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Guide

How to monetize a Minecraft server

A server costs money every month. Players are happy to support one they love, as long as it stays fair. This guide covers what Mojang allows, what sells, and how to price it.

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First: what Mojang allows

The short version. Read the official text before you decide what to sell; this is not legal advice.

  • Allowed

    Ranks and perks that do not hurt other players or give a competitive advantage. Cosmetics, except capes. Charging for access, at the same price for everyone. Donations, and server-wide rewards when a donation goal is met.

  • Not allowed

    Pay to win: items or perks that let paying players beat others. Gambling. Capes. Anything that suggests your server is made by or linked to Mojang or Microsoft.

  • Always required

    Prices visible before a player buys, a purchase history for players, and content that suits all ages.

  • In-game currency

    Fine to sell, as long as it has no real-world value: it can not be cashed out or moved to another server.

The rules are in the Minecraft Usage Guidelines, under servers. Mojang can change them at any time.

What sells

On almost every server, the same three things do most of the work.

  • Ranks

    A tag and a colour in chat, a few cosmetic perks and quality of life, like an extra home. Two or three tiers are plenty; a comparison table helps players pick.

  • Timed ranks

    VIP for 30 days at a lower price than forever. Easier to buy, and players who like it come back. A reminder before the end brings many of them back.

  • Cosmetics

    Particles, pets, hats, chat colours. Nothing that changes who wins, everything that shows who supports the server.

Pricing that works

Start low and add a tier, rather than starting high. A month of the middle rank around the price of a snack, a permanent rank around a month of server hosting. Keep one product cheap enough to buy on a whim; most first purchases are small. Run a sale on your server's birthday or a holiday instead of lowering prices for good. And show what the money is for: a monthly goal on your store, that fills up as players buy, turns a purchase into helping the server.

Make it easy to buy

Players buy where they already are. Put the store link in your server's MOTD, tab list and Discord, and let players open it in game with /buy. Deliver right away: a rank that arrives a minute after paying gets talked about, one that takes a day gets a refund request. Setting up a store takes an afternoon.

Questions

Is it allowed to sell ranks on a Minecraft server?

Yes, as long as the perks do not ruin other players' experience or give a competitive advantage. A rank with a colour, a tag, cosmetics and quality-of-life perks is the usual safe choice.

Can I sell crate keys?

Be careful. Mojang forbids gambling and requires everything to suit all ages, so paid random rewards are the riskiest thing to sell. Show what a crate contains, or sell the item itself instead.

Do I need to say my server is not from Mojang?

Yes. Your store must clearly say the server is not approved by or associated with Mojang or Microsoft. Every Minecraftstore.io store says so in its footer.

Read next

Your players are already asking for a rank.

Give them a place to buy it. Your store is live in minutes, and it costs nothing until the first sale.

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