UPDATED AUGUST 2026 · FACTORIO + SPACE AGE

Best Factorio Server Hosting 2026

Factorio servers become more demanding in a very different way from most multiplayer games. A four-player world can start tiny and eventually grow into a multi-planet factory containing thousands of machines, huge logistics networks and years of saved progress. Therefore, we rank hosts on long-term resource flexibility, CPU and memory performance, mod support, backups, server location and how easily you can move or upgrade a mature factory.

2.0.77 Stable branch
2.1 Experimental branch
60 UPS Normal simulation target
34197 Default UDP port

Best Factorio server hosting compared

These are the ten Factorio hosting providers we could currently verify. Prices are shown in GBP first for easier comparison, while the provider’s USD price is shown alongside where applicable.

Factorio server hosting comparison — August 2026 This table expands beyond the normal article width on desktop so the useful data fits without horizontal scrolling.
A cheap 2GB plan may be perfectly adequate for a new factory. However, mature Factorio saves often benefit more from CPU quality, memory latency and easy resource upgrades.
Provider Price Location RAM Best for Trial / backup
1 Indifferent Broccoli Best long-term flexibility
≈£9.60 $12.99 · 6 players Frankfurt / EU Uncapped No hard RAM ceiling · mods · full files 2-day free trial 7-day refund Visit
2 Kinetic Hosting Best CPU value
≈£3.69 $4.99 · 4GB London 4–124GB 7950X / 9950X pool · no player cap 5 backups 7-day refund Visit
3 LOW.MS Best 10GB bundle
≈£6.48 $8.76 London 10GB base Stable + experimental branches Cloud backups 5-day refund Visit
4 Host Havoc Best mature platform
≈£7.39 $10.00 London Managed Own hardware fleet · FTP · mods Offsite backups Visit
5 AleForge Best budget option
≈£1.47 $1.99 · 2GB Frankfurt 2–64GB Very cheap entry · premium Ryzen tiers Backup tools Visit
6 Wabbanode Flexible CPU tiers
≈£6.61 $8.94 · 6GB example London 1–16GB+ EPYC budget · Ryzen 7950X performance Panel backups Visit
7 Nitrado Flexible short rentals
≈£4.61 ≈$6.18 · 4 slots London available Managed Short terms · game switching Daily backups Visit
8 GPORTAL Simple prepaid setup
≈£11.52 $15.59 · 10 slots Central Europe Managed Easy panel · FTP mod workflow 50GB backup space Visit
9 GGServers Good mod tooling
≈£4.44 $6.00 · 2GB Europe 2–32GB Mod installer · FTP · unlimited slots Automated backups Visit
10 Apex Hosting Beginner-friendly panel
≈£2.95 $3.99 · 1GB Global 1GB+ Easy setup · higher-performance tiers Automatic backups Visit

GBP conversions use exchange rates checked on 16 August 2026: $1 ≈ £0.73929 and €1 ≈ £0.85499. Exact checkout prices may differ slightly as exchange rates move.


Factorio server hosting reviews — #1 to #10

The table gives you the quick comparison. However, Factorio is unusual enough that the reasoning behind each position matters, so every provider in the ranking gets a full game-specific review below.

1
Best overall · no hard RAM cap · two-day no-card trial
≈£9.60/mo $12.99 · 6-player example
2-day free trial Uncapped RAM Mods Full files

Indifferent Broccoli takes first place because its hosting model is unusually well suited to Factorio. Instead of assigning every plan a strict 2GB, 4GB or 8GB memory ceiling, Factorio plans are primarily limited by player count while RAM is uncapped at the plan level.

That does not magically eliminate Factorio’s CPU bottlenecks. Nevertheless, it removes one artificial limit as a save becomes larger. A fresh factory may need very little memory, whereas a long-running Space Age world with more explored surfaces, entities and mods can consume considerably more.

Moreover, the two-day free trial requires no payment card. That means you can upload your actual save and mod list rather than benchmarking an empty world. If the factory maintains 60 UPS and memory behaviour looks healthy, you know the service works before spending anything.

The main downside is location. European servers include Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Roubaix rather than London. However, Factorio is considerably less latency-sensitive than competitive shooters, so nearby continental Europe remains perfectly reasonable for most British players.

