Minecraft Java Edition dedicated hosting — Paper / Spigot / Purpur for a friends squad (2026)
This page is for a Minecraft: Java Edition dedicated box for a Discord squad — passworded survival, maybe LuckPerms / CoreProtect / a small plugin set on Paper / Spigot / Purpur when the host actually lists those loaders. It is not the same job as Night 1 small-friend-group overview (general pick-a-host), Night 8 Java modpacks (ATM / RLCraft / Forge–Fabric stacks), or Night 57 Bedrock Edition (Pocket / console cross-play + behavior packs). Among our six hosts (checked 24 Oct 2026, NZDT): Shockbyte, Apex Hosting, Nodecraft, PebbleHost, and GameTeam publish live Minecraft Java product pages (HTTP 200). BisectHosting sells BisectOne Minecraft (Java or Bedrock) but plan totals rendered as “… / GB” on the fetch we read — TBD, not invented dollars. Curl HEAD 403 is not absence; we used full GET. Paper / Spigot / Purpur claims below are quoted only from each host’s own copy — we do not invent a loader.
RAM honesty: Java vanilla + plugins (not modpacks, not Bedrock)
- Friend Java + light plugins: GameTeam’s FAQ prints 2–4 GB for a “vanilla or Paper survival server” and steps plugin networks toward 6 GB. Nodecraft labels Premium / Budget 4 GB cards “Best for Vanilla and Paper.” Shockbyte’s public ladder starts at Dirt 1 GB list — treat 1 GB as entry testing, not a busy Paper world with view-distance plugs. Apex’s homepage cards start the clear Java ladder at 4 GB (“Vanilla + most modpacks”) with a carousel “from $5.99” teaser — confirm entry GB at cart.
- Do not reuse sibling RAM tables: Night 8 modpack floors (often 8–12 GB for ATM-class packs) and Night 57 Bedrock floors (host-stated 1–2 GB) are different products. Plugins on Paper are not Forge jars; Bedrock behavior packs are not Bukkit plugins.
- Slots ≠ RAM: “unlimited slots” marketing is a ceiling. Pay for GB + a documented plugin/loader path, not the biggest player number on the card.
- Always-on vs Wake & Play: Nodecraft marks Budget Wake & Play as a separate SKU from Premium 24/7 — prefer Premium when friends join at random hours (same honesty as other Nodecraft game pages).
Paper / Spigot / Purpur — host claims only
- Shockbyte: Product copy lists server types “from Paper and CraftBukkit to Forge and Vanilla,” plus Bedrock paths on the same Minecraft catalog. Also markets an Instant Modpack & Plugin Installer. No Purpur name on the fetch we read.
- Apex Hosting: Homepage markets One-Click Mod & Plugin Installer and Minecraft: Java Edition plans. We did not find the words Paper, Spigot, or Purpur on the homepage text we extracted — quote plugins/mod installer only; confirm loader names in panel/docs before promising the squad.
- BisectHosting: BisectOne Minecraft page markets Java or Bedrock, Integrated Datapack and Plugins (ModrinthAPI), “8,000+ Minecraft Plugins,” Full Mod Support. No clear Paper / Spigot / Purpur string on the fetch we read. Plan totals showed “… / GB” — price TBD.
- Nodecraft: Plan cards literally say “Best for Vanilla and Paper” on 4 GB tiers; features list a custom Spigot control panel and one-click mod & plugin installer. Strongest named Paper/Spigot story among the six on the pages we read. No Purpur name spotted.
- PebbleHost: FAQ answers custom modpack / Forge / Fabric / Spigot versions via full file access. Budget from $1/GB; Premium called out for larger / modpack / public servers. No Paper or Purpur name on the fetch we read — Spigot via files is the hard claim.
- GameTeam: Minecraft AI hosting page states Paper and Purpur plugins, Forge / NeoForge / Fabric mods, and markets Spigot as a loader option; FAQ recommends 2–4 GB for vanilla or Paper survival. Clearest Purpur name among the six.
Plugins (Paper/Spigot/Purpur jars) are not Bedrock addons and not CurseForge modpacks. Backup before swapping loaders; match the server jar to the client version; see Night 6.
Comparison: Minecraft Java Edition plans
Price sources: every figure below comes from the host’s own Minecraft Java (or main Minecraft) product / pricing page (checked 24 Oct 2026, NZDT). Recurring monthly preferred; first-month sales disclosed where shown. TBD when a sellable host had no clear plan total. Product URLs that sell returned 200 — curl HEAD 403 is not absence; we used full GET. Confirm at checkout — stock and location change.
