Minecraft Forums

Hello, I'm PlatinumPluto.

I have the question if Realms or Servers are better in Minecraft.

I've been curious as far as this huge discussion goes. So, which is better? I would assume Minecraft Realms, but there are pro's and con's to it.

I came here to see if anyone can give me advice about which I should use. I have a Realm on Minecraft: Win10 and PE (they are the same realm) and it's currently on a trial. OK, even though trials are a little hard to manage, but I just wanted to try it on for a fit. I've seen and played on Minecraft Realms on PC/Java before, and they seems both the same. As far as servers go, I think Minecraft Servers that can allow 10/16 players are free, but I'm not exactly sure. I just want to know if Realms is a money trap, or legit.

So I hope someone can help me out on this topic, thanks! (NOTICE: I am not a noob, rookie, or any type of new player to Minecraft,

I've been playing it for about 6 years! I just want to know about Realms and Servers because I've never handled one before.

Thanks!

MC Realms are (supposedly*) limited to vanilla MC in the current release of MC. They tend to have a limited setup as to how the world can spawn. If you like vanilla MC, they're great. You can have one of three worlds or mini-games showing up, but only one at a time. They can be Survival, Creative or Adventure.

(*These days, with command and structure block mods, Realms can be modded quite extensively. But not nearly as much as Servers.)

MC Servers can be modded any which way from Sunday. The terrain can be generated any way the server owner likes. There can be multiple types of worlds and mini-games simultaneously available to the players at any one time. An MC server can be just about anything, and is not limited to the current release of MC. If you find a server you like, great, but you might have to test run a lot of servers to find one you do like.

I find most Realms pretty bland, and most of the Servers I have tried are not to my taste. Can't really choose between them, so I didn't vote.

Quote from JerryAttrick»

MC Realms are (supposedly*) limited to vanilla MC in the current release of MC. They tend to have a limited setup as to how the world can spawn. If you like vanilla MC, they're great. You can have one of three worlds or mini-games showing up, but only one at a time. They can be Survival, Creative or Adventure.

(*These days, with command and structure block mods, Realms can be modded quite extensively. But not nearly as much as Servers.)

MC Servers can be modded any which way from Sunday. The terrain can be generated any way the server owner likes. There can be multiple types of worlds and mini-games simultaneously available to the players at any one time. An MC server can be just about anything, and is not limited to the current release of MC. If you find a server you like, great, but you might have to test run a lot of servers to find one you do like.

I find most Realms pretty bland, and most of the Servers I have tried are not to my taste. Can't really choose between them, so I didn't vote.

Thanks, I'll start thinking about both more with your advice included.

I have a realm that I'm not sure I want to continue.

I would go server. Realms are great for playing with a few friends. And to go back on JerryAttrick's point, tend to be ... well... bland. Server's provide options such as an economy with in game currency, interesting world spawns, a chance to meet new people, share new ideas, and show off your skills. As far as I know, game modes like skyblock and skygrid don't exist in realms, (I didn't dabble too much lol. I got bored quickly with realms,) and they add a new twist to the game which keeps it interesting.

Quote from Dixxy69»

I would go server. Realms are great for playing with a few friends. And to go back on JerryAttrick's point, tend to be ... well... bland. Server's provide options such as an economy with in game currency, interesting world spawns, a chance to meet new people, share new ideas, and show off your skills. As far as I know, game modes like skyblock and skygrid don't exist in realms, (I didn't dabble too much lol. I got bored quickly with realms,) and they add a new twist to the game which keeps it interesting.

Thanks! I'll be thinking about a server possibly. I'm still kinda stuck between both.
Maybe if I get some more advice I'll go with a server!

Quote from ShelLuser»

That heavily depends on the person using it.

From a technical perspective, as well as my personal opinion, I'd say that servers are better. When looking at something such as the Spigot project then you got yourself a Minecraft server which in some ways runs better than vanilla itself. It has been optimized, it has some basic anti-cheat functions in it and of course the biggest feat of them all: you can use plugins and those can seriously enhance your gameplay.

The problem though, and this also applies to the vanilla server, is that it requires some specific knowledge / experience to set it up. You have to configure the server (usually by editing config files), you will probably need to set up the network settings so that others can access the server (in some cases this means setting up 'port forwarding' so that other people can also access your server from the Internet). And that can have side effects. After all, if someone is on your server and they're trying some funny stuff (think about hacking) then this could theoretically have consequences for your computer(s).

Realms not so much. You set it up and can basically invite anyone over who you'd like. Do you have a favorite single player world? With a few clicks of the mouse your world will get uploaded into the Realms cloud and will then become easily accessible for others as well. And they also provide a set of mini games which you can play with your friends.

That's a much heard comment indeed. Realms cost money and you can download and set up a server pretty much for free. Although that is true there is something else to consider: setting up a server will most likely cost you much more time than setting up a Realm. So instead of spending money you'll have to spend some time and effort on it. So from that perspective I don't think servers are really 'free' either.

I've also tried a Realm one or two times and to me its not worth the money, I seriously favor my (private) Spigot server where me and some friends can hang out. Having a server puts you in full control over what you want to do, and when looking at something such as Spigot then those plugins can also seriously enhance your games.

But just because I don't like Realms doesn't mean they suck or anything. Realms definitely have their place; as said: it's a relatively easy way to get your friends together to play Minecraft.

SO yeah... Which one is better? None of them are, it heavily depends on the person who's going to use / administrate it.

Thanks also! I'll take everyone's advice on this!

Servers are good if:

You have more than 11 online players 24/7

Know how to use a server host or your own server

Want mods and plugins

Realms are good if:

You will have less than 11 online players 24/7 (excluding host)

You want a simple to use menu

Only need textures and addons

Personally I love using servers, you have significantly more freedom with what you do with them, you feel like playing vanilla? Sure! You feel like playing modded now? Awesome! Let's just set up a second game server and have both running at the same time! Oh you want to make your server public? Sure just get a dedicated ip!

Realms I feel really close you in if you know what you're doing, however saying that, they're perfect for the less tech savvy people who just want a minecraft world with their friends, but usually now most people have at least one friend that knows something about tech.

In short, Realms if you want simple, restricted minecraft. A server if you want a more complicated, but much more free experience.

Quote from damidami0»

Servers are good if:

You have more than 11 online players 24/7

Know how to use a server host or your own server

Want mods and plugins

Realms are good if:

You will have less than 11 online players 24/7 (excluding host)

You want a simple to use menu

Only need textures and addons

Also custom servers let you have greater render distances

Realms is limited to about 10 chunks render distance.

And if you are going to be spending money on a 11 player subscription for 5+ years straight

you're much better off making your own server at home anyway, whether Java or bedrock edition.

Getting a PC powerful enough for this isn't hard, Intel NUC's are very energy efficient and are safe to run 24/7.

Depends, Servers have the great advantage of you can run multible worlds at the same time, and have endless options if you have the technical knowlegde. And you can set it up for free, in early days of Minecraft, before Realms, even just local network multiplayer, required you to host a virtual server on your computer, if you wanted to play with friends.

Realms is way to take if you don't have the technical knowlegde, want a short term project, and playing with a few friends.