Slots vs RAM: How Game Server Plans Are Priced
By Linus Pierre · Updated November 2026
Some hosts charge per player slot, some per gigabyte of memory, and some sell one plan with everything included. This guide explains what each model gives you, what the host decides for you and how to compare plans that are priced in different ways.
A slot plan charges for how many players can join, and the host decides the memory behind it. A RAM plan charges for memory, and you decide how many players and mods it carries. Neither is cheaper by default: work out what your group and game need, then compare the regular monthly price for that.
- Slot plans are simple when you know your group size.
- RAM plans give you more control, which suits modded servers.
- All-inclusive plans remove the maths but cost more at the small end.
Why game server prices are so hard to compare
Look at three hosts selling the same game and you might see “10 slots”, “4GB RAM” and “unlimited players” for similar money. They are describing different things. A player slot is a place on the server for one person. RAM is the memory the server uses to hold the world, the players and any mods. Some plans fix one and leave the other to the host, and some include both up to a limit.
The good news is that underneath the different labels, every plan comes down to the same question: will it run your game smoothly for your group, and what does it cost each month? This guide shows you how to answer that. If you have not chosen between a game server, a VPS or a dedicated machine yet, start with game server vs VPS vs dedicated vs cloud.
The four ways hosts price a game server
Almost every plan you see fits one of these four models. Some hosts mix them, for example selling slots for one game and RAM for another.
Per player slot
You buy places
- You choose
- How many players can join at once
- Host decides
- How much memory sits behind the slots
- Good for
- Fixed groups and games with set player counts
- Watch for
- No memory figure, or slots you will never fill
Per GB of RAM
You buy memory
- You choose
- How much memory the server gets
- Host decides
- Usually nothing: player count is up to you and the game
- Good for
- Modded servers and growing worlds
- Watch for
- Buying too little for your mods, or more than you need
Per player, memory uncapped
You buy places, memory flexes
- You choose
- The player limit
- Host decides
- Memory, which grows as the server needs it
- Good for
- Groups that do not want to think about RAM
- Watch for
- Check how mods and big worlds are handled
All-inclusive plan
You buy one package
- You choose
- The plan and the game
- Host decides
- A large fixed allowance or a high guaranteed minimum
- Good for
- Big worlds, heavy mods or switching games
- Watch for
- Paying for headroom a small group never uses
What the models look like on real plans
Here are examples of each model from hosts we review. Prices are regular monthly prices from each host’s own site, not first-month offers, and they can change. Some hosts use more than one model: LOW.MS, for example, sells most games by slots and Minecraft by RAM.
| Model | Real example (regular monthly price) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Per player slot | DatHost Counter-Strike 2: £0.83 ($1.10) per slot | You pay for each player place. DatHost review |
| Per player slot | Host Havoc Rust: from £12.03 ($16.00) for 30 slots | The entry plan is set by slots, with the hardware chosen by the host. Host Havoc review |
| Per GB of RAM | Host Havoc Minecraft: 1GB £3.76 ($5.00), 2GB £7.52 ($10.00), 3GB £11.28 ($15.00) | Fixed memory tiers, each with a suggested player range. |
| Per GB of RAM | Wabbanode: £2.25 ($2.99) per GB | A flat price per GB with no player slot limits. Wabbanode review |
| Per player, memory uncapped | Indifferent Broccoli Palworld: 1 player £4.50 ($5.99), 4 players £7.51 ($9.99), 6 players £9.77 ($12.99) | You pay for the player limit and the server uses as much memory as it needs. Indifferent Broccoli review |
| All-inclusive plan | DatHost survival games: £12.45 ($16.56) on monthly billing | 16GB of DDR5 memory and unlimited player slots on one plan per game. DatHost review |
| All-inclusive plan | MintServers Unlimited: £7.51 ($9.99) | Unlimited memory and slots under a 32GB guaranteed minimum, covering 60 games. MintServers review |
For the lowest regular prices across every host we compare, see our cheap game server hosting list. For a specific game, the game comparisons list each host’s entry plan, such as Palworld, Minecraft and Rust.
The same group, priced as slots and as RAM
Imagine a group of eight friends who want a lightly modded survival server. A slot host sells them a plan with 10 slots. A RAM host sells them a plan with a set amount of memory. Both may run the game well, but they answer different questions.
As a slot plan
You buy 10 slots
- Easy to understand: 8 players, 2 spare for guests.
- The question to ask: how much memory is behind those slots? Mods and an older world need more, but the slot count does not change.
As a RAM plan
You buy 8GB of memory
- You can see where the memory goes, and add more when you add mods.
- The question to ask: is that enough for your game? You have to size it yourself, using the game’s requirements.
