GroupManager review
A broad, free permissions toolkit for established Bukkit and Spigot servers.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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 can inherit permissions from other groups, while users can be promoted, demoted, and managed through commands. The plugin also supports wildcard, negative, and exception permission nodes, making it suitable for servers with layered access rules. Established servers that already operate on Bukkit or Spigot are the clearest fit.
There is no paid tier structure: GroupManager is open source and free to use. Its storage options cover YAML, H2, MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB, giving administrators a choice between file-based and SQL-backed configurations. Group variables can define prefixes, suffixes, and build status, while PlaceholderAPI support connects permission-related values with compatible server components. Multi-world permission mirroring can also help maintain consistent configurations across worlds without treating every world as an entirely separate setup.
The feature set is broad for a permissions plugin, including temporary permissions, subgroups, inheritance, promotion and demotion, and detailed node exceptions. That breadth suits servers with established administrative structures, but it also means the configuration model is more involved than a narrow group-and-node tool. Verified coverage centers on Bukkit and Spigot, and the published release page shows v3.2 for Minecraft 1.8 to 1.20+, released in August 2023. Choose GroupManager for a free, configurable permissions system on those platforms; choose an alternative if your server requires a different platform focus or a simpler scope.
GroupManager pros and cons
- 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+
GroupManager fact sheet, pricing and score →
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