If you want to play multiplayer Minecraft then there are two main options to use either buying a Minecraft Realm or buying a Minecraft Server. The main difference between these two options is the Minecraft Realm is a server gotten from Microsoft themselves, while you can buy a Minecraft Server from various websites and have them work.
The Minecraft Realm is bought from Mojang and as such has some additional features like the game modes that are easily switched and the Realm gains access to a catalog of 50+ Marketplace packs. These packs aren’t free instead of costing Minecoins which can be bought from the Marketplace. These packs can range from being a large map to being a community created mini-game. One key feature that the Realms feature is the fact that new content is added to the Marketplace every month, meaning that users can experience a new user created mini-game every month. Sadly, the only option for the Realms is an up to 10 player option.
A Minecraft server can be bought from various websites, like PloxHost to Shockbyte and all have varying features from unlimited slots to easy Modpack installations to free backups. While for the Minecraft Realm we aren’t told what type of hardware the server runs on, most of these websites list at least the RAM option and the number of player slots each of these offers ranging from 0.5 GB of RAM to 16 GB of RAM. ShockByte’s offering does have a slot limit depending on which RAM option the buyer chooses, while the other website, PlexHost, still has different RAM options but doesn’t have a player slot limit.
The main advantage of choosing a Minecraft server when compared to a Minecraft Realm is that users are able to make their server a modded server which isn’t an option with a Realm. This (in my opinion) is one of the reasons that most users choose a Minecraft server instead of buying a realm, another big advantage for the Minecraft server’s side is the price. While the Minecraft Realm has only one option which costs $7.99 a month in addition to any Minecoin you may use to buy marketplace items, the Minecraft server has varying costs from $2.50 a month to upwards of $40.00 a month depending on your server RAM’s need. Which would you buy a Minecraft Realm or a Minecraft Server?