Best Factorio-specific advantage: a no-card trial lets you test your existing megabase, while uncapped RAM gives the same save more room to grow later.
Pros
  • Two-day trial without a credit card
  • No fixed RAM cap per plan
  • Full file access
  • Mod support
  • Seven-day refund after purchase
  • Several nearby European locations
Cons
  • No London location
  • Costs more than several fixed-RAM competitors
  • Uncapped RAM does not solve CPU-limited UPS
2
Kinetic Hosting Best CPU value
London · Ryzen 7950X / 9950X pool · DDR5 · no player cap
≈£3.69/mo $4.99 · 4GB
London Ryzen 9950X pool DDR5 5 backups

Kinetic Hosting is the strongest alternative if raw price-to-performance matters more than a free trial. The 4GB plan converts to roughly £3.69 per month, while 8GB is only around £5.91 ($7.99).

More importantly, Kinetic publishes meaningful hardware information. Its London Performance pool includes Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 9950X and EPYC 4564P systems with DDR5 memory and NVMe storage.

Factorio benefits from strong per-core performance as well as a fast memory subsystem. Therefore, this hardware profile is much more relevant than simply advertising a huge number of CPU threads. Kinetic also avoids arbitrary player limits, so the server is constrained by actual performance rather than a purchased slot count.

Five backup slots, SFTP, schedules and resource tiers extending far beyond normal Factorio requirements make scaling straightforward. Consequently, Kinetic would be our preferred choice for players who specifically want a London node and highly transparent hardware.

Pros
  • Excellent price
  • London location
  • 7950X / 9950X hardware pool
  • DDR5 and NVMe
  • No artificial player cap
  • Large RAM upgrade range
Cons
  • No free trial
  • Exact CPU depends on available node
3
LOW.MS Best 10GB bundle
London · 10GB base · 50 slots · stable + experimental
≈£6.48/mo $8.76 · 10GB
10GB RAM London Factorio 2.1 Cloud backups

LOW.MS offers one of the easiest Factorio packages to understand. For approximately £6.48 per month, the entry configuration includes 10GB RAM and 50 player slots.

The slot count is mostly marketing for a game normally played by far fewer people. However, the included memory is genuinely useful because it gives a long-running save plenty of room before an upgrade becomes necessary.

LOW.MS also earns extra points during the current Factorio 2.0-to-2.1 transition. Stable and experimental branches can be selected through its server management system, while automatic cloud backups make it straightforward to preserve a 2.0 save before experimenting with 2.1.

London availability is another advantage for British players. Depending on ISP routing, London game servers can often produce very low latency from much of the UK, although actual ping still varies by connection and location.

Pros
  • 10GB RAM included
  • London location
  • Stable and experimental branches
  • Cloud backups
  • Five-day refund
  • Resource upgrades available
Cons
  • 50 slots add little value for most Factorio groups
  • Exact London CPU is less transparent than Kinetic
4
Host Havoc Best mature platform
London · own hardware fleet · mods · FTP · offsite backups
≈£7.39/mo $10.00 · starting plan
London Own hardware fleet FTP Fast support

Host Havoc is a more traditional managed game host than the providers above. It operates its own broader hardware fleet and offers Factorio through an established control-panel environment with mod support, file management and web-console access.

London is available, while the underlying fleet includes both Ryzen and Xeon hardware with NVMe storage. Host Havoc does not promise one identical processor for every Factorio order, so we would not rank it above Kinetic purely on CPU specifications.

Nevertheless, its offsite backups and mature restoration workflow are particularly attractive for Factorio. Losing a save representing several hundred hours of factory design is a considerably bigger problem than losing a disposable multiplayer match.

Support is another strength. Therefore, Host Havoc makes sense for groups that want managed infrastructure and quick assistance rather than the absolute cheapest RAM allocation.

Pros
  • London location
  • Own broader hardware fleet
  • Mod support
  • Full FTP access
  • Offsite backups
  • Mature support operation
Cons
  • More expensive than Kinetic
  • Resource allocation less explicit than LOW.MS
5
AleForge Best ultra-budget
Frankfurt · 2GB entry · unlimited slots · premium Ryzen tiers
≈£1.47/mo $1.99 · 2GB
Very cheap 2–64GB Unlimited slots Ryzen upgrade

AleForge is the most interesting provider for somebody who simply wants the cheapest permanent Factorio server possible. Its budget tier starts around £1.47 ($1.99) for 2GB RAM.

That is enough for a small fresh vanilla factory. Moreover, AleForge allows customers to scale through much larger memory configurations, so the low entry price does not lock you into a tiny server permanently.

However, Factorio megabases are exactly where we would avoid choosing solely by price. AleForge offers faster premium hardware tiers, and those become much more relevant once UPS starts depending on CPU and memory performance rather than capacity alone.

Frankfurt is also reasonably close to Britain, although players specifically prioritising the shortest network route should prefer one of the London hosts above.

