I found a small semi vanilla SMP that is in testing right now.
They say the real start is in about a week so it feels like a soon to launch server with a small group vibe.
Small Semi Vanilla SMP Starting Soon
Chill building timelightly tweaked gameplayrelaxed progression paceSmall group adventuresweek one hype
GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IPPureBlissSMP Semi Vanilla PvP Survival
Pure Bliss SMP is a semi vanilla survival server with pvp. It has a gem system like that Bliss anarchy youtuber server so you can grind and flex your progress.
It feels more chill right now and not super competitive. People talk a lot and the community is solid. The mods and admins are active and the owner is around too.
There are no easy travel commands. No home no tpa no warp. There are also no kits and no crates so you earn your stuff the normal way.GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IPFresh 1.21.11 Semi Vanilla Survival
Active player baseCasual Play Sessionschill survival serverFriendly Survival WorldNew Player Welcome
I found a small Minecraft survival server that is trying to grow and bring in more people.
It is semi survival so it still feels close to vanilla but it has a few extras to keep things fun. There is a money system plus player shops and jobs so you can grind and trade.
They also use land claims so you can build safely and worry less about getting messed with. The server is on 1.21.11 and it sounds like it is meant to help people stick around longer than two weeks.GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IPEventide SMP Whitelist Survival Community
Eventide SMP is a brand new cross platform survival server with a semi vanilla style. It keeps things close to vanilla with only a few quality of life plugins.
The server is whitelisted so you have to apply to get in. It is meant for mature and respectful players who want a long term world and a real community.
It also has active events and a player driven economy that is similar to Hermitcraft. The whole place is built on trust and people working together.GG.MINEWIND.NET New Server IP