Best Factorio server hosting: how to choose

Three ways to run a Factorio server

Before you compare hosts, it’s worth knowing you might not need one. Here is how the three ways to play Factorio with friends compare.

What to look for in a Factorio host

These are the things that matter for Factorio in particular. Each one says why, links the guide with the details, and says honestly what Wilderack does about it. The checks that matter for every game, from ping to refunds, are in our guide to choosing a game server host.

1. Single-core speed for UPS

   The game aims for 60 updates per second, and most of that work runs on one CPU core. When the server can’t keep up, the game slows down for everyone. More RAM won’t fix it on its own. Factorio server performance tips

   With a catchOn Wilderack: Plans are sold by RAM, and bigger plans add CPU cores. Seed 2 GB is enough for an early game, and we recommend Sprout 4 GB. Extra cores don’t raise UPS, so watch it with show-time-usage as you grow.

2. Vanilla or Space Age

   A Space Age server needs every player to own the expansion. A vanilla server works for everyone. How to make a Factorio dedicated server

   YesOn Wilderack: Pick vanilla or Space Age when you create the server, and switch later in Settings. A backup is made first.

3. Mods your friends can sync

   When a friend joins with different mods, the game offers to sync them from the mod portal, as long as every mod is on the portal. How to add mods to a Factorio server

   YesOn Wilderack: Install mods from the mod portal in the Mods tab, once your factorio.com username and token are in Settings.

4. A factory that pauses when nobody plays

   Factorio pauses itself when nobody is connected, so biters don’t attack while you are away. How to make a Factorio dedicated server

   YesOn Wilderack: About 10 minutes after the last player leaves, the server naps, and connecting with your address wakes it.

5. Your token kept safe

   Listing a server in Browse public games, and downloading mods from the portal, needs your factorio.com username and token. Add your factorio.com token to your Factorio server

   YesOn Wilderack: Add them once in Settings. The panel never shows the token again, and we never ask for your password.

6. Backups you can restore yourself

   Factorio autosaves into 5 rotating files every 10 minutes, so its own safety net only goes back about an hour. Factorio server backups and saves

   YesOn Wilderack: A safe copy every time the server sleeps and every 10 minutes while it runs, plus your own. Restore or download any of them.

What a cheap Factorio server costs

A cheap server is one with enough memory for your group, not the lowest price on a page. These are the plans we sell for Factorio, with the group size each one suits.

Monthly plans renew at the price shown, and you can cancel any time. A 3-day pass is a one-time payment that doesn’t renew. Prices in US dollars + applicable taxes.

Factorio is cheap to start: Seed 2 GB runs a small group through the early game. A big Space Age save, lots of mods or a megabase needs 8 GB or more, and past that point it’s single-core speed that limits UPS.

Part of why the price is low: your server naps when nobody is playing, so you don’t pay for hours of an empty world. Your world and settings stay exactly as you left them.

Where Wilderack falls short

No host is right for every group. These are the reasons we might not be the one for yours.

• A megabase limited by UPS won’t get much faster on a bigger plan, because Factorio’s work runs mostly on one core and extra cores don’t raise UPS.
• Two regions open so far: US East and Europe. Groups in Asia, Oceania or South America will have higher ping than with a host nearby.
• We are new, so we can’t show you years of uptime yet. A 3-day pass is the cheap way to try us first.

How we checked

The facts about Factorio come from our own Factorio guides, which our team checks against Wube Software’s documentation and patch notes, listed under Sources below. The facts about Wilderack come from our plans and the panel. Prices are read from our price list when this page is built, so they match the plans page. If something here is out of date, email support@wilderack.com and we will fix it.