Minecraft Paper / Purpur dedicated hosting — plugins for a friends squad (2026)
This page is for a Paper / Purpur (and Spigot/CraftBukkit when listed) Minecraft Java box for a Discord squad — LuckPerms, CoreProtect, Dynmap, a small plugin set — not a Forge/Fabric modpack world and not Bedrock.
It is not the same job as
Night 77 Java Edition overview (broader vanilla + loader catalog),
Night 57 Bedrock Edition (Pocket / console + behavior packs),
Night 8 Java modpacks (ATM / RLCraft / Forge–Fabric stacks), or
Night 1 small-friend-group overview.
Prefer widely-sold: minecraft-paper was the first unused suggested slug (Purpur / minecraft-modded also free; CS2 / TF2 / Holdfast / Squad already live).
Among our six hosts (checked 24 Oct 2026, NZDT): Shockbyte, Apex Hosting, Nodecraft, PebbleHost, and GameTeam publish live Minecraft product pages (HTTP 200 on full GET). BisectHosting sells BisectOne Minecraft with plugins/ModrinthAPI but plan totals rendered as “… / GB” — price TBD. Curl HEAD 403 is not absence. Paper / Purpur / Spigot claims below are quoted only from each host’s own copy.
RAM / slots honesty: Paper plugins ≠ Forge modpacks ≠ Bedrock
- Friend Paper + light plugins: GameTeam’s FAQ prints 2–4 GB for a “vanilla or Paper survival server” and steps plugin networks toward 6 GB; also notes 10–20 players on vanilla-style and “far more on Paper or Purpur with tuned view distance.” Nodecraft labels Premium / Budget 4 GB cards “Best for Vanilla and Paper.” Shockbyte’s ladder starts at Dirt 1 GB — treat 1 GB as entry testing, not a busy Paper world. Apex clear Java cards start at 4 GB.
- Plugins are not mods: Paper/Spigot/Purpur jars (Bukkit API) are a different stack from Forge / NeoForge / Fabric client+server mods. Do not reuse Night 8 ATM-class floors (often 8–12 GB) for a LuckPerms survival box — and do not promise Fabric performance numbers on a Paper jar.
- Slots ≠ RAM: “unlimited slots” marketing is a ceiling. Pay for GB + a documented plugin/loader path. Host player teasers (Shockbyte Dirt “3+”, Sand “5+”, Cobble “8+”, Iron “15+”) are marketing floors, not a promise your view-distance setup will hold them.
- 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.
Paper / Purpur vs Fabric / Forge — host claims only
- Shockbyte: Product copy lists server types “from Paper and CraftBukkit to Forge and Vanilla,” plus an Instant Modpack & Plugin Installer. Purpur not named on the fetch we read.
- Apex Hosting: FAQ literally says plugins need the server switched to Craftbukkit, Spigot or Paper in the control panel; markets One-Click Mod & Plugin Installer. Purpur not named on the fetch we read.
- BisectHosting: BisectOne Minecraft markets Integrated Datapack and Plugins (ModrinthAPI) and “8,000+ Minecraft Plugins.” No clear Paper / Spigot / Purpur string on the fetch we read. Plan totals “… / GB” — price TBD.
- Nodecraft: Plan cards say “Best for Vanilla and Paper” on 4 GB tiers; features list a custom Spigot control panel and one-click mod & plugin installer. Strong named Paper/Spigot story. Purpur not named on fetch.
- PebbleHost: FAQ: custom modpack / Forge / Fabric / Spigot versions via full file access. Budget from $1/GB. Paper/Purpur not named — Spigot-via-files is the hard claim (Paper jars usually drop in the same way; confirm in panel/docs).
- GameTeam: States Paper and Purpur plugins, markets Spigot as a loader, and FAQ covers switching Vanilla ↔ Paper ↔ Fabric ↔ Forge without losing files. Clearest Purpur name among the six.
Backup before swapping loaders; match the server jar to the client version; plugins ≠ Bedrock addons ≠ CurseForge modpacks. See Night 6.
Comparison: Minecraft Paper / Purpur (plugin) plans
Price sources: every figure below comes from the host’s own 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 Paper 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 (USD monthly in page payload) |
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 strikethrough sale teasers (e.g. $11.99 → sale fragment) — 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 (sale teaser) Clear card: 4 GB recurring $14.99 |
4 GB / 6 GB / 8 GB cards printed Entry GB for the $5.99 teaser — confirm at cart (not invented here) |
FAQ: switch to Craftbukkit, Spigot or Paper for plugins · One-Click Mod & Plugin Installer · Purpur not named on fetch | Ryzen 7 5800X (APAC) called out; Australia on location marketing — ping-test |
4 GB recurring $14.99 ($11.24 first) 6 GB $22.49 · 8 GB $27.99 Carousel: Java “from $5.99” — treat as sale floor; verify recurring + GB. |
Polished panel + FAQ-named Paper/Spigot path when you want installer UX |
| BisectHosting | BisectOne Minecraft (Java or Bedrock) Plan totals rendered “… / GB” on fetch |
TBD monthly total Features: datapacks/plugins, ModrinthAPI |
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 · version switcher FAQ (Vanilla↔Paper↔Fabric↔Forge) | 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
Plugin 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 / Australia 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.
- FAQ-named Paper/Spigot + polished panel: Apex 4 GB $14.99 recurring — Craftbukkit/Spigot/Paper called out for plugins.
- Lowest list $/GB with Australia + Spigot-via-files: PebbleHost Budget ~$1/GB.
- Bisect: honest TBD dollars until the cart shows a number; 8,000+ plugins / ModrinthAPI look strong on paper.
- Need broader Java overview: Night 77. Need Bedrock cross-play: Night 57. Need ATM / RLCraft: Night 8. Under ~$20: Night 7.
Official links (affiliate placeholders)
Buttons below point at official 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.