Paper vs Spigot vs Purpur: Which Server Software in 2026

Choosing server software is one of the first decisions you make when setting up a Minecraft server. Spigot, Paper, and Purpur are the three main forks in the Bukkit lineage, and each targets a different balance of compatibility, performance, and customization. This guide walks through every meaningful difference so you can pick the right one for your server in 2026.

A brief history

CraftBukkit was the original modded server software for Minecraft. Spigot forked from CraftBukkit to improve performance and add a BungeeCord-compatible API. Paper forked from Spigot to patch exploits, fix vanilla bugs, and aggressively optimize tick performance. Purpur forked from Paper to add even more configuration options, gameplay tweaks, and fun features that Paper considers out of scope. Each fork inherits all the patches from its parent, so Paper includes all Spigot changes, and Purpur includes all Paper changes.

Feature comparison table

Feature	Spigot	Paper	Purpur
Based on	CraftBukkit	Spigot	Paper
Performance patches	Basic	Extensive	Extensive (inherits Paper)
Anti-exploit fixes	Some	Aggressive	Aggressive (inherits Paper)
Async chunk loading	No	Yes	Yes
Configuration depth	Moderate (~50 options)	High (~200 options)	Very high (~350+ options)
Gameplay tweaks	Minimal	Minimal	Extensive (rideable mobs, custom blocks, etc.)
Plugin compatibility	Baseline (Bukkit API)	99%+ Spigot plugins	99%+ Paper plugins
Timings / profiling	Spigot Timings	Spark built-in	Spark built-in
Update speed	Fast	Fast	Usually within 24h of Paper
Folia support	No	Separate project	No (separate Purpur fork planned)
Price	Free	Free	Free

Performance

Paper's biggest selling point is performance. It rewrites large sections of the server internals: chunk loading is asynchronous, entity ticking is batched more efficiently, hopper logic skips unnecessary checks, and the lighting engine uses Starlight. On a 100-player survival server, Paper typically holds 20 TPS in situations where Spigot drops to 16-17 TPS. Purpur inherits all of these patches and adds a few of its own, such as configurable entity activation ranges per mob type and adjustable breeding cooldowns that reduce entity count naturally.

Spigot is not slow by any means. For a small server with 10-20 players doing casual survival, you may never notice the difference. But once you cross 50 concurrent players or have farms with thousands of entities, Paper's optimizations become obvious.

Configuration and gameplay tweaks

Spigot exposes roughly 50 configuration options in spigot.yml. Paper adds paper-global.yml and paper-world-defaults.yml with over 200 options covering everything from mob spawn rates to anti-xray mode. Purpur adds purpur.yml with another 150+ options that let you do things no other fork supports natively: make all mobs rideable, control anvil repair costs, toggle TNT entity optimization, adjust phantom spawning per-world, and much more.

If you want a server that feels different from vanilla without installing extra plugins, Purpur gives you the most control. If you prefer a clean, performance-focused setup that stays close to vanilla behavior, Paper is the better fit.

Plugin compatibility

All three forks support the Bukkit API. Any plugin written for Bukkit or Spigot works on all three. Paper adds its own API extensions (the PaperAPI) for things like async events, component-based chat, and improved scheduler. Plugins that target PaperAPI specifically will not work on Spigot. Purpur adds a small PurpurAPI layer as well, but very few plugins depend on it. In practice, the plugin ecosystem assumes Paper as the baseline in 2026. Most actively maintained plugins test against Paper first.

When to use each

• Spigot: You need maximum compatibility with very old plugins that break on Paper's stricter API enforcement, or you are following a tutorial that specifically requires Spigot.
• Paper: You want the best performance with strong defaults, active development, and broad plugin support. This is the correct choice for 90% of servers in 2026.
• Purpur: You want everything Paper offers plus extra gameplay configurability. Great for creative, minigame, or heavily customized survival servers.

What about Folia?

Folia is Paper's experimental multithreaded fork. It splits the world into independent regions that tick on separate threads, allowing massive player counts on beefy hardware. The trade-off is that most plugins are incompatible because they assume a single-threaded tick loop. Folia is not a replacement for Paper today. It is a preview of where Minecraft server software is heading. We cover Folia in detail in a separate guide.

Migration path

Switching between these forks is straightforward. Copy your world folders, plugins, and configs to the new server jar. Paper and Purpur will generate their additional config files on first boot. The only thing to watch for is plugins that use NMS (net.minecraft.server) internals directly, as Paper and Purpur remap these. Run a test boot and check the console for errors before going live.

Anti-cheat and exploit protection

Paper patches dozens of exploits that Spigot leaves open. These include chunk-ban attacks where players craft malicious items that crash anyone who loads the chunk, book-and-quill exploits that allow arbitrary NBT injection, and map rendering exploits that can lag or crash clients. Purpur inherits all of these patches. Spigot patches some exploits but is consistently slower to respond to new ones. If you run a public server where griefers are a concern, Paper's proactive patching saves you from deploying third-party exploit-fix plugins.

Community and documentation

Paper has the largest active community of any server fork. Its Discord server has tens of thousands of members, and its documentation site (docs.papermc.io) covers configuration, API usage, and migration guides. Spigot's community is large but increasingly focused on legacy support. Purpur's community is smaller but active on Discord, and its wiki documents every configuration option with examples. For a new server admin seeking help, Paper offers the most resources and the fastest community response times.

Our recommendation for 2026

Run Paper. It is the community standard, receives patches faster than any other fork, and its defaults are sane for both small and large servers. If you find yourself wanting more config toggles after a few weeks, swap the jar to Purpur with zero data migration. Avoid Spigot unless you have a specific, tested reason to use it.

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