Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Minecraft Permissions Plugins

GroupManager vs ServerRoles

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score GroupManager #3 in Minecraft Permissions Plugins 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit GroupManager
ServerRoles #6 in Minecraft Permissions Plugins 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit ServerRoles

GroupManager leads on 0 checks, ServerRoles on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreGroupManager · 8.7/10
  • Free planboth

GroupManager scores higher on our rubric for minecraft permissions plugins: 8.7 against 8.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #6.

GroupManager is the better fit for established Bukkit and Spigot servers. ServerRoles is the better fit for paper servers needing role management.

  • GroupManager fits best

    Established Bukkit and Spigot servers

  • ServerRoles fits best

    Paper servers needing role management

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature GroupManager 8.7/10 Visit ↗ ServerRoles 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 8.4
Ranking #3 in Minecraft Permissions Plugins #6 in Minecraft Permissions Plugins
Best for Established Bukkit and Spigot servers Paper servers needing role management
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Integrations 1 integrations 2 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market Small business, Mid-market
Features GroupManager 2/4 · ServerRoles 2/4
Group inheritance ✓ ✓
Network support Not checked yet Not checked yet
Web editor Not checked yet Not checked yet
Temporary permissions ✓ ✓
Specs
Storage backends YAML, H2, MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, MariaDB YAML, SQLite, MySQL
Supported platforms Bukkit, Spigot Paper, Purpur 1.21.11
Our review
Pros
  • Inherited groups with promotion, demotion, subgroups, and temporary permissions
  • YAML and SQL storage, including MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB
  • Wildcard, negative, exception nodes, multi-world mirroring, and PlaceholderAPI support
  • Inherited and temporary roles with automatic expiry
  • YAML, SQLite, and MySQL storage options
  • PlaceholderAPI, TAB, and developer API integrations
Cons
  • Verified platform coverage centers on Bukkit and Spigot
  • Configuration spans many permission, storage, and group-management options
  • The published release is v3.2 for Minecraft 1.8 to 1.20+
  • Support is limited to Paper and Purpur 1.21.11
  • Requires Java 21 or newer
  • Self-hosted deployment requires server administration
Our verdict

GroupManager is a free, open-source permissions plugin for self-hosted Minecraft servers running Bukkit or Spigot. It is designed for administrators who need structured group-based access rather than isolated permission assignments. Groups…

Read the review →

ServerRoles is a self-hosted Minecraft permissions plugin for Paper and Purpur 1.21.11 servers running Java 21 or newer. It is aimed at administrators who need to create, edit, and delete roles, assign permission nodes, control prefixes…

Read the review →
  1. GroupManagerMinecraft Permissions Plugins 8.7Free plan
  2. ServerRolesMinecraft Permissions Plugins 8.4Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • GroupManager — where it wins

    • Inherited groups with promotion, demotion, subgroups, and temporary permissions
    • YAML and SQL storage, including MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB
    • Wildcard, negative, exception nodes, multi-world mirroring, and PlaceholderAPI support

    Where it doesn't

    • Verified platform coverage centers on Bukkit and Spigot
    • Configuration spans many permission, storage, and group-management options
    • The published release is v3.2 for Minecraft 1.8 to 1.20+

  • ServerRoles — where it wins

    • Inherited and temporary roles with automatic expiry
    • YAML, SQLite, and MySQL storage options
    • PlaceholderAPI, TAB, and developer API integrations

    Where it doesn't

    • Support is limited to Paper and Purpur 1.21.11
    • Requires Java 21 or newer
    • Self-hosted deployment requires server administration

More comparisons

All minecraft permissions plugins comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update