/SLASHPLAY
SLASHPLAY
vs Shockbyte
The real difference here isn't features. It's how you're billed. Shockbyte is a classic budget host: a fixed monthly plan that runs your server 24/7, whether anyone's playing or not. SLASHPLAY is metered: billed by the hour, only while the server is actually running. One wins for always-on communities; the other for servers played in bursts. Here's an honest, side-by-side look.
At a glance
| What | Shockbyte | SLASHPLAY |
|---|---|---|
| Billing model | Fixed monthly subscription: you pay for the month whether the server is busy, quiet or empty. | Pay-as-you-go by the hour, billed only while the server is actually running. No subscription. |
| Best for | A server that runs 24/7 with a steady, always-on community. | Servers played in bursts (evenings, weekends, events) where you don't want to pay for idle time. |
| Price | Monthly plans priced by RAM: budget plans from $1.99 for 1 GB and $3.99 for 2 GB; standard plans list at $3.99 per GB ($7.99 for 2 GB, $15.99 for 4 GB) before promotions. Longer prepaid terms are discounted. | From $0.03/hour for 2 GB + 1 CPU. A server used a few hours a week costs cents. |
| Games | Large catalogue: Minecraft plus Rust, ARK, Valheim, CS2, Palworld and many more. | 8 games: CS2, Minecraft, Counter-Strike: Source, CS 1.6, TF2, Garry's Mod, Valheim and Palworld. |
| RAM | Fixed plans from 1 GB to 12 GB, plus custom plans from 17 GB. | Pick 2–16 GB, with CPU included in each size (1 CPU on 2 GB). |
| Storage | NVMe SSD storage. | Saved data is stored for about $0.01 per GB per month. |
| Minecraft mods | Mature tooling: one-click modpacks, plugins, custom JARs and full FTP file access. | Vanilla and Paper (Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins). Forge, Fabric and modpacks are not supported. |
| Control panel | Shockbyte's own web control panel, with full FTP file access. | Custom web dashboard with RCON console, scheduling and team roles. |
| When no one is online | Keeps running 24/7, and you keep paying for it. | Stop it (or schedule it) and billing stops too; only a few cents of idle storage remain. |
| Regions | Global: US, EU, Asia and Australia. | EU (Germany) today, with more regions to come. |
| Commitment | Monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual billing (longer terms discounted); 72-hour money-back guarantee. | No plan and no commitment: stop any time, pay only for the hours used. |
| DDoS protection | Included, free. | Included, free. |
What is Shockbyte?
Shockbyte is a long-running, budget-friendly game server host best known for Minecraft, with a catalogue that now spans Rust, ARK, Valheim, CS2, Palworld and more. You buy a monthly plan priced by RAM (from about $2 to $4 per GB per month) and your server runs around the clock on it. For Minecraft it's genuinely well-equipped: Java and Bedrock, one-click modpacks, plugins, custom JARs, full FTP file access and NVMe SSD storage, all managed through Shockbyte's own web control panel, with data centres across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia and a money-back guarantee. The trade-off is the model itself: you pay the full monthly fee whether your server is packed every night or sitting empty for a week. If your community plays consistently and you want a server that's simply always on, Shockbyte is a strong, affordable pick.
What is SLASHPLAY?
SLASHPLAY flips the billing model. Instead of a monthly plan, you're charged by the hour, only while your server is running: from $0.03/hour for 2 GB and 1 CPU, with no subscription. Start a server when you want to play, stop it when you're done, and the meter stops too; all that's left is a few cents for saved storage. It hosts Minecraft, Counter-Strike 2, and a growing list of other titles, runs each server in its own dedicated container, and gives you a web dashboard with an RCON console, scheduling and team roles, plus a companion SLASHPLAY Discord bot. It's built for the way a lot of servers are actually used: hard for a few hours, idle the rest of the week.
When does each win?
This comes down to one question: how many hours a month does your server actually run? A flat monthly plan effectively pays for all 730 hours in a month up front. If a few friends hop on for a couple of hours most evenings, your server might really only run 60–90 hours a month, and with metered billing you pay for those, not the other ~640 hours it would otherwise sit idle. That's where SLASHPLAY tends to come out cheaper. Flip it around, though, and the honest answer flips too: run a true 24/7 server with a constant community and a fixed monthly plan like Shockbyte's will usually be the better deal, because you're using nearly every hour you'd be paying for anyway. Metered billing rewards bursty use; flat monthly rewards always-on use.
Which should you pick?
Choose Shockbyte if…
- Your server runs 24/7 with a steady, always-on community.
- You want heavy Minecraft modding: modpacks, custom JARs, FTP.
- You want a predictable flat monthly bill and global regions.
Choose SLASHPLAY if…
- Your server is played in bursts and you hate paying for idle time.
- You want to start and stop on demand, or on a schedule you set.
- You want CPU included in the price, RCON, scheduling, or team controls.
- You want Minecraft, CS2 and 6 more games from one pay-as-you-go account.
FAQ
Is SLASHPLAY cheaper than Shockbyte?
It depends entirely on how you play. Shockbyte's flat monthly fee (from about $2 per GB of RAM on budget plans, $3.99 per GB on standard plans) is good value if your server runs 24/7 with a steady crowd. SLASHPLAY bills by the hour, so if your server is really only busy in the evenings, on weekends or for events, you skip paying for all the idle hours, which usually works out cheaper for a part-time server. For a genuine always-on community server, a flat monthly plan can win.
Does my Shockbyte server keep running when no one is online?
Yes. Shockbyte servers run 24/7, and you pay for that whether or not anyone is playing. On SLASHPLAY you stop the server (or schedule it) when you're done and billing stops with it; you only keep paying a few cents for saved storage.
Can I run modpacks like on Shockbyte?
Shockbyte has mature Minecraft modding: one-click modpacks, custom JARs and full FTP access. SLASHPLAY runs Vanilla and Paper with Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins. Forge, Fabric and modpacks are not supported.
Does Shockbyte host more than Minecraft?
Yes, and so does SLASHPLAY. Shockbyte has a large catalogue including Rust, ARK, Valheim, CS2 and Palworld. SLASHPLAY hosts 8 games, including CS2, Minecraft, Valheim and Palworld, all on the same pay-as-you-go model.
Do I have to commit to a contract?
Shockbyte bills monthly (cancel anytime) with a 72-hour money-back guarantee. SLASHPLAY has no plan or commitment at all: you deploy when you want, stop when you're done, and pay only for the hours the server actually ran.
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Comparison based on each service's publicly available information and may change over time. Shockbyte is a trademark of its respective owner; SLASHPLAY is not affiliated with Shockbyte.