Comparing Valheim hosts is easier than comparing hosts for almost any other game, because Valheim removes the variable everyone else competes on. We run Connect Hosting, so treat the section about us accordingly — but the numbers below come from each host's own pricing page, and we've said where we're the weaker option.
Ignore slot counts — Valheim caps every server at 10 players
Valheim allows 1–10 players per server. That is the game's own limit, not a hosting tier: no host can sell you an 11th seat on a vanilla server. So when one host advertises "10 slots" and another advertises "10 slots", neither is offering anything the other can't, and a plan sold at a premium for its slot count is charging you for the game's ceiling.
What does run out is memory. Valheim's dedicated server keeps every placed object in RAM — each wall, torch and chest — plus every part of the map anyone has explored. In our own testing a brand-new world sits around 1.5GB and grows as your group builds and explores, not when a tenth player connects.
That makes the comparison simple: price per GB of RAM, and where the server physically is. Those two things are what you're actually buying.
What we checked, and when
Every price below was read from the host's own Valheim page on 12 October 2026, in USD, at the advertised entry tier. Game hosting prices move constantly — promotional rates expire, renewal rates differ from first-term rates — so re-check before you buy, and check the renewal price rather than the headline.
The hosts
Connect Hosting
This is us. Disclosure stated, so here are the numbers and the honest gaps.
- Karve — 4GB RAM, $7.99/month. 20GB storage, 2 backup slots.
- Longship — 6GB RAM, $10.99/month. 30GB storage, 3 backup slots.
- Drakkar — 8GB RAM, $13.99/month. 40GB storage, 5 backup slots.
All three carry the full 10 players — we don't sell the player cap back to you. Crossplay is on by default on every plan, so PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 friends can join by code without you changing a setting. Seven regions — Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Montreal, Virginia, Dallas and Sydney — which means Australian and New Zealand groups get a local server, something several larger hosts don't offer for Valheim. Quarterly billing takes 10% off and yearly takes 20%.
Where we're the weaker choice:
- No free Valheim tier. Our permanently free tier is BeamMP only. If "free" is the requirement, we aren't the answer.
- We're smaller and newer than Shockbyte, GPORTAL or BisectHosting, with a deliberately narrow game list. If you want one account for fifty games, a larger host suits you better.
- We run vanilla. Valheim has no Steam Workshop, Iron Gate could not guarantee mods survive 1.0, and many broke on launch day. You get full file access to experiment, but modded Valheim is not something we or anyone else can promise will keep working through patches.
Shockbyte
Eikthyr — 3GB RAM, 4 players, $9.99/month (their Valheim page, 12 October 2026).
A large, long-established host with a wide game catalogue and a recognisable brand. Worth knowing before you order: the entry plan is capped at 4 players, which is below Valheim's own 10-player ceiling. That cap is the host's, not the game's — so if you want your full crew, price the tier that actually seats them, not the headline plan.
GPORTAL
$15.59 per 30 days for 10 slots. Other terms shown on the same page: 3 days $6.24, 90 days $42.09, 180 days $79.51. Their Valheim page shows Central Europe as the location and advertises 50GB of backup space for saves and configs.
One of the biggest European game hosts, with a huge game list and a slot-based plan model rather than a RAM-based one. The short 3-day term is genuinely useful if you only want a server for one weekend. The trade-off is that you're buying slots you already get from the game, and the published location choice on the Valheim page is European.
BisectHosting
Bisect sells Valheim on per-GB plans chosen in a configurator. We could not read a price from their Valheim landing page on 12 October 2026 — you have to open the plan selector to see one, so we're not going to quote a number we didn't verify.
A large, established host, best known for Minecraft. If you already have an account with them for another game, the convenience may outweigh comparing per-GB rates.
Quick comparison
Entry tier only, read from each host's own Valheim page on 12 October 2026.
| Host | Entry price | RAM | Players on entry plan | Notes |
|---|
| Connect Hosting | $7.99/mo | 4GB | 10 (full cap) | 7 regions incl. Sydney; crossplay on by default |
| Shockbyte | $9.99/mo | 3GB | 4 | Host-imposed player cap below the game's own limit |
| GPORTAL | $15.59/30 days | Slot-based | 10 (full cap) | 3-day terms available; Central Europe shown |
| BisectHosting | Not published on the page | Per-GB selector | Not published | Open the configurator to see a price |
How to choose
- You want the full 10-player crew for the least money: compare the cheapest plan that actually seats 10. On the prices above that's Connect Hosting at $7.99.
- You want a server for one weekend: GPORTAL's 3-day term is the only short option here.
- You're in Australia or New Zealand: check the host actually sells a region near you before anything else. Latency does more damage to a Valheim session than a GB of RAM ever will.
- You already host another game somewhere: staying put is a legitimate answer. Moving a Valheim world is easy (see below), so there's no lock-in either way.
- "Free" is non-negotiable: no host here has a free Valheim tier. Run it on your own machine instead, and read the real costs first.
What about running it yourself?
For a lot of groups that's the right call, and it isn't close to free — electricity, your PC being on, your home IP, and your session ending when you close the game. We've costed all four routes honestly in Valheim server hosting vs self-hosting, including the failure modes nobody mentions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Valheim host allows the most players?
None of them — they're all the same. Valheim allows 1–10 players per server and that is the game's limit on every host. If a plan advertises fewer than 10, that's a cap the host added. If one advertises more, ask how.
Is more RAM actually worth paying for?
It depends on how much you've built, not how many of you there are. A fresh world runs comfortably in 4GB. Memory climbs as your settlements grow and as your group explores more of the map, so a world you've played for months on a big base is the case for 6–8GB. We measured this properly in how much RAM a Valheim server needs.
Can I move my world from one host to another?
Yes. A Valheim world is one folder, and the characters belong to the players rather than the server, so nobody loses progress. Move your Valheim world to a dedicated server walks through it — the same steps work host-to-host.
Do my PS5, Xbox or Switch 2 friends need anything special?
The server has to be started with crossplay enabled, and then console players join with the six-digit join code rather than an IP. The code changes on every restart. How PS5, Xbox and Switch 2 players join a Valheim server covers the per-platform steps and the privacy settings that block it.
What should I test in the first week?
Build something substantial, explore a fresh direction, and watch the memory figure on your panel while you do. That's the only honest capacity test. Start on a monthly term — not annual — so switching costs you nothing if the answer is no.