Short answer
Stay on vanilla to run Mojang's code unmodified, to use mods with Fabric or NeoForge, or because your server is small and idle. Move to Paper the moment you want plugins, per-world settings, or more ticks from the same hardware.
There is a version of this argument that is only about performance, and it is the least interesting one. Vanilla and Paper load the same world files, accept the same clients and run the same game logic. The differences that decide it are the configuration layer, the plugin API, and the mods question.
This guide takes those one at a time, so the choice rests on what your server actually needs rather than on which software has a longer changelog.
Vanilla and Paper compared
| Aspect | Vanilla | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Server code | Mojang, unmodified | Fork of Spigot with performance work |
| World format | Vanilla | Vanilla, identical |
| Gameplay | Vanilla | Vanilla |
| Plugins | None: no plugin API | Bukkit, Spigot and Paper APIs |
| Configuration | server.properties only | Two documented files, per-world overrides |
| Client download for players | None | None |
| Mods | With Fabric or NeoForge server software | Not supported |
| Tick headroom on one core | Lower | Higher |
| Best for | First-party code, small idle servers, modded servers | Plugin servers and busy worlds |
The performance difference is real but not the deciding factor
Paper performs the same tick work with less overhead: entity ticking, chunk loading and packet handling are all optimised, and the result is a server that holds 20 ticks per second on hardware vanilla cannot. On a busy survival server with a large explored world and farms, that is the difference between playable and not.
On a small server with two players and a few thousand blocks explored, you will not feel it. That is worth knowing, because it means the performance argument is not what should drive the decision.
Plugins are the difference people notice first
The vanilla server implements no plugin API. There is nothing a plugin can hook into, so no plugin can add a claim system, a backup schedule, a minigame or a profiler. Paper implements Bukkit, Spigot and Paper APIs, which is the ecosystem of tens of thousands of plugins covering exactly those jobs.
If your server needs any of that, vanilla is not an option short of writing the functionality yourself. If it does not, plugins are not a reason to switch either: plenty of small friend-group servers run happily on the stock server with nothing but server.properties changed.
/plugins
/versionConfiguration: one file against a layer
Vanilla exposes server.properties and nothing else. Everything about entities, chunk loading and gameplay is hard-coded in the JAR. Paper adds two documented files, per-world overrides and a settings layer that caps entity spawning, controls chunk loading and limits collisions.
For a server where the overworld is survival and a second world is a minigame arena, per-world settings are the feature that makes one server work instead of two. For a single-world server you play with friends, server.properties is enough.
The mods question decides more cases than people expect
Paper and vanilla do not load mods. A server with Fabric or NeoForge mods is a different piece of software that happens to use the same world format, and it cannot run Bukkit plugins. So the real choice is not vanilla versus Paper; it is the plugin ecosystem versus the mod ecosystem.
Both need players to install something. Plugins need nothing: the vanilla client connects as it is, which is why Paper requires no downloads while a modded server requires every player to install the same mods before they can join.
What vanilla keeps that Paper does not
Vanilla is Mojang's code, unmodified, with no third-party patches and no configuration to inherit. For an organisation with an audit requirement, a policy about running only first-party server software, or a preference for the smallest possible supply chain, that is a decisive reason to stay on it.
For everyone else, the practical question is whether their server needs plugins or per-world settings. If it does, the switch is one restart and no downloads, and installing Paper covers it. If it does not, the fork is an extra layer of configuration to understand for no gain you can point at.
Good to know
- Fixing vanilla lag covers what you can do without switching, and it is worth reading before switching for performance alone.
- Paper vs Spigot and Paper vs Purpur cover the other two forks, for when Paper is the right family and you are choosing between its members.
- The Paper hub collects its guides in reading order, and the vanilla hub does the same for the stock server.
Common questions
Is Paper still vanilla gameplay?
Yes. Paper changes no game mechanics: redstone, world generation, commands and mob behaviour are the vanilla ones. The Paper hub has the detail, and the difference is code performance rather than rules.
Will my world transfer from vanilla to Paper?
Yes, unchanged, in both directions. Paper reads the vanilla world format, so you change the software and restart. Take a backup first anyway, which is advice for every server change.
Can I run mods on Paper?
Not in the way you would expect. Paper and Bukkit plugins are not Minecraft mods, and Paper does not run Fabric or NeoForge mods. If you need mods, run a modded server software instead; if you need plugins, run Paper.
Do players need to install anything on a Paper server?
No. Paper is server-side only and the vanilla client connects as it is. A modded server requires every player to install matching mods before they can join, which is the practical difference that decides most group servers.
Is a vanilla server harder to run?
It is smaller: one settings file and one JAR. For a small friends server that is genuinely simpler. The complexity forks add is paid for in capability, and whether that capability is needed is the decision.
Sources
Official documentation this guide was checked against.
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