Paper vs Spigot vs Purpur vs Fabric: Which Minecraft Server Software Should You Use?

Choosing the right server software is one of the most important decisions you will make when setting up a Minecraft server. The server jar you pick determines your performance, plugin compatibility, and what kind of experience your players get. In this guide, we break down the four most popular options - Paper, Spigot, Purpur, and Fabric - so you can make an informed choice.

What Is Server Software (Server Jar)?

When you run a Minecraft Java Edition server, you need a server jar file. The vanilla server from Mojang works, but it lacks plugin support and has limited performance optimization. That is where third-party server software comes in. Each option builds on or replaces the vanilla server with better performance, more features, or mod support.

Spigot - The Original Plugin Platform

Spigot has been around since 2012 and is the foundation that most Minecraft plugin servers are built on. It forked from CraftBukkit and added significant performance improvements at the time.

Pros:

• Massive plugin ecosystem with thousands of plugins on SpigotMC
• Stable and battle-tested over many years
• Good community documentation
• Compatible with most Bukkit plugins

Cons:

• Performance is noticeably behind Paper on larger servers
• Slower to adopt new optimizations
• Requires BuildTools to compile (no direct download)

Best for: Server owners who need maximum plugin compatibility and do not need cutting-edge performance.

Typical TPS on 50 players (vanilla gameplay): 18-19 TPS with basic optimizations.

Paper - The Performance King

Paper is a fork of Spigot and is currently the most popular Minecraft server software. It focuses heavily on performance optimizations and bug fixes. Most hosting providers, including us, recommend Paper as the default choice. As of 2026, Paper supports Minecraft 1.21.11 with active development.

Pros:

• Significantly faster than Spigot, especially with high player counts
• Async chunk loading and generation
• Built-in anti-cheat improvements
• Timings v2 profiler for diagnosing lag
• Direct download available (no BuildTools needed)
• Runs all Spigot and Bukkit plugins

Cons:

• Some vanilla mechanics are altered for performance (can be toggled back)
• Redstone behavior may differ slightly from vanilla
• A few Spigot plugins may behave differently due to API changes

Best for: Most server owners. If you are unsure which to pick, Paper is the safe default.

Typical TPS on 50 players (vanilla gameplay): 19.5-20 TPS with standard optimizations.

Purpur - Paper With Extra Features

Purpur is a fork of Paper (technically a fork of Pufferfish, which forks Paper). It keeps all of Paper's performance benefits and adds a huge number of configurable gameplay options.

Pros:

• All of Paper's performance optimizations
• Rideable mobs, custom mob behavior, and hundreds of toggleable options
• Fun gameplay tweaks without needing plugins
• Active development and community
• Runs all Paper, Spigot, and Bukkit plugins

Cons:

• Extra configuration complexity
• Slightly less tested than Paper for edge cases
• Smaller development team

Best for: Server owners who want Paper-level performance plus extra customization without adding more plugins.

Typical TPS on 50 players: Same as Paper, around 19.5-20 TPS.

Fabric - The Modding Alternative

Fabric takes a completely different approach. Instead of the Bukkit/Spigot plugin API, Fabric uses its own lightweight modding framework. It is popular with technical Minecraft players and modded server communities.

Pros:

• Extremely lightweight and fast
• Better vanilla parity than Paper (preserves vanilla mechanics)
• Lithium, Starlight, and other performance mods can match or beat Paper's speed
• Great for technical servers and modded gameplay
• Quick updates to new Minecraft versions

Cons:

• No Bukkit/Spigot plugin support at all
• Smaller mod ecosystem compared to Spigot's plugin library
• Requires more technical knowledge to set up
• Server-side and client-side mods must be managed separately

Best for: Technical servers, modded servers, or anyone who wants vanilla-accurate mechanics with performance mods.

Typical TPS on 50 players (with Lithium + Starlight): 19.5-20 TPS.

Quick Comparison Table

Which Should You Choose?

Here is a simple decision guide:

• Just starting out? Go with Paper. It is the most popular for a reason - great performance, easy setup, and runs virtually every plugin.
• Want extra gameplay features without plugins? Pick Purpur. You get everything Paper offers plus hundreds of built-in toggles.
• Running a technical or modded server? Fabric is your best bet. It respects vanilla mechanics and has excellent performance mods.
• Need compatibility with a very old plugin? Spigot might be necessary, but try Paper first since most plugins work on both.
• Running 100+ players on a large network? Look into Folia - PaperMC's experimental multi-threaded fork that splits the world into independent regions so it can use multiple CPU cores simultaneously. It breaks most plugins, but it is the future direction for massive-scale servers.

For the vast majority of Minecraft server owners, Paper is the right choice. It strikes the best balance between performance, plugin support, and ease of use.

Get Your Minecraft Server Running

No matter which server software you choose, you need reliable hosting to back it up. At DoomHosting, we support Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Fabric, and more - with one-click jar switching so you can test different options without any hassle.

Check out our Minecraft server hosting and get your server online in minutes.