On this page
- What vanilla /ban cannot do
- What to compare before you pick
- 1. LiteBans
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 2. LibertyBans
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 3. BanManager
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 4. AdvancedBan
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 5. AstraBans
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- 6. PhantomBans (made by our team)
- What it does well
- Who it suits
- What to watch
- Side by side
- Install a punishment plugin safely
- Moving from another plugin and keeping cheaters out
- Which one should you pick?
Key takeaways
5- Vanilla /ban is permanent only: no temp bans, mutes, warns or history.
- LibertyBans is free and lists Paper, Folia and Velocity; LiteBans is paid with a web history page.
- BanManager is free but its licence restricts commercial use, and its README does not list Velocity.
- AdvancedBan's listing was last updated in 2020, so test it on a copy before use.
- Run any import from an old plugin on a copy of your server first.
This post is for owners who are about to launch, or about to outgrow vanilla moderation, and need a plugin for bans, mutes and warns. By the end you will know what vanilla cannot do, how six punishment plugins differ, and how to test one safely on a copy of your server.
What vanilla /ban cannot do
Vanilla Minecraft does have moderation commands, but they are thin. Per the Minecraft Wiki, /ban bans a player profile by UUID, needs permission level 3 and only works on dedicated servers. /ban-ip bans an IP address, but it cannot ban IPv6 addresses. /pardon and /pardon-ip remove bans, and /banlist shows them.
/ban PlayerName Reason here
/ban-ip PlayerName
/pardon PlayerName
/banlist playersThe big gap: vanilla has no temporary bans. A ban is a permanent entry in banned-players.json until someone runs /pardon or edits the file. There are also no mutes, no warns, no history and no automatic escalation. If you want to answer "how do I temp ban someone" or "how do I turn three warns into a mute", you need a plugin.
What to compare before you pick
- Platform: Paper, Folia, a Velocity or BungeeCord proxy, or several of them. Check the listing for the exact software you run.
- Storage: a local file is fine for one server. A shared MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL database is what lets several servers share one punishment list.
- Escalation: can warns turn into mutes and then bans on their own, or do staff do it by hand?
- Free or paid: and whether the licence suits how you run your server.
- Staff experience: commands only, a GUI, a web page for ban history.
Moderation also works best with good access control. Our guide to securing a server with a whitelist, limited operators and Velocity covers the layer underneath, and LuckPerms ranks is where you decide which staff can use which punishment command.
1. LiteBans
LiteBans is a premium cross-server banning plugin. Check the live listing page before you buy, as versions and platforms can change.
What it does well
- UUID-based bans with customisable kick screens.
- Template-based escalation ladders.
- Storage in MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL or H2, with real-time sync across servers.
- Discord webhooks, linked-account detection, staff rollback and an optional web interface for ban history.
Who it suits
Networks that want one paid, feature-heavy plugin with a web history page. The listing names Spigot, Folia, Fabric, Bungee and Velocity, with tested versions from 1.7 to 1.21 plus 26.1 to 26.2.
What to watch
It is paid. The listing says Spigot rather than Paper, so test it on your exact server software first.
2. LibertyBans
LibertyBans is a free, open-source punishment plugin for bans, mutes, warns and kicks, temporary or permanent, against players or IPs. It also has automatic alt-account detection and enforcement.
What it does well
- Wide platform support: Bukkit, Spigot, Paper and Purpur (including Folia), BungeeCord and Waterfall, Fabric, Sponge and Velocity 3 and 4.
- Storage in a local HyperSQL file, or a remote MariaDB, MySQL or PostgreSQL database.
- Multi-proxy and multi-instance setups, staff exemption hierarchies, and support for Geyser and Floodgate usernames.
Who it suits
Owners who want a free plugin that covers both a single Paper server and a Velocity network. The Modrinth page lists Minecraft 1.8.8 through 1.21.11 and 26.1 to 26.3.