With slots, the risk is hidden memory: the plan fits your player count but not your mods or your world size, and there is no figure to check. With RAM, the risk is sizing it wrong: you might buy too little, or pay for far more than the game will ever use. Either way, the fix is the same: know what your game needs before you buy. Our guide to how much RAM and CPU a game server needs gives starting points, and game guides such as Minecraft server RAM, Project Zomboid server RAM and Valheim server requirements go into detail.
How to compare plans that are priced differently
- Count your playersHow many play at the same time on a busy evening, not how many are in your Discord.
- Size the memoryUse your game’s requirements, then add room for mods and a growing world.
- Translate each planFor slot plans, find the memory behind them. For RAM plans, check the player count suits your group.
- Use regular pricesCompare the monthly price you will keep paying, not a first-month offer.
- Check the restProcessor, location, backups and refund terms often matter more than a few pence per slot.
Work out a cost per player or per GB
Dividing the monthly price by players or gigabytes makes very different plans easier to compare, and it shows how the price per player usually falls as plans get bigger. Using Indifferent Broccoli’s Palworld plans as an example, the 1-player plan works out at £4.50 ($5.99) per player, while the 6-player plan at £9.77 ($12.99) works out at about £1.63 ($2.17) per player. On a per-GB host such as Wabbanode, 4GB costs £9.00 ($11.96) a month and 8GB costs £18.00 ($23.92).
The figure you end up with is only a starting point. A cheap gigabyte on an old processor can perform worse than a more expensive one on modern hardware, which is why we compare hardware, panels, support and locations as well as price on our how we compare hosts page.
Billing periods change the monthly price. Many hosts charge less per month if you pay for several months or a year up front. That is real money saved, but it locks you in. Start monthly until you know the host suits your group, and compare monthly prices with monthly prices.
Common pricing traps
- A memory figure in GB on every plan
- The regular monthly price shown before checkout
- Upgrades from the panel without reinstalling
- A clear note on what “unlimited” really means
- The processor named alongside the memory
- Slots sold with no memory figure at all
- “Unlimited” with no explanation of the limits
- Only first-month or sale prices on show
- Very small entry plans for a demanding game
- Mods or extra storage charged separately
“Unlimited” still has limits
Unlimited slots means the host will not cap your player count, but the game, the memory and the processor still decide how many people can play smoothly. Many games also set their own maximum number of players. Unlimited memory usually comes with a fair-use policy or a guaranteed minimum, as with MintServers’ 32GB guaranteed minimum, so read what the host promises.
More memory does not fix a slow processor
Many game servers rely heavily on the speed of a single processor core. If the server lags with plenty of free memory, more RAM will not help. Our guide to RAM problems vs CPU problems explains the difference.
Pick a pricing model in four questions
You do not have to find the single cheapest plan. You need the plan whose pricing matches how your group plays.
Do you play a competitive game where hosts usually sell slots, such as Counter-Strike 2?
Will you run lots of mods, a big modpack or a world that will grow for months?
Do you want to play several different games on one server over time?
Is it a small, fixed group playing a fairly light game?
Once you know the model, our 10-point host checklist helps you compare the hosts that offer it, and our guide to server location and ping explains why a London server matters for UK groups.
What to check on the pricing page
- The unit you are paying for: player slots, GB of memory, players with uncapped memory, or one all-inclusive plan.
- The other half: the memory behind a slot plan, or the player count a RAM plan suits.
- The regular monthly price: what you pay after any first-month offer, on monthly billing.
- Upgrades: whether you can add slots or memory from the panel later without starting again.
- The processor and location: a named CPU and a London or UK location for UK players.
Hosts with clear, fair pricing
These three hosts lead our UK ranking, and between them they cover three of the pricing models: Indifferent Broccoli charges per player with uncapped memory, LOW.MS sells slots or RAM depending on the game, and Host Havoc uses slots or RAM tiers by game.
Slots vs RAM pricing: common questions
Is it better to pay per slot or per GB of RAM?
Neither is better in general. Slot plans are simple when you know how many people will play. RAM plans give you more control and suit modded servers or growing worlds. Work out what your group and game need, then compare the regular monthly price of each option at that size.
How many slots do I need?
Count how many people play at the same time on a busy evening, then add one or two for guests. You rarely need a slot for everyone in your community, because not everyone plays at once.
How much RAM does each player need?
It depends on the game, the mods and the size of the world, so there is no single figure. Start from the requirements for your game in our game guides, then add headroom for mods and a world that grows over time.
What does unlimited slots mean?
It means the host does not cap your player count. The game, the memory and the processor still decide how many people can play smoothly, and many games have their own maximum player count.
Why do some hosts not show RAM on slot plans?
On slot plans, the host chooses the memory for you based on the game and the player count. That keeps things simple, but it is worth asking how much memory you get, especially if you plan to add mods.
Is paying yearly cheaper than paying monthly?
Usually, the monthly price is lower on longer billing periods, but you pay up front and are locked in. Start with monthly billing until you know the host suits your group, and compare monthly prices with monthly prices.