Pros
  • Extremely low starting price
  • RAM scaling beyond entry plan
  • Unlimited player slots
  • Premium hardware options
  • Nearby Frankfurt location
Cons
  • Budget hardware is not ideal for extreme megabases
  • No London node in the verified Factorio configuration
6
Wabbanode Flexible hardware
London · EPYC budget tier · Ryzen 7950X performance tier
≈£6.61/mo $8.94 · 6GB example
London EPYC Ryzen 7950X tier Flexible RAM

Wabbanode is interesting because its product structure gives Factorio players a choice between cheaper server hardware and faster performance-oriented nodes.

A six-gigabyte configuration comes in at roughly £6.61 in our current example. Meanwhile, customers building a much larger factory can move toward Ryzen 7950X-class performance rather than simply adding RAM to a slower processor.

That distinction is valuable for Factorio because resource requirements change in two stages. First, a world may need additional memory as it expands. Later, however, the harder limit often becomes how quickly the simulation itself can process every update.

London availability also makes Wabbanode a sensible regional choice. Nevertheless, Kinetic currently offers stronger value and clearer Factorio-specific hardware information, which keeps Wabbanode in the middle of the ranking.

Pros
  • London servers
  • Budget and performance CPU tiers
  • Ryzen 7950X option
  • Flexible memory allocation
  • Panel backup tools
Cons
  • Kinetic offers stronger current value
  • Smaller provider than several competitors
7
Nitrado Flexible rental
London available · short rental terms · daily backups
≈£4.61/mo ≈$6.18 · €5.39 · 4 slots
London available Daily backups Game switching Flexible runtime

Nitrado is less compelling for a permanent megabase than our top providers, but it offers something different: highly flexible rental periods and small player-count configurations.

The four-slot example converts to roughly £4.61 per month. Therefore, a small group can run a private Factorio world without buying the oversized 50-player configurations some competitors use as their default.

London is currently available, while daily backups and game switching add convenience. Nitrado also maintains products for current Factorio branches, which is useful while stable and experimental releases coexist.

However, resource allocation is not as transparent as Kinetic or LOW.MS. As a result, we prefer Nitrado for convenience and short-term flexibility rather than serious megabase performance benchmarking.

Pros
  • London location available
  • Small slot configurations
  • Flexible rental periods
  • Daily backups
  • Easy game switching
Cons
  • Hardware allocation is less transparent
  • Not our first choice for an extreme megabase
8
GPORTAL Simple prepaid host
Easy management · FTP · large backup allocation
≈£11.52/mo $15.59 · 10 slots
Simple setup FTP 50GB backups Prepaid

GPORTAL focuses on convenience. Servers can be created quickly through a familiar game-hosting panel, while FTP access gives advanced users enough control to manage Factorio saves and mods manually.

The standout feature is its generous backup allocation. Factorio worlds are relatively small compared with many survival games, so 50GB of backup capacity is ample for keeping multiple historical saves.

However, the current 10-slot price converts to roughly £11.52 per month. Consequently, GPORTAL is significantly more expensive than LOW.MS, Kinetic and several other alternatives without providing an obvious Factorio-specific performance advantage.

We therefore recommend it primarily to existing GPORTAL users or players who prioritise a straightforward prepaid ecosystem over price-to-performance.

Pros
  • Very easy setup
  • FTP access
  • Large backup allocation
  • Established hosting platform
Cons
  • Expensive relative to competitors
  • No current London advantage in our comparison
  • Hardware details less compelling than top picks
9
GGServers Good mod tooling
2–32GB · mod installer · FTP · unlimited player slots
≈£4.44/mo $6.00 · 2GB
Mod installer FTP 2–32GB Unlimited slots

GGServers is a sensible lower-cost choice for modded Factorio. Its plans start around £4.44 for 2GB and can scale through much larger memory allocations as the server grows.

The integrated mod workflow is the strongest part of the package. Factorio has one of gaming’s best mod ecosystems, so making it easy to deploy and update modifications can matter more to many groups than an enormous slot allowance.

FTP access is also available, while automated backups provide a recovery path if a mod update damages the current save. Moreover, unlimited player slots avoid charging extra simply because additional friends join.

Nevertheless, GGServers does not offer the same current CPU transparency as Kinetic or the uncapped-memory model of Indifferent Broccoli. That keeps it lower in a performance-focused Factorio ranking.

