8 GB Minecraft server hosting gives you room for about 12 players with plugins, 18 on vanilla or 6 on a modded server, so a world for a few friends can grow into a server other people join. It is the plan the finder recommends for ten players on Paper with plugins.
Prices checked on 7 October 2026 on the hosts' own order pages. All prices include VAT.
The short answer
An 8 GB Minecraft server runs about 12 players with plugins, or 6 players on a modded server. On vanilla it handles about 18 players. Large modpacks need 12 GB or more.
Compare 8 GB Minecraft server plans
Every 8 GB Minecraft server plan at the three hosts, with the processor, storage and monthly price.
8 GB Minecraft server plans at Astroworld Hosting, Lodehost and Cheapest Minecraft Hosting
On the Performance lines the large price is what a new customer pays a month at the start: for the first 3 months at Astroworld Hosting and the first payment at Lodehost. The regular monthly price comes after it, and the last price in each row is the monthly price on the host's longest term.
Compare the same billing term and location before you order.
Every price is taken from the host's own order page. How we compare
What can you run on an 8 GB Minecraft server?
About 18 players on vanilla
A vanilla server, or Paper without heavy plugins, has plenty of room on 8 GB.
About 12 players with plugins
Paper or Purpur with a full set of plugins for land claims, ranks and an economy.
About 6 players on a modded server
Fabric or Forge with mods you pick yourself, or a light modpack of about 100 mods for two friends.
8 GB is the first size with a free server website at Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost, and the size where their Performance line starts to cost a few euros more.
Is 8 GB enough for a Minecraft modpack?
8 GB is enough for a light modpack with two players, but not for the large modpacks. A modpack with around 300 mods needs about 8 GB before anyone joins, which leaves an 8 GB server with no room for players at all. For those packs, look at 12 GB or 16 GB. A light modpack of about 100 mods needs about 6 GB before anyone joins, plus 1 GB per player, which is why two players is the limit on 8 GB.
What to look for in an 8 GB Minecraft server plan
Look for the free website and the price of the Performance line when you compare 8 GB Minecraft server plans, because both are easy to miss in the table at the top of this page. First, at Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost the 8 GB plans are the first ones that include a free website for your server. Second, the Performance line costs a few euros more than the standard line at this size, and for a plugin server with redstone and farms it is worth it: Astroworld Starter Performance costs €15.95 a month when you pay monthly, with 60% off the first 3 months for new customers in Poland.
The budget option is CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus: 8 GB on a Ryzen 9 7950X with DDR5 for €6.40, the same price on every term.
For 6 to 10 players with a few plugins on Java in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Lodehost Starter: 8 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €15.95 a month when you pay monthly. As a new customer you pay €6.38 for the first month, 60% off. The best plans at the other two hosts are Astroworld Starter Performance at €15.95 and CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus at €6.40.
How many players can an 8 GB Minecraft server hold?
An 8 GB Minecraft server holds about 18 players online on vanilla, 12 with plugins and 6 on a modded server. It is not enough for a large modpack. The table shows how many players fit on 8 GB of RAM for each kind of server, by the same rule the finder uses. These are players online at the same time, not everyone on the whitelist.
Players online that fit on a 8 GB Minecraft server, per setup
Setup
Players online on 8 GB
What that means
Vanilla
About 18
The vanilla server or Paper without plugins
Plugins
About 12
Paper or Purpur with a few plugins
Modded
About 6
Fabric, Forge or NeoForge with mods you pick yourself
Modpack
Not enough
A large modpack with around 300 mods
8 GB or 12 GB for your Minecraft server?
Choose 8 GB if your busiest evening has up to about 12 players with plugins, or a small group on a modded server. Choose 12 GB if you expect more than that, or if you want to play a large modpack. The step up costs €16.95 instead of €12.95 a month on the standard line at Lodehost. If you are not sure, start with 8 GB: all three hosts let you upgrade later and keep your world, so you never pay for room you do not use.
Before you buy an 8 GB Minecraft server
1
Count players with plugins
About 12 players online at once fit on 8 GB with Paper and a full set of plugins.
2
Use the free website
From 8 GB, Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost include a website for your server at no extra cost.
3
Skip large modpacks
A pack of around 300 mods needs about 8 GB before anyone joins, so it needs 12 GB or more.
Questions about 8 GB Minecraft servers
Is 8 GB good for a Minecraft server?
Yes, 8 GB is a good size for a Minecraft plugin server with 6 to 12 players online, and for a small group on a modded Fabric or Forge server.
Can 8 GB run All the Mods or other large modpacks?
No. All the Mods and other large modpacks need at least 8 GB before anyone joins, so an 8 GB server has nothing left for players. Choose 12 GB for up to four players and 16 GB or more for a group.
How much does an 8 GB Minecraft server cost?
CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus costs €6.40 a month in Poland. On the standard line, Lodehost Starter costs €12.95 a month in Germany, and with reserved Ryzen 9 threads on the Performance line, 8 GB costs €15.95 a month.
Is 8 GB enough for 20 players?
No. Twenty players need about 8.7 GB on vanilla and about 12 GB with plugins, so a 12 GB server is the right choice for twenty players. See hosting for 20 players.
Is 8 GB enough for a modded Minecraft server?
For a small group, yes. A modded Fabric or Forge server needs about 5 GB before anyone joins and about 1 GB for every two players, so 8 GB holds about six players. A large modpack needs 12 GB or more.
How do I allocate 8 GB of RAM to a Minecraft server?
On a hosted plan you do not have to: the host starts the server with the memory of your plan. On your own computer you set it in the start command, for example java -Xms8G -Xmx8G -jar server.jar nogui, where -Xmx is the most memory Java may use. Leave a few gigabytes free for the operating system.
Can I get an 8 GB Minecraft server for free?
Not one that stays online. An 8 GB server running day and night costs a host real money, so free hosts keep the memory small or stop the server when nobody plays. The cheapest 8 GB plan we compare costs €6.40 a month, the same on every term. How free hosting works, and when it is enough, is on free Minecraft server hosting.
How many GB does a Minecraft server need?
A Minecraft server needs about 4 GB for five players on vanilla, 8 GB for ten players with plugins, 12 GB for ten players on a modded server and 16 GB for five players on a large modpack. Those are the sizes the finder picks by the rule this site uses for every recommendation.
