How Much Does a Minecraft Server Cost? (2026 Prices)

A Minecraft server costs between 0 and about 30 USD a month in 2026. Hosting at home is free apart from electricity, Realms costs 3.99 to 7.99 USD a month for up to 11 players, and a hosted server for friends usually costs 5 to 10 USD a month, depending on RAM. Modpacks and public servers cost more.

How much does a Minecraft server cost per month?

Here are the realistic options side by side, for a group of friends:

Realms prices and player limits are from the official Realms page, checked October 3, 2026. Realms are cross platform only within an edition: Java Realms for Java players, Bedrock Realms for Bedrock players.

What decides the price of a Minecraft server?

RAM, almost entirely. Most hosts, including us, price by gigabytes of memory, because RAM decides how many players, plugins and mods the server can hold. CPU matters too, but it is usually bundled with the plan.

How much RAM you need depends on what you run:

Our full breakdown is in how much RAM a Minecraft server needs. Buying too much RAM is the most common way people overpay: a vanilla server for 4 friends does not run better on 8 GB than on 2 GB.

Bedrock servers are cheaper to run because Mojang's Bedrock Dedicated Server is native code and uses far less memory than Java. 2 GB comfortably holds a group of 10.

How much does it cost to host a Minecraft server at home?

The software is free. Mojang's server for Java and Bedrock costs nothing, and so do Paper and Fabric. What you pay is electricity and your own time.

A rough example: a desktop drawing 100 watts around the clock uses about 72 kWh a month. At 17 US cents per kWh that is around 12 USD a month, which is more than a small hosted plan. A low power mini PC or an old laptop costs less to run. Your real number depends on your hardware and your electricity price, so check your own bill.

The hidden costs of home hosting are not money:

• The PC has to stay on for friends to play.
• You need to port forward, and it will not work at all if your internet provider uses CGNAT.
• Everyone who joins sees your home IP address.
• Your upload speed limits how many players you can host.

We cover the free options honestly in how to host a Minecraft server for free.

Is Realms cheaper than a server?

For small groups that only want vanilla, Realms is simple and fairly priced. A hosted server costs about the same and gives you more:

• Players. Realms caps you at 11 including you. A 4 GB server comfortably handles around 25.
• Plugins and mods. Java Realms have no plugins or mods. A server runs Paper, Fabric, Forge or NeoForge.
• Files and console. A server gives you the files, backups you can download and a live console.

The full comparison is in Minecraft Realms vs a dedicated server.

How to make a Minecraft server cheaper

• Split it. On GamezServers, up to 10 friends can each pay their own share of one server. You pay the plan price plus 1 USD per share. A 9.99 USD server split 5 ways comes to 14.99 USD in total, about 3 USD each.
• Use your first month discount. New customers get 50% off the first month, so a 4 GB server starts at 4.99 USD.
• Pay yearly. A yearly plan costs 10 months, so you get 2 months free.
• Run Paper instead of vanilla. Paper runs the same world on less hardware, so a smaller plan stretches further.
• Pick the right plan, then upgrade. Start small and move up from the dashboard when the console shows lag. Your world comes with you.

Servers on our platform also sleep after 4 days with nobody online, and anyone with access can start them again in one click.

What does a GamezServers Minecraft server cost?

Every plan includes backups, DDoS protection, 24/7 support, one click server types (Paper, Purpur, Vanilla, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge) and no contract, so you can cancel any time. Bedrock servers run 4.99 USD for 2 GB, 9.99 USD for 4 GB and 14.99 USD for 6 GB. See Minecraft server hosting or Minecraft Bedrock server hosting.

FAQ

How much does a Minecraft server cost a month?

Between nothing (home hosting, electricity aside) and about 30 USD. A hosted server for a group of friends usually costs 5 to 10 USD a month, and Realms costs 3.99 to 7.99 USD.

Is it free to make a Minecraft server?

Yes, the server software is free and you can run it on your own PC. You pay in electricity, and the PC must stay on with ports forwarded for friends to join.

How much RAM should I pay for?

2 GB for vanilla or Paper with a few friends, 4 GB for plugins and up to 25 players, and 8 GB or more for big modpacks.

Is a Minecraft server cheaper than Realms?

A small hosted server costs about the same as Realms. It is better value if you want more than 11 players, plugins, mods or access to your files.

Can friends share the cost of a Minecraft server?

Yes. With Server Share on GamezServers, up to 10 friends each pay their own part of one server, plus 1 USD per share.