.playkeeper.me name does the same job, and your own domain costs a fee every year.
- Power at home. A PC left on at 100 W uses about 72 kWh a month, $13 at the US average price.
- Tax. Prices here are before VAT or sales tax.
5When a game host is worth paying for
A game host costs more per GB, and you get more done for you: support to ask, a ready panel and protection against attacks. It's worth it for a public server with strangers joining, or when nobody in the group wants a VPS at all.
Realms is enough for a vanilla world with up to 10 friends at a time. For mods, plugins or more players, a VPS costs about the same, and every way to play with friends compares the rest.
Questions
How much does a Minecraft server cost per month?
$0 on a free host or your own PC, $7.99 on Realms, about $4 to $15 for 4 GB on a game host, and from $8.99 for a VPS you run with a free dashboard.
How much does a Minecraft server cost for 2 players?
Two players need about 4 GB of memory: free on your own PC or a free host, or from $8.99 a month for a VPS that's always on.
Do you have to pay for a Minecraft server?
No. Open to LAN, a server on your own PC and free hosts cost nothing. You pay once it has to stay on, grow or be looked after by someone else.
Is Realms cheaper than a server?
For vanilla and 10 friends at a time, Realms at $7.99 a month is hard to beat. A VPS from $8.99 costs about the same and runs mods, plugins and more players.
Does a modded server cost more?
It needs more memory: a big modpack wants 12 GB for a few friends, from $12.99 a month on a VPS.
Is Playkeeper free?
Yes: free and open source (AGPL-3.0). You pay only for the VPS.
