Best SCP: Secret Laboratory Server Hosting UK (Nov 2026)

SCP: Secret Laboratory server hosting compared

All 16 hosts side by side, at each host’s entry plan. Click #, Provider, Trustpilot, Price or RAM to sort. Scroll sideways on mobile.

#	Provider	Trustpilot	Entry price	RAM	Slots	UK location	Backups	Refund / trial	Best for
1	PPhysgun	No Trustpilot profile	£6.01/mo ($7.99) 3GB	3–8GB+	No slot limits	✓ London	Secure backups (30GB)	3-day money-back	Best all-round, EXILED ready	Visit →
2	PingPlayers	4.9 · 1,010 reviews	£6.74/30 days ($8.97) 3GB	3–6GB+	Unlimited	✓ London	Backups with one-click restore	Money-back guarantee	One-click EXILED and LabAPI	Visit →
3	Wabbanode	4.9 · 87 reviews	£6.74/mo ($8.97) 3GB	3–16GB	Unlimited	✓ London	Free daily backups	7-day money-back	Try free for 24 hours	Visit →
4	Shockbyte	4.2 · 10,379 reviews	£4.50/mo ($5.99) 8 players · 2GB	2–5GB	8–32+ players	See checkout	Automatic backups	72-hour self-serve refund	Cheapest affiliate entry plan	Visit →
5	Gaming Deluxe	4.8 · 82 reviews	£5.60/mo ($7.45) 10 slots · 5GB	5–12GB	10–30 slots	✓ London	Backups	See Gaming Deluxe’s terms	British host in pounds	Visit →
6	SHSpill Hosting	No Trustpilot profile	£3.76/mo ($5.00) 3GB	3–7GB+	Unlimited	See checkout	Backups	See Spill’s terms	Cheap 3GB	Visit →
7	Gravel Host	4.7 · 1,485 reviews	£4.50/mo ($5.99) 4GB	4–8GB	Set by plan	✓ London	Daily backups	See Gravel’s terms	4GB in London	Visit →
8	FREAKHOSTING	3.7 · 401 reviews	£4.17/mo ($5.55) 10 players	Unlimited	10 players	✓ London	Backups	2-day free trial	Two-day free trial	Visit →
9	ZAP-Hosting	4.3 · 19,549 reviews	£4.92/mo ($6.55) Entry plan	See checkout	Set by plan	See checkout	Backups	See ZAP’s terms	Vanilla or EXILED	Visit →
10	Server.pro	4.3 · 1,199 reviews	£5.26/mo ($7.00) 4GB	4–32GB	Set by plan	See checkout	Backups	3-day refund	3-day refund	Visit →
11	PingPerfect	4.5 · 1,045 reviews	£6.63/mo ($8.82) 6 slots · 4GB	4–6GB+	6–24 slots	See checkout	Nightly backups	Money-back guarantee	Six slots with 4GB	Visit →
12	Nodecraft	4.9 · 1,833 reviews	£6.72/mo ($8.94) Entry plan	See checkout	Set by plan	See checkout	Backups	7-day money-back	24-hour free trial	Visit →
13	BisectHosting	4.7 · 27,317 reviews	£6.76/mo ($8.99) 3GB	3–48GB	Set by plan	See checkout	Backups manager	See Bisect’s terms	Pay per GB	Visit →
14	RespawnHost	4.7 · 30 reviews	£3.33/mo ($4.43) 2GB	2–16GB	Set by plan	See checkout	Backups	See RespawnHost’s terms	Cheapest per GB	Visit →
15	MintServers	4.9 · 1,753 reviews	£8.35/mo ($11.11) Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	✓ London	Cloud backup	See MintServers’ terms	Unlimited RAM and slots	Visit →
16	Citadel Servers	4.3 · 295 reviews	From £0.32 ($0.43) per slot Per slot	Not stated	Set by plan	✓ London	Backups	See Citadel’s terms	Per slot, London	Visit →

Conversion used: £1 = $1.33

Trustpilot scores checked 1 Nov 2026.

All prices are regular monthly prices from each host’s SCP: Secret Laboratory page on 1 November 2026; first-month deals, sale prices and promo codes are left out. PingPlayers bills per 30 days and Citadel Servers per slot.

How we compared SCP: Secret Laboratory server hosts

We compared each host’s live SCP: Secret Laboratory product on what matters for a round-based horror server: a London or nearby location, a fast CPU, plugin support, config access, backups, refund terms and the regular price. Hosts without a live SCP:SL product were left out. Prices come from each host’s public plan page, converted at £1 = $1.33. Our full process is on how we compare.

How an SCP:SL server works, and where the load comes from

Every round of SCP: Secret Laboratory starts with a freshly generated facility. Players spawn as Class-D personnel, scientists, guards or SCPs, and the server tracks every door, lift, item, grenade and shot until one side wins. That makes the server the referee for everything, so its CPU sets the ceiling on how smooth a full round feels.

Three things decide how much server you need:

• Player count. Rounds default to 20 players, and the max_players setting goes much higher. Each extra player is more movement, combat and voice chat to relay.
• Plugins. EXILED and LabAPI plugins add custom roles, SCPs and game modes. Every plugin runs on the server, so a heavily modded server needs more memory and CPU than vanilla.
• Round peaks. Load spikes when respawn waves arrive and fights break out across the facility, which is why a fast single core matters more than lots of slow ones.

