Best Minecraft Anti-Cheat Plugins in 2026
Updated
In short: GuardAC is ranked #1 of 53 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of MLSAC and Shard. The best-ranked option with a free plan is MLSAC. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Intave at €79/mo.
For a Minecraft server, anti-cheat plugins offer different listed approaches to detecting and responding to rule-breaking. Compare detection coverage and enforcement actions, then check Minecraft versions and server platforms to see what matches your setup. Replay analysis and licensed-server details add further points to consider; free-plan availability and paid-from pricing help frame the cost. GuardAC, MLSAC and Intave are among the entries, along with GK AntiCheat and Nimbus AntiCheat. Compare the stated compatibility and response features against the servers you run and the kind of detection information you want available.
53 Minecraft anti-cheat plugins ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
53ranked
14free plans on this page
€79/molowest paid tier
5 Oct 2026last checked
Minecraft Anti-Cheat Plugins, ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going. 14 of the 25 on this page can be tried for free.
- 1 GuardACFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: yes
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 2 MLSACFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 3 ShardPaid from RUB 1,490/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 4 IntavePaid from €79/mo
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 5 AntiGuardFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 6 GK AntiCheatFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 7 Nimbus AntiCheatFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 8 NoCheatPlusFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 9 CheckHacksFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 10 GuardianACFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 11 VacanFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 12 xoxo AntiCheatFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 13 GGIntegrityFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 14 Themis Anti CheatFree plan
- Free to practise on: yes
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 15 VoidAC
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 16 ReducedX-Anti Cheat
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 17 FairPlay AntiCheat
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 18 FloriaAC
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 19 GrimAC
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 20 HackerBuster
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 21 SentinelAC
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 22 CheatDetector
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: yes
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 23 Polar Anticheat
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: yes
- 24 AetherisAntiCheat
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
- 25 AntiCheatX
- Free to practise on: not on record
- Free trial: not on record
- Well documented: not on record
- Runs where you work: not on record
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Server platforms | Minecraft versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GuardAC | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Folia | 1.16 and newer |
| 2 | MLSAC | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Paper, Spigot, Folia, kSpigot, Purpur | — |
| 3 | Shard | 7.2 | Free plan | RUB 1,490/mo | Yes | — | Paper, Folia | — |
| 4 | Intave | 7.1 | Free plan | €79/mo | Yes | — | Spigot | 1.8 through 26.3 |
| 5 | AntiGuard | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Paper, Purpur | 1.20.x; tested on 1.20.4 |
| 6 | GK AntiCheat | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | 4.99 one-time | Spigot | 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16 |
| 7 | Nimbus AntiCheat | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Paper (or compatible fork) | 1.21; built and tested against Paper 1.21.8; other 1.21.x builds may work but are untested |
| 8 | NoCheatPlus | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Bukkit, Spigot, CraftBukkit | 1.12-1.12.2; 1.11-1.11.2; 1.10-1.10.2; 1.9.4; 1.8.4-1.8.8; 1.7.10 |
| 9 | CheckHacks | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Paper, Spigot, Folia | 1.21+ |
| 10 | GuardianAC | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Paper | 1.18 |
| 11 | Vacan | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20, 1.20.6, 1.21 |
| 12 | xoxo AntiCheat | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Paper, Bukkit, Spigot | 1.20.5, 1.20.6, 1.21.1, 1.21.4, 1.21.10, 1.21.11, 26.1, 26.1.2 |
| 13 | GGIntegrity | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Spigot | Native: 1.20; tested: 1.20, 1.20.6, 1.21 |
| 14 | Themis Anti Cheat | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Spigot, Paper | 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20, 1.20.6, 1.21; stated supported range 1.17.0–1.21.10 |
| 15 | VoidAC | 6.4 | No | — | Yes | — | Paper 1.16.5; compatible forks | 1.16.5 |
| 16 | ReducedX-Anti Cheat | 6.2 | No | — | Yes | — | Paper, Spigot | 1.21.x |
| 17 | FairPlay AntiCheat | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, Purpur, Folia | 1.8–1.21+ |
| 18 | FloriaAC | 6.0 | No | — | — | — | Paper | 1.21.11 |
| 19 | GrimAC | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Bukkit/Spigot/Paper and most forks; Folia; Fabric | 1.8–26.1 |
| 20 | HackerBuster | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Paper | 1.20.4 Paper API; 1.20 test-server configuration |
| 21 | SentinelAC | 6.0 | No | — | Yes | — | Fabric | 1.21.6 |
| 22 | CheatDetector | 5.9 | No | — | — | — | Paper | — |
| 23 | Polar Anticheat | 5.8 | No | — | No | — | Paper, Purpur, Spigot, Folia, Imanity Spigot v3.x.x | Client 1.7.10 through 26.1.x; server 1.8.8, 1.16.5, 1.18.x, 1.19.x, 1.20.x, 1.21.x, and 26.1.x |
| 24 | AetherisAntiCheat | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Spigot, Paper | 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 1.20, 1.20.6, 1.21; also stated as 1.8–1.21+ |
| 25 | AntiCheatX | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | Paper; Paper-compatible forks | 1.21.1 |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which Minecraft anti-cheat plugin is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
GuardAC is ranked #1 of 53 with a score of 7.6. MLSAC is second and Shard third.
How many of these have a free plan?
14 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Intave has the lowest first paid tier we found: €79/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.
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