Paper and Purpur are both optimized Minecraft server JARs. Paper is the foundation. Purpur is built on top of Paper with additional customization features.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Paper | Purpur |
|---|---|---|
| Based on | Spigot | Paper |
| Performance | Optimized | Same as Paper + extras |
| Plugin compatibility | Full Bukkit/Spigot/Paper | Full Bukkit/Spigot/Paper |
| Gameplay customization | Limited | Extensive |
| Rideable mobs | No | Yes |
| Custom mob behavior | No | Yes |
| Entity activation tweaks | Standard | Extended |
| Update speed | Fast (upstream) | Fast (tracks Paper) |
| Community size | Very large | Large |
When to Use Paper
- You want proven stability
- You do not need custom mob behavior
- You run a competitive or PvP server where vanilla behavior matters
- You want the fastest updates after Minecraft releases
Paper provides excellent performance out of the box. It fixes vanilla bugs, optimizes chunk loading, and reduces entity lag.
When to Use Purpur
- You want custom gameplay features
- You run a creative or SMP server
- You want rideable mobs, custom mob drops, or configurable entity behavior
- You run Purpur-specific plugins
Purpur includes everything Paper has plus additional configuration in purpur.yml. You can customize mob behavior, gravity, crop growth rates, and dozens of other gameplay aspects.
Performance
Purpur performs the same as Paper because it is built on Paper's codebase. The additional features in Purpur are configuration options, not background processes. If you do not change Purpur-specific settings, it runs identically to Paper.
Can I Switch Between Them?
Yes. Switching between Paper and Purpur is simple:
- Stop the server
- Replace the server JAR
- Start the server
Plugins, worlds, and configurations carry over. If you switch from Purpur to Paper, any Purpur-specific config settings will be ignored.
FAQ
Is Purpur faster than Paper? No. They have the same performance baseline. Purpur adds features, not speed.
Does Purpur support all Paper plugins? Yes. Purpur is fully compatible with Bukkit, Spigot, and Paper plugins.
Should I use Purpur for a minigames server? Paper is typically preferred for minigames where vanilla behavior consistency matters. Purpur is better for SMP and creative servers.
Is Purpur safe? Yes. Purpur is open source and widely used.
Related: Folia vs Paper, Purpur vs Pufferfish, Best CPU for Minecraft server