SHSelfHostIndex

Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot vs Zero-K

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?
PA Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot High-performance Minecraft server software VS ZE Zero-K Free open-source RTS with self-hostable multiplayer
FeaturePaper Note - PaperMC server alt SpigotZero-K
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguageJavaLua
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM1,024 MB2,048 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarybare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 12,564★ 820
First released20142010
ReplacesVanilla Minecraft serverSupreme Commander

Why pick each one

Choose Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot if…

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

Choose Zero-K if…

  • Deep strategy
  • Completely free
Zero-K details

Frequently asked questions

Is Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot or Zero-K better?

Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Zero-K if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

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

Yes. Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Zero-K under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

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

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

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