Pros
  • Affordable entry tier
  • Integrated mod tooling
  • FTP access
  • Automated backups
  • Unlimited slots
  • Large RAM upgrade range
Cons
  • Less hardware transparency than top hosts
  • 2GB entry plan can be outgrown by a large save
10
Apex Hosting Best beginner panel
Easy setup · automatic backups · higher-performance tiers
≈£2.95/mo $3.99 · 1GB entry
Beginner-friendly Automatic backups Global network Performance tiers

Apex Hosting is designed around ease of use. The control panel makes launching and managing a Factorio server approachable even if you have never touched SteamCMD or a Linux command line.

The entry tier starts at approximately £2.95 ($3.99), although 1GB is best viewed as a small-world starting point rather than an allocation for a mature Space Age factory.

Automatic backups are included, while higher-performance server options are available for users who outgrow the basic hardware. Therefore, Apex can scale beyond the entry tier without forcing users into self-hosting.

However, Factorio rewards transparent CPU and memory performance more than most games. Since other hosts provide stronger hardware information or substantially better resource value, Apex finishes tenth despite its excellent usability.

Pros
  • Very beginner-friendly
  • Low starting price
  • Automatic backups
  • Global infrastructure
  • Higher-performance options available
Cons
  • 1GB entry tier is easy to outgrow
  • Less Factorio-specific hardware transparency
  • Top competitors offer better value

Factorio 2.1 is changing what we want from a host

Factorio 2.0 remains the stable branch, while 2.1 is currently being distributed through the experimental channel. Wube has described 2.1 as the final major Factorio update before the game moves into long-term maintenance.

Consequently, version control is unusually useful right now. A production server running a mature modpack should not be forced onto an experimental release simply because it is newer.

LOW.MS gets extra credit here. Its Factorio management explicitly supports branch switching, which makes testing 2.1 without permanently replacing a stable 2.0 installation much easier.
Always create a permanent backup before moving a save to a newer major branch. Once a save has been upgraded, you should not assume it can be cleanly downgraded again.

Why Factorio saves become more demanding over time

A new Factorio server is lightweight. However, that first-hour benchmark is not representative of the same world hundreds of hours later.

As players explore new chunks, build additional planets and surfaces, expand rail networks, place more machines and install larger mods, both the save and the active simulation become more complex.

Memory
Explored worlds grow

More surfaces, entities and mod state increase the amount of information the server needs to keep available while running.

Simulation
Every update gets harder

A large factory contains vastly more machines, logistics systems, trains and scripts that need to be processed every tick.

Hosting
Upgrade paths matter

Therefore, we prefer providers that let the same server scale instead of forcing users to migrate when the factory outgrows its original allocation.

This is the core reason Indifferent Broccoli ranks #1. Its uncapped-memory model removes one common long-term restriction, while the free trial lets you verify performance with the real save before committing.

UPS matters more than player slots

Factorio normally targets 60 Updates Per Second. At 60 UPS, the simulation progresses at full speed. When the server takes too long to process a game update, UPS falls and the entire factory effectively begins running more slowly.

This is why a four-player megabase can be more demanding than a 30-player early-game world. The number of players matters, but the amount of factory simulation is often much more important.

Target
60 UPS

The game is running at normal simulation speed. If your server remains here, upgrading hardware will not meaningfully improve gameplay.

Warning
45–59 UPS

Your factory is beginning to approach the available simulation budget. CPU upgrades or factory optimisation may help.

Bottleneck
Below ~45 UPS

Simulation slowdown becomes obvious. At this point, faster hardware or major factory optimisation can produce a noticeable improvement.

Factorio is not simply “single threaded”. Several systems use additional threads, but important parts of the deterministic simulation remain difficult to parallelise. Consequently, fast per-core performance and low memory latency are still extremely valuable.

How much RAM does a Factorio server need?

Factory Good starting RAM What to watch
Fresh vanilla world 2–3GB RAM is unlikely to be the bottleneck.
Growing Space Age world 3–4GB Leave headroom for additional surfaces and exploration.
Large or lightly modded world 4–6GB CPU quality starts becoming increasingly important.
Heavy modpack 6–8GB+ Monitor actual RAM and UPS rather than guessing.
Extreme megabase 8GB+ as required UPS is often CPU or memory-latency limited before RAM capacity becomes the final limit.
More RAM does not automatically mean more UPS. Once the server has enough capacity for the active save, additional memory will not fix a simulation bottleneck. That is why Kinetic’s strong CPU platform can outperform a much larger but slower RAM allocation.

Factorio clients and servers need matching versions

Factorio’s multiplayer simulation is deterministic. Therefore, the server and every connected player need compatible game versions and the same gameplay-changing mod set.

