Paper vs Spigot vs Purpur vs Fabric vs Forge (Which to Pick)

Pick Paper if you want normal Minecraft with plugins like homes, land claims and ranks. Pick Fabric for performance mods or lighter mod lists, and NeoForge for big modpacks on recent versions (or Forge if the pack was built for it). Purpur is Paper with extra settings, and Spigot has no real reason to exist on a new server any more. The rule that decides everything: plugins run on Paper, Purpur and Spigot, mods run on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, and you cannot mix the two.

Quick comparison

Plugins or mods: which do you need?

This choice comes before the software.

Plugins run only on the server. They can add commands, protect land, run an economy, manage permissions and change how existing things behave. They cannot add new blocks, items or mobs, because the players' games would not know how to show them. Nobody needs to install anything to join.

Mods change the game itself. They add new blocks, mobs, dimensions, machines and magic. Every player needs the same mods in the same versions, installed with the same loader, or they cannot join. Some mods are server only (performance mods like Lithium), and those players do not need.

If your group wants "survival with friends plus /home, claims and rollbacks", you want plugins. If they want a tech pack or new biomes, you want mods. Our lists of the best Minecraft server plugins and the best modpacks show what each side looks like.

Paper: the default for almost everyone

Paper is a high performance version of the official server that runs Bukkit and Spigot plugins. It fixes a long list of vanilla bugs and exploits, loads chunks faster, comes with the spark profiler built in (since 1.21) and adds tuning options in config/paper-global.yml and config/paper-world-defaults.yml.

Gameplay stays vanilla. A few technical behaviours differ by default, mostly around exploits like TNT duplication and some redstone edge cases. Technical players can turn most of those back on in Paper's config, but if your group lives for perfect vanilla redstone contraptions, read Paper's docs before you commit.

In late 2024 Paper hard forked from Spigot, starting with 1.21.4. It no longer pulls in Spigot's code, but bukkit.yml, spigot.yml and existing Spigot plugins keep working. Plugin authors now build against the Paper API, and new plugins increasingly need Paper.

Pick Paper if: you want plugins, or you just want a vanilla server that runs better. That is most people.

Spigot: why we do not recommend it now

Spigot was the standard plugin server for years and is still maintained. But it is not distributed as a ready jar: you build it yourself with BuildTools. Paper runs the same plugins, plus Paper only plugins, with better performance. With the hard fork, new plugins targeting the Paper API may not run on Spigot at all.

We do not offer Spigot as a server type for that reason. If a plugin page says "Spigot", it runs on Paper.

Purpur: Paper with extra switches

Purpur is built on top of Paper, so it runs every Paper plugin and gets Paper's performance work. On top it adds purpur.yml, a long file of gameplay toggles: rideable mobs, configurable mob behaviour, tweaks to items and blocks, and many small options that would otherwise need a plugin.

It follows Paper's releases, usually a short time after. Pick Purpur if you have read through its options and want some of them. If you are not sure, Paper is the safer default, and you can switch later since the worlds and plugins are compatible.

Fabric: light, fast and quick to update

Fabric is a lightweight mod loader. It tends to support new Minecraft releases within days, and it is home to the best performance mods: Lithium for server side game logic, plus others for lighting and chunk loading. Many smaller content mods and some modpacks are Fabric only. Most Fabric mods need Fabric API installed too.

Fabric servers cannot load plugins. If you want plugin style features on Fabric, look for server side mods that do the same job, many of which are on Modrinth.

Pick Fabric if: you want a near vanilla server with performance mods, or your mods or pack are Fabric.

Forge: the original, now mostly for older packs

Forge is the loader most classic modpacks were built on. It still gets updates, but since 2023 most of its developers moved to NeoForge, and most new big content mods followed. Forge is still the loader for a huge library of mods and packs on 1.20.1 and older, and plenty of popular packs stay on that version.

Pick Forge if: the modpack or mods you want say Forge. Match the exact Forge version the pack lists.

NeoForge: where new modpacks live

NeoForge is a fork of Forge started in 2023 by most of the Forge team. From Minecraft 1.20.2 onward it went its own way, and Forge mods for those versions do not load on NeoForge or the other way around. Most big new modpacks on 1.21.1 and later use NeoForge. All the Mods 10, for example, is a NeoForge 1.21.1 pack.

Pick NeoForge if: your pack or mods say NeoForge, which on recent versions they usually will.

What about Folia, Quilt and hybrids?

• Folia is a Paper fork that runs different regions of the world on different CPU threads. It needs many cores to help, and most plugins do not support it. It is for very large servers, not friend groups.
• Quilt is a fork of Fabric that loads most Fabric mods. Few people need it over Fabric.
• Hybrids that load Forge mods and Bukkit plugins at once exist, but they break often and plugin and mod authors usually will not help when they do. We would not run one for a group that just wants to play.

Which server software do we offer?

Every GamezServers Minecraft server can run any of these six server types: Paper, Purpur, Vanilla, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge. You pick one in the panel and the right server is installed for you, with no jar downloading or installer running. New servers start on Paper.

To switch, click Backup first, change the server type in Settings, then set the Minecraft version you want and click Update game. Plugins go in the plugins folder on Paper and Purpur, mods go in the mods folder on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge. Switching between Paper and Purpur is painless. Switching between a plugin server and a mod loader keeps the world, but your plugins or mods will not carry over.

Our recommendation by group

For modpacks, our guide on making a modded server from a CurseForge modpack covers the loader version and file upload step by step.

FAQ

Can Paper run Forge or Fabric mods?

No. Paper runs plugins. Forge, NeoForge and Fabric mods need their own loader. Hybrid servers that try to do both exist, but they are unstable and we do not recommend them.

Is Purpur better than Paper?

Not for performance in any way you will notice. Purpur is Paper plus extra configuration. If you want those options, it is great. If you do not, plain Paper is the simpler choice.

Do Spigot plugins work on Paper?

Yes. Paper runs Bukkit and Spigot plugins, and most plugin pages list Paper as supported. A few plugins that depend on Spigot features added after Paper's hard fork may not, but that is rare.

Is NeoForge compatible with Forge mods?

Only on 1.20.1, where NeoForge started as a copy of Forge. From 1.20.2 onward they are separate and mods are built for one or the other. Always check which loader a mod lists.

Which is fastest, Paper or Fabric?

Both are much faster than vanilla. Paper with its default settings and Fabric with Lithium and similar mods are both good choices. Pick based on whether you want plugins or mods, not on speed.

Try them without reinstalling anything

On a GamezServers Minecraft server you can switch between all six types from the panel, with one click backups in between, so picking the wrong one costs you a few minutes. Plans start at 4.99 USD a month, and the server is live about 60 seconds after you pay.