What to watch
It needs Java 17 at minimum. On Velocity 1.19 and newer, mutes need the optional SignedVelocity dependency. It is licensed AGPL v3+, with LGPL v3+ for some components, so read the licence if you plan to modify it.
3. BanManager
BanManager has been developed since 2012. It handles bans, mutes, warns, IP restrictions and player reports, and it has an optional web UI. Its documentation lives at banmanagement.comSource site.
What it does well
- A long track record and a broad feature set, including player reports.
- MySQL or MariaDB for multi-server setups.
- Minecraft 1.7.2 and newer.
Who it suits
Owners who want a free, established plugin with reports and a web view for staff.
What to watch
- The GitHub README lists Bukkit, Spigot, BungeeCord and Sponge. Velocity is not listed there, so check before using it behind Velocity.
- It needs Java 17 or newer.
- It is free, but the licence is CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 UK, which restricts commercial use. Read it if your server earns money.
- The Modrinth page is a Fabric build for dedicated servers, not the Paper plugin. Do not mix them up.
4. AdvancedBan
AdvancedBan is a free, simple all-in-one punishment plugin. It offers warns, tempwarns, mutes, tempmutes, bans, tempbans, IP bans, temporary IP bans and kicks, plus player history and a check command.
What it does well
- A full command set:
/ban,/tempban,/mute,/tempmute,/warn,/tempwarn,/kick,/checkand/history. - Configurable time and message layouts that raise the punishment time for repeat reasons, a simple form of escalation.
- Storage in MySQL or a local HyperSQL database.
Who it suits
Small servers that want a free, familiar command set without extra systems.
What to watch
The listing is old. SpigotMC shows version 2.3.0 from 27 October 2020 and lists BungeeCord and Bukkit/Spigot. Its GitHub page describes Minecraft 1.7 to 1.16 and does not confirm Paper, Velocity or 1.20+ support. If you want it, test it on a copy of your server first.
5. AstraBans
AstraBans is a paid staff punishment plugin sold on BuiltByBit, listed for Paper, Spigot and Folia on Minecraft 1.8 to 1.21.x.
What it does well
- A
/punishGUI with nested menus for type, reason presets, duration and a silent toggle. - Auto-escalating ladders (warns, then mutes, then bans) set by YAML thresholds.
- Storage in SQLite, MySQL or MongoDB, Discord webhooks, in-game staff alerts and MiniMessage gradients.
- A staff toolkit with history, an alt checker and notes.
- Importers for LiteBans, AdvancedBan, BanManager, EssentialsX and MaxBans.
Who it suits
Servers with a staff team that prefers clicking through menus over typing durations, and owners moving from another plugin.
What to watch
It is paid. The listing names Paper, Spigot and Folia but not a proxy, so check how it handles a network. If you want it to match your server's look, our team also sells AstraBans Config | 8 Themed Styles, made by our team. It restyles AstraBans messages and menus with eight colour themes and seven staff menus, and needs AstraBans installed separately.
6. PhantomBans (made by our team)
PhantomBans is a paid, GUI-based moderation suite, made by our team, currently at version 1.0.0. As it is ours, treat our description with the same scepticism you would give any listing, and test it like the others.
What it does well
- Bans and IP bans, mutes and IP mutes (permanent or temporary), warns, and kicks with custom screens.
- Warn thresholds that escalate automatically, plus templates for repeat offenders.
- Silent punishments, reports and appeals, staff notes and history, and alt detection.
- GeoIP and VPN blocking, Discord webhooks, and migration of data from other moderation plugins.
- Network-wide sync, with optional proxy support.
Who it suits
Owners who want reports, appeals and a punishment GUI in one paid plugin.
What to watch
It is paid, and the listing does not state Java or Minecraft version requirements, so ask or test before buying if that matters to you. Features such as VPN blocking and network sync are worth confirming on a test server with your own setup.