How much RAM does an SCP: Secret Laboratory server need?

Size your plan by players and plugins:

The hosts’ own tiers agree: Shockbyte puts eight players on 2GB and 20 on 3GB, while Wabbanode recommends 4GB for around 20. Plugins are the wild card, so budget a step up if you plan a long plugin list. Our hardware requirements guide explains how CPU, RAM and network trade off.

The files every SCP:SL server owner should know

SCP:SL keeps its settings in a folder named after the server’s port, so the first server’s files live under config/7777/. These are the ones you will touch most:

Most hosts here put the common settings, such as server name, player limit, friendly fire and round times, in a panel. To make someone an admin, add their SteamID64 to config_remoteadmin with the role you want. When friends connect with Direct Connect, they must type the port after the IP; leave it out and the game tries 7777, which may not be the port your host gave you.

Getting onto the public server list

Renting a server does not put it on SCP:SL’s public list. Only servers verified by Northwood Studios are listed, and no host can verify a server for you. You apply to Northwood by email, agree to follow its Verified Server Rules and must answer Northwood’s messages within 72 hours. The review is manual and can take days or weeks.

Until then your server works normally for anyone who has the IP and port. Plan for this: share the address in your Discord, and if you run plugins, remember that a verified server has to report itself as modded. It is worth getting your rules, staff and plugins settled before you apply.

SCP: Secret Laboratory hosts with UK servers

8 of the 16 hosts show a London or UK location for SCP:SL:

Ping matters in SCP:SL because most fights happen around corners and doors at close range. A server in London keeps that fair for players across Britain. Shockbyte, Spill and several others set the location at checkout, so pick a UK or nearby European option if most of your players are here.

EXILED, LabAPI and plugins

Two plugin frameworks power almost every modded SCP:SL server. EXILED is the long-standing community framework with a huge plugin library. LabAPI is built on the game’s newer official plugin system and is lighter for many uses; Northwood lists official plugins in its plugin portal. Check each plugin’s page for the framework and game version it supports, because a major SCP:SL update can break plugins until their authors catch up.

Physgun ships EXILED ready to switch on, and PingPlayers installs EXILED or LabAPI in one click. Back up before adding plugins or updating the game: Wabbanode takes free daily backups, Physgun includes 30GB of secure backups and PingPlayers restores in one click.

Other multiplayer games to host with your community

Compare hosts for Garry’s Mod, Left 4 Dead 2, Killing Floor 2, Unturned and Team Fortress 2.

Self-hosting vs renting a SCP: Secret Laboratory server

Northwood offers the SCP:SL dedicated server for free through Steam, for Windows and Linux. Running it at home means opening port 7777 on UDP, keeping the PC on whenever people play and updating it after every game patch.

Our self-hosting guide and guide to dedicated hosting cover the trade-offs.

Cheapest SCP: Secret Laboratory server hosting UK

Each host’s cheapest SCP: Secret Laboratory plan, all 16 sorted by regular monthly price. For a community at the default 20 players, budget for around 4GB. For other games, see our cheap game server hosting guide.

1. 1
   RespawnHost2GB · Cheapest per GB
   £3.33/mo ($4.43)
2. 2SH
   Spill Hosting3GB · Cheap 3GB
   £3.76/mo ($5.00)
3. 3
   FREAKHOSTING10 players · Two-day free trial
   £4.17/mo ($5.55)
4. 4
   Gravel Host4GB · 4GB in London
   £4.50/mo ($5.99)
5. 5
   Shockbyte8 players · 2GB · Cheapest affiliate entry plan
   £4.50/mo ($5.99)
6. 6
   ZAP-HostingEntry plan · Vanilla or EXILED
   £4.92/mo ($6.55)
7. 7
   Server.pro4GB · 3-day refund
   £5.26/mo ($7.00)
8. 8
   Gaming Deluxe10 slots · 5GB · British host in pounds
   £5.60/mo ($7.45)
9. 9P
   Physgun3GB · Best all-round, EXILED ready
   £6.01/mo ($7.99)
10. 10
    PingPerfect6 slots · 4GB · Six slots with 4GB
    £6.63/mo ($8.82)
11. 11
    NodecraftEntry plan · 24-hour free trial
    £6.72/mo ($8.94)
12. 12
    PingPlayers3GB · One-click EXILED and LabAPI
    £6.74/30 days ($8.97)
13. 13
    Wabbanode3GB · Try free for 24 hours
    £6.74/mo ($8.97)
14. 14
    BisectHosting3GB · Pay per GB
    £6.76/mo ($8.99)
15. 15
    MintServersUnlimited · Unlimited RAM and slots
    £8.35/mo ($11.11)
16. 16
    Citadel ServersPer slot · Per slot, London
    From £0.32 ($0.43) per slot

Conversion used: £1 = $1.33

Which SCP: Secret Laboratory host should you choose?

Final verdict

Physgun is the best SCP: Secret Laboratory server host in 2026: London, no slot limits, EXILED ready and a server-build switcher from £6.01/mo ($7.99). Pick PingPlayers for one-click EXILED and LabAPI, or Wabbanode if you want a free 24-hour trial first.