| Host | Friend Java plan | RAM / notes (printed) | Paper / Spigot / Purpur (host claims) | Oceania / ping | Approx. monthly (USD) | Best for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shockbyte AU brand | Sand · 2 GB · list $7.99/mo Dirt 1 GB $3.99 · Cobblestone 3 GB $11.99 · Iron 4 GB $15.99 |
1–12 GB fixed tiers (+ Custom 17 GB+) Friend Paper → Sand/Cobble/Iron, not Dirt alone |
Paper + CraftBukkit named · Instant Modpack & Plugin Installer · Forge + Vanilla also listed · Purpur not named on fetch | Melbourne company; Australia on Minecraft catalog — ping-test before annual |
List recurring: $3.99 / $7.99 / $11.99 / $15.99… Page also showed ~30% recurring sale teasers (e.g. Dirt $2.79) — pay the list or confirm cart sale. |
Named Paper path + clear 2–4 GB AU-friendly ladder for a plugin survival world |
| Apex Hosting | Java Edition · homepage from $5.99 (25% off teaser) Clear card: 4 GB recurring $14.99 (“Vanilla + most modpacks”) |
4 GB / 6 GB / 8 GB cards printed Entry GB for the $5.99 teaser — confirm at cart (not invented here) |
One-Click Mod & Plugin Installer · Paper / Spigot / Purpur not named on homepage text we read — confirm loader in panel | Ryzen 7 5800X (APAC) called out on EX / location marketing; Sydney on Apex AU pages used elsewhere — ping-test |
4 GB recurring $14.99 ($11.24 first) 6 GB $22.49 · 8 GB $27.99 Carousel: Java “25% from $5.99” — treat as sale floor; verify recurring + GB. |
Polished panel + plugin installer when you accept confirming Paper/Spigot names in-panel |
| BisectHosting | BisectOne Minecraft (Java or Bedrock) Plan totals rendered “… / GB” on fetch |
TBD monthly total Features: datapacks/plugins, ModrinthAPI, 40 GB storage pool language |
Datapacks / 8,000+ Minecraft Plugins · ModrinthAPI · Full Mod Support · Paper/Spigot/Purpur not named on fetch | 21 locations claimed; page showed out-of-stock / waitlist for a location — verify Sydney at checkout | TBD “… / GB” monthly / quarterly / annual — no dollar figure on the HTML we read |
Feature-rich once the cart shows a real bill and stock — do not invent a price |
| Nodecraft | Premium 24/7 4 GB · “Best for Vanilla and Paper” · recurring $19.98/mo Premium 2 GB $9.98 · Budget Wake & Play 4 GB $11.92 |
2 / 4 / 8 GB Premium + Budget ladders Friend Paper → Premium 4 GB card copy |
Paper named on plan cards · custom Spigot control panel · one-click mod & plugin installer · Purpur not named on fetch | Sydney, Melbourne & Auckland listed on Minecraft location copy |
Premium 2 GB $9.98 · 4 GB $19.98 · 8 GB $39.98 recurring First-month sales shown (e.g. 4 GB $13.99 first). Budget 4 GB $11.92 — prefer Premium for random join hours. |
Clearest Paper + Spigot panel story with AU/NZ nodes printed |
| PebbleHost $/GB | Budget from $1/GB Premium higher $/GB for larger / modpack / public — confirm cart |
$/GB dial · unlimited slots marketed Friend plugin world → often 2–4 GB Budget; upgrade Premium if CPU-bound |
FAQ: custom Spigot (and Forge/Fabric/modpack) via full file access · Paper/Purpur not named on fetch | Australia listed on Budget + Premium location lines |
Budget from $1/GB e.g. ~$4/mo at 4 GB if cart matches $1/GB — confirm term + Premium rate at checkout |
Lowest list $/GB with AU + honest Spigot-via-files path |
| GameTeam | Budget from $0.49/GB · Premium $0.74/GB FAQ: start 2–4 GB vanilla/Paper; plugin networks ~6 GB |
$/GB · unlimited slots marketed Plan monthly totals = GB × rate — confirm billing term |
Paper and Purpur plugins named · Spigot marketed as loader · Forge/NeoForge/Fabric also · AI install flow marketed (treat FAQ loaders as hard claims) | Global locations claimed (check for AU) — ping-test if Oceania matters |
From $0.49/GB (Budget) / $0.74/GB (Premium) e.g. 4 GB Budget ~$1.96/mo if cart matches — confirm term + region |
Clearest Purpur + Paper naming; best when you already like GameTeam’s version switcher |
Sources (host-owned, fetched 24 Oct 2026, NZDT): shockbyte.com/games/minecraft-server-hosting, apexminecrafthosting.com, bisecthosting.com/minecraft (features; plan totals TBD), nodecraft.com/games/minecraft-server-hosting, pebblehost.com/minecraft, gameteam.io/minecraft-server-hosting. No host is crowned “#1”. Confirm loader, RAM, region and the recurring bill at checkout.
Oceania / AU–NZ wedge
Java friends still feel bad ping. Prefer hosts that list Australia / Sydney / Melbourne / Auckland and ping-test with the whole Discord before an annual term. Shockbyte (AU company), Nodecraft (Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland on Minecraft copy), PebbleHost (Australia on Budget + Premium), and Apex (APAC CPU / Sydney on location pages) all advertise AU presence on pages we read. Bisect’s 21 locations include stock / waitlist language on the Minecraft page — treat Sydney as a checkout checkbox. GameTeam: confirm region in cart. See the Oceania ping guide (Night 5).
Practical shortlist (not rankings)
- Want Paper named on the plan card + AU/NZ nodes: Nodecraft Premium 4 GB $19.98 recurring (“Best for Vanilla and Paper”) — or Shockbyte Sand/Cobble/Iron with Paper + CraftBukkit listed.
- Want Purpur named in marketing: GameTeam ($0.49–$0.74/GB) — only host among the six that printed Purpur on the fetch we read.
- Lowest list $/GB with Australia + Spigot-via-files: PebbleHost Budget ~$1/GB.
- Polished panel, confirm loader in-panel: Apex 4 GB $14.99 recurring — plugins installer yes; Paper/Spigot words not on homepage text.
- Bisect: honest TBD dollars until the cart shows a number; features look strong on paper.
- Need Bedrock cross-play instead: Night 57. Need ATM / RLCraft: Night 8. General small-group overview: Night 1.
Official links (affiliate placeholders)
Buttons below point at official Minecraft Java (or main Minecraft) pages today. Tracked affiliate URLs will replace the #aff-* anchors once programs approve — see affiliates.md.
Related
Affiliate disclosure
HostForTheSquad may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page (Shockbyte, Apex, BisectHosting, GameTeam, and others when approved). Commission rates do not decide table rows or “best for” notes. Prices and stock change — always verify on the host’s site before you pay.