I found a vanilla Minecraft server host that seems built for small groups like 5 to 15 players. It is the kind of setup where you pick Minecraft and a plan and it comes online super fast.
The storage is NVMe so chunks load quicker and world generation does not crush the TPS like before. It also has DDoS protection included which helps a lot if your server has been hit in the past.
It uses a Pterodactyl panel so it is easy to handle plugins backups and the console right in your browser. Pricing starts at 4.99 a month for 1.5GB and the 4GB plan is 14.99 a month.
The only downside is there are only US and EU locations right now so other regions might feel laggy. There is no one click modpack installer yet so you have to upload the server jar yourself. Support is not 24 7 live chat but email replies have been fast and there is a 7 day free trial to test it.
Finally Ditched Laggy Hosting
GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IPSwiftServers Free Hosting Zero Nonsense
I found SwiftServers and it is a Minecraft hosting platform that is totally free to use. It is made for people who want to start a server fast without dealing with annoying free host stuff like queues or lag.
They run a custom control panel that they built themselves and it is supposed to be lightweight and easy to use. You can spin up a server in seconds and they support Paper and Spigot so it works for different play styles.
They also talk about safety with DDoS protection and a backup system so you can create and restore backups fast. The specs they list include 1.5 GB dedicated RAM 10 GB NVMe SSD storage a 1 Gbit uplink and an AMD EPYC Rome processor with 8 cores. They also say player slots are not capped.
They say it is really free with no credit card and no hidden fees.GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IPFree Hosting That Actually Performs
I found SwiftServers and it is a free Minecraft hosting platform that tries to not feel like the usual free host stuff.
It has a custom control panel that they made from scratch and it is meant to be fast and easy to use. You can start a vanilla SMP with friends or run a Paper server. It also supports Spigot.
They say the servers are protected with DDoS protection and there is a backup system so you can create and restore backups fast.
The listed specs are 1.5 GB dedicated RAM an AMD EPYC Rome CPU with 8 cores 10 GB NVMe SSD storage and a 1 Gbit uplink. They also say there is no player slot cap and you do not need a credit card.GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IP