SHSelfHostIndex

EssentialsX vs Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
ES EssentialsX Essential commands and tools plugin for Minecraft servers VS PA Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot High-performance Minecraft server software
FeatureEssentialsXPaper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguageJavaJava
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM256 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentbare-metaldocker, bare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 2,278★ 12,564
First released20162014
Replacescommercial server management pluginsVanilla Minecraft server

Why pick each one

Choose EssentialsX if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
  • Written in Java
EssentialsX details

Choose Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot if…

  • Excellent performance
  • Massive plugin ecosystem
Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot details

Frequently asked questions

Is EssentialsX or Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot better?

Neither is universally better. Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot has the larger community, while EssentialsX is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are EssentialsX and Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot free and open-source?

Yes. EssentialsX is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run EssentialsX and Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot with Docker?

EssentialsX: check the project docs for container support. Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot: yes.

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