1
Choose stable or experimental deliberately

Do not move a mature modded server to Factorio 2.1 simply because the version number is higher.

2
Verify the mod stack first

Important overhaul and utility mods may not immediately support the newest experimental branch.

3
Back up the save

Create both a host-side restore point and a downloaded copy before changing branches.

4
Test before replacing production

Load the factory, connect with the real client mod set and verify UPS before treating the new branch as permanent.


Backups deserve more weight in Factorio than most reviews give them

One Factorio save can represent months or even years of collaborative design. Consequently, backup quality is not an optional checkbox when we rank providers.

LOW.MS
Cloud backup workflow

Automatic snapshots, downloadable archives and one-click restores work particularly well before branch changes.

Kinetic
Five backup slots

Enough for a normal rotating schedule, while SFTP makes local archives simple.

Host Havoc
Offsite backups

Backup data can be restored independently if a save, mod or server update causes trouble.

Best practice
Keep an offline copy

Before major updates, download the save yourself so rolling backups cannot overwrite every pre-update restore point.


You may not need paid Factorio hosting

Factorio is one of the few games where a free solution can genuinely be good enough for occasional multiplayer. Wube provides a free headless dedicated server, while Factorio.zone can host temporary browser-managed servers without a monthly bill.

Free managed option
Factorio.zone

Good for occasional sessions. You can upload saves and mods, then move the world to a permanent paid host later if the group becomes more active.

Visit Factorio.zone
Self-hosting
Official headless server

The Linux headless server is free. However, you become responsible for networking, updates, backups and keeping the machine online.

Default UDP port: 34197
Paid hosting becomes worthwhile when you want the world available 24/7 without thinking about the infrastructure. It also gives you managed backups, DDoS protection and easy resource upgrades as the factory grows.

Factorio server hosting FAQ

Indifferent Broccoli is our #1 Factorio host because its plans do not have a fixed RAM ceiling and it offers a genuine two-day free trial without requiring a credit card. This combination is particularly useful for long-running Factorio saves that keep growing over time.
Kinetic Hosting is our highest-ranked London option. Its performance pool includes Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 9950X and EPYC 4564P hardware with DDR5 memory, while Factorio plans start at approximately £3.69 per month for 4GB.
A fresh vanilla Factorio server can often start with 2–3GB. Larger or lightly modded worlds may use 4–6GB, while heavy modpacks and long-running Space Age saves may benefit from 6–8GB or more. Once enough RAM is available, CPU and memory performance often become more important.
UPS means Updates Per Second and measures how quickly Factorio processes the simulation. The normal target is 60 UPS. If a very large factory takes too long to calculate each game update, UPS drops and the whole simulation runs more slowly.
No. Extra RAM helps when the server would otherwise run out of memory, but Factorio megabases are frequently limited by simulation performance, CPU speed and memory latency once sufficient RAM is available.
No. Factorio uses multiple threads for selected systems, but important parts of the deterministic game simulation remain difficult to parallelise. Strong per-core CPU performance and a fast memory subsystem therefore remain important.
Factorio uses UDP port 34197 by default. Managed hosting providers normally configure the required networking automatically.
Yes. Factorio multiplayer requires compatible game versions and matching gameplay-changing mods. The game can help synchronise client mods with the server, but incompatible versions can prevent players from joining.
Yes. Wube provides a free Linux headless dedicated server, while Factorio.zone also offers free temporary Factorio hosting. Paid hosting becomes useful when you want predictable 24/7 availability, managed backups and known hardware performance.

Our #1 Factorio host

Indifferent Broccoli — Best Factorio Server Hosting 2026

Two-day no-card trial · no fixed RAM cap · mod support · full file access · European servers · seven-day refund · an unusually good fit for Factorio worlds that continue growing over hundreds of hours

Affiliate disclosure: we may earn a commission when you purchase through qualifying links at no additional cost to you. GBP equivalents use exchange rates checked on 16 August 2026 and may change.

About the author
Linus — author at Game Server Hosting
Linus GSH Founder

SEO & Digital Marketer · Avid survival gamer · Sweden/UK

I'm an avid gamer from Sweden with a lot of time spent in England in the last 5 years who loves survival games — ARK, Palworld, Valheim, Sons of the Forest, V Rising and plenty of WoW and Dota 2 on the side. I created this site to help other gamers find the best server hosting without wasting money on laggy providers.

By day I work in SEO and Google Ads, helping businesses rank and convert. I've been hosting game servers since the Minecraft + Hamachi LAN days and have learned the hard way what separates a good host from a bad one. Every ranking on this site is based on real testing and price-to-performance — no paid placements.