Side by side
| Plugin | Free or paid | Platforms listed | Storage | Escalation | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LiteBans | Paid | Spigot, Folia, Fabric, Bungee, Velocity | MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, H2 | Template ladders | Networks wanting a web history page |
| LibertyBans | Free | Paper, Purpur, Folia, Bungee, Fabric, Sponge, Velocity | HyperSQL, MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL | Not stated in what we checked | Free option for one server or a network |
| BanManager | Free (non-commercial licence) | Bukkit, Spigot, BungeeCord, Sponge | MySQL or MariaDB for multi-server | Not stated in what we checked | Reports and a web UI |
| AdvancedBan | Free | BungeeCord, Bukkit/Spigot | MySQL or HyperSQL | Repeat-reason time scaling | Small servers, after testing |
| AstraBans | Paid | Paper, Spigot, Folia | SQLite, MySQL, MongoDB | YAML ladders | Staff teams who like a GUI and importers |
| PhantomBans (made by our team) | Paid | Not stated; optional proxy support | Not stated | Warn thresholds and templates | Reports, appeals and a GUI in one plugin |
Install a punishment plugin safely
The steps are the same for all of them: back up, install on a copy, configure storage, then test. Do this on a staging copy of your server first.
- Stop the server and copy your world and
pluginsfolder somewhere safe. - Upload the plugin jar into the
pluginsfolder over SFTP. - Start the server once so the plugin writes its config, then stop it.
- Edit the plugin's config to set the storage type. For several servers, point them all at the same database.
- Start the server and watch the console for errors.
- Create a backup in the Backups tab.
- Open the File Manager, go to
pluginsand upload the jar. - Restart from the Console. After the first start, edit the generated config in the File Manager.
- If the plugin needs a newer Java, the Java version is set by the Docker image on the Startup tab. Ask your host if the image you need is not offered.
- Open the Files / FTP page and upload the jar into
plugins. - Restart from the console, then edit the generated config file.
- If the plugin needs a newer Java version, ask your host, since it controls the runtime.
Moving from another plugin and keeping cheaters out
If you are switching, check whether the new plugin imports your old data. AstraBans lists importers for LiteBans, AdvancedBan, BanManager, EssentialsX and MaxBans, and PhantomBans lists migration from other moderation plugins. Always run an import on a copy and compare a few known bans before you trust it.
A punishment plugin only acts when staff or rules trigger it, so it works best next to an anti-cheat that flags players. Our anti-cheat comparison for Paper covers that side.
Which one should you pick?
- Free and wide platform support: start with LibertyBans.
- Paid, with a web history page: look at LiteBans.
- Staff who prefer menus: compare AstraBans and PhantomBans (made by our team).
- Reports and a web UI, free: BanManager, after reading its licence.
- Tiny server, simple commands: AdvancedBan, tested first because its listing is old.
Frequently asked questions
Does vanilla Minecraft have temporary bans?
No. Vanilla bans are permanent entries in banned-players.json until someone runs /pardon or edits the file. For timed bans, mutes and warns you need a punishment plugin.
What is a free alternative to LiteBans?
LibertyBans is free and open source, and its Modrinth page lists Paper, Folia and Velocity support. BanManager and AdvancedBan are also free, but check their platform support and licences first.
How do I sync bans across multiple servers?
Use a plugin that stores punishments in a shared database such as MySQL or MariaDB, and point every server at it. LiteBans, LibertyBans, BanManager and AdvancedBan all list a database option.
Can a ban plugin escalate warns to mutes and bans automatically?
Some can. LiteBans lists template-based escalation ladders, AstraBans uses YAML thresholds, and PhantomBans (made by our team) has warn thresholds that escalate automatically. Check each plugin's docs for the exact setup.
Can I import my old bans into a new plugin?
AstraBans lists importers for LiteBans, AdvancedBan, BanManager, EssentialsX and MaxBans, and PhantomBans lists migration from other moderation plugins. Always test an import on a copy of your server first.
