The software you load
Plugins and mods can hold data before the first player joins. Their behavior matters more than a count alone; follow the pack author’s requirements.
Free server tool / Memory planning
How much RAM does your world need?
Size a starting point around your players, software, and add-ons. See the estimate, leave some headroom, and choose a plan with confidence.
Step 1 of 3 / Minecraft memory planner
What are you building?
Pick your software first. We’ll tailor the questions to what you run.
Paper / Purpur · 20 concurrent players
01 / Make sense of the number
A world is more than its player count.
The runtime, add-ons and active world all need room. This breakdown shows how your inputs shape the estimate, before choosing a plan.
Your memory budget · Paper / Purpur
20 concurrent players · 10-chunk view distance
6 GBestimated target, including headroom
Server runtime2.0 GB
Online players1.7 GB
Plugins0.5 GB
Extra view distance0.3 GB
Planning rounding0.4 GB
Headroom & rounding1.0 GB
Planning assumptions, not measured heap allocations. Actual usage varies with the pack, loaded chunks, entities and server configuration.
The world you keep active
Players exploring separate areas load more terrain than players building together. View distance, entities and chunk loaders change that picture.
The room you leave
Plan memory also has to cover Java and other process overhead. The plan limit is not a suggested -Xmx value.
02 / Compare the software
One community. Different starting points.
Compare estimates for 20 players using your settings. Select a row to change your software; each engine counts only the add-ons it supports.
Solid bar: workload estimate. Muted extension: headroom and rounding. Values are targets before matching a plan. A supplied pack minimum applies only to your selected mod loader.
Illustration / Tick duration
50 msbudget at 20 TPS
50 ms budget
Blue: within budget · pink: over budgetIllustrative, not a benchmark
03 / Look beyond memory
Free RAM doesn’t mean a free tick.
A server targeting 20 TPS has 50 milliseconds per tick. Expensive entities, generation, plugin work or blocking I/O can use that budget even with memory available.
See what a Spark capture reveals →Check collection behavior
A high heap snapshot can drop after collection. Look at pauses over time before deciding to resize the heap; a bigger allocation is not automatically smoother.
Keep Java in the picture
Collector, Java version and flags affect memory behavior. There is no universal “32 GB cliff” that applies to every runtime configuration.
Measure one change
Capture during the issue, change one setting and repeat with similar player activity. Keep both reports so you can compare the evidence.
Learn more: Spark’s TPS and MSPT guide.
A little help before you launch
Before you choose a tier.
The assumptions behind your estimate, and what to measure next.
Let’s talk it through.
Have a question of your own? Our team is here to help.
Ask our team (opens in a new tab)Or explore the guides4 questions
01How is this calculated?
The estimate combines a software baseline, concurrent players, relevant add-ons, view distance, and optional crossplay. It starts with the same workload model as our plan builder, respects a modpack minimum when supplied, and adds your chosen headroom (15% by default) before matching a tier. Simulation distance and world activity inform performance advice rather than a fixed memory surcharge. These are planning assumptions, not measurements or benchmark guarantees.
02What if my modpack recommends more?
Use the pack author’s minimum when it is higher. Mod counts cannot capture every content pack, script, or generation system. Profile a representative session and leave room for peak use.
03Does more RAM fix low TPS?
Only when memory pressure is contributing to the problem. Expensive world ticks, plugins, chunk generation, and CPU contention need their own investigation. Adding memory alone does not make that work finish faster.
04What does Unmetered NVMe mean?
Minecraft storage is subject to our Fair Usage Policy, including the 150 GB soft limit and increases on request. Contact us before approaching that limit.
More free server tools
Keep your next step close.
Minecraft MOTD generator
Design a colourful two-line server message with a live preview. Copy server.properties or MiniMessage output with RGB gradients.
Spark report analyzer
Turn a capture into a verdict, evidence and next steps. Inspect tick windows, memory and attributed add-on work.
World pregeneration planner
Estimate the chunks in your world area, use measured rates for time and storage, and build Chunky commands.
