Table of Contents
Sizing: memory first, then one fast core
A Minecraft Java server is one Java process whose heap holds loaded chunks, entities and players. When the heap is too small the server pauses to collect garbage and players see lag; when the machine is short of memory beyond the heap, the operating system swaps and it gets worse. So the plan is chosen by memory: 4 GB gives a vanilla server a 2 to 3 GB heap with room for the OS; 8 GB gives a modpack or a busier server a 5 to 6 GB heap. The exact heap is set on the command line when you start the server, and it should always be less than the plan's memory.
CPU comes second. The main game tick runs on a single thread, so one fast core matters more than four slow ones; extra cores help with world generation, chunk saving and networking. Disk is third: worlds are small and NVMe helps chunk loading a little. Traffic is rarely an issue; a player uses a small fraction of a megabit, and the allowances on every plan below are far above what a private server moves.
Bedrock servers (for console and mobile players) are lighter and run comfortably on the same plans. Put either kind of server in the US city closest to most of your players; the round trip to the server is felt on every action.
US plans at 4 GB and 8 GB
Monthly prices with no contract unless noted, from the providers' pages and public APIs in September 2026. The 2 GB plans on this site are left out because a Java server with a 1 GB heap next to the operating system is a poor experience for anyone but a solo player.
| Provider, plan | Monthly | RAM | vCPU | Storage | Port / transfer | US locations | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVHcloud VPS-1 | $5.35 | 4 GB | 2 | 40 GB NVMe | 500 Mbps, unlimited | Virginia, Oregon | Monthly; $4.54 on 12 months; daily backup included |
| InterServer 2 slices | $6 | 4 GB | 1 | 80 GB SSD | 10 Gbps shared, 4 TB | New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas | Monthly, no refund; OS-level support included |
| Hostinger KVM 1 | $6.49 (24-month term) | 4 GB | 1 | 50 GB NVMe | 4 TB | US locations offered | Renews at $11.99 |
| Vultr vc2-2c-4gb | $20 | 4 GB | 2 | 80 GB SSD | 3 TB | Nine regions | Hourly ($0.027) |
| Linode 4 GB | $24 | 4 GB | 2 | 80 GB | 4 TB | Several regions | Hourly |
| Hetzner CPX21 (US) | $37.49 | 4 GB | 3 | 80 GB NVMe | 1 TB | Ashburn, Hillsboro | Hourly, monthly cap |
| Contabo Cloud VPS 4 | $6.60 | 8 GB | 4 | 100 GB SSD | 200 Mbit/s, unlimited | Carlstadt NJ, St. Louis, Seattle | Introductory for 24 months; setup fee by term |
| OVHcloud VPS-2 | $10 | 8 GB | 4 | 75 GB NVMe | 1 Gbps, unlimited | Virginia, Oregon | Monthly; $8.50 on 12 months |
| InterServer 4 slices | $12 | 8 GB | 2 | 160 GB SSD | 10 Gbps shared, 8 TB | New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas | Monthly, no refund |
| Hostinger KVM 2 | $8.99 (24-month term) | 8 GB | 2 | 100 GB NVMe | 8 TB | US locations offered | Renews at $14.99 |
| Vultr vc2-4c-8gb | $40 | 8 GB | 4 | 160 GB SSD | 4 TB | Nine regions | Hourly ($0.055) |
Hetzner's famous $6.49 4 GB plan (CX23) is sold only in Germany and Finland and was listed as not available in September 2026; for US players it is the wrong side of the Atlantic even when in stock, so the US CPX21 price is shown instead.
Picks by situation
- Vanilla or lightly modded, under ten players, East or West Coast: OVHcloud VPS-1 ($5.35). Two vCores, NVMe and a backup included, in Virginia or Oregon.
- Same server, but you want New York City, Dallas or Los Angeles, or you also run a website on the box: InterServer 2 slices ($6), with operating-system support included if something breaks that is not Minecraft's fault. The setup guide is the account side after that order.
- Modpack, or twelve to thirty players, on a budget: Contabo Cloud VPS 4 ($6.60, 8 GB). The 200 Mbit/s port is not the limit for game traffic; large resource-pack downloads are the one case where it shows.
- 8 GB with a full port: OVHcloud VPS-2 ($10) or InterServer 4 slices ($12).
- A weekend event or a test of a modpack: Vultr by the hour; destroy it afterwards.
- You do not want to touch Linux: the managed host below.
The managed alternative: Godlike.Host
Everything above assumes you will install Java, run the server as a service, open a port and keep backups. A managed Minecraft host replaces that with a control panel and charges for it. One such host, priced from its own Minecraft hosting page in September 2026: Godlike.Host lists Java servers at $15.99 a month for 4 GB, $23.99 for 6 GB and $31.99 for 8 GB on its standard tier, with a premium tier at $19.99, $29.99 and $39.99, and Bedrock servers from $6.39. Its page describes AMD Ryzen hardware, SSD storage, DDoS protection included, a control panel for installing modpacks and plugins, and "10 global data center locations" without naming them on the page; pick the location on its order form.
Against the table above, a 4 GB Godlike server costs about three times a 4 GB VPS. What the difference buys is not having to administer a machine: no Java install, no systemd unit, no firewall rules, no backup script, and a panel a friend can use. For a group whose one server is Minecraft and whose admin does not want to learn Linux, that is usually worth it; for anyone who will also host a site, a bot or a second game, the VPS is the better use of the money. We have not used Godlike.Host and make no claim about its performance beyond what its page states. The Godlike.Host review covers the Vertex vs Nitro split on the VPS side, the 3-day first-purchase refund, and the Romanian company behind the brand.
Affiliate (Admitad CPS): BestUSAVPS may earn a commission if you order through /go/godlike-deals/. The comparison above is unchanged by that.
Setup outline for a VPS
- Order the plan in the city nearest your players, with Ubuntu or Debian, and log in over SSH. Create a non-root user and give it your SSH key.
- Install Java. Current Minecraft releases need a recent Java runtime; install the distribution's OpenJDK package that matches the version the server jar requires (the Minecraft server download page states it).
- Create a minecraft user and directory, download the server jar (or the Paper build if you want plugins), accept the EULA file, and start it once to generate
server.properties. - Set the heap. Start the server with
-Xmsand-Xmxbelow the plan's memory (for a 4 GB plan, a 2.5 to 3 GB heap; for 8 GB, 5 to 6 GB). - Run it as a service with a systemd unit so it restarts on crash and after reboot, and so you can stop it cleanly.
- Open the port. TCP 25565 for Java (UDP 19132 for Bedrock) in the provider's firewall and in ufw or firewalld; nothing else inbound except SSH.
- Back up the world. A nightly script that stops saving, copies the world directory off the server (rsync or restic to another host or a bucket) and resumes; the OVHcloud daily backup covers the disk but not a corrupted world you notice a week later.
- Update deliberately. Take a backup before any server or modpack update, and keep the previous jar.