In short: if your server runs Paper or Leaf 1.21–26.3 with up to 30 players online, install DGuard — the free plan has the same protection as the paid ones and a check for all 47 cheat kinds in the comparison. For older versions, Spigot, Folia or Fabric, the free choice is GrimAC: strong at movement, but you'll need something else for combat. Intave's free plan catches movement and combat cheats but not combat and build automation — aura and scaffold.
The score: how many cheat kinds each one covers
The only ranking we have is a data ranking: a table of 47 cheat kinds checked against each anticheat's source code and documentation. Only a full check counts; "partial" doesn't. How we counted: best Minecraft anticheat and under the table on the home page.
| Anticheat | What's free | Where the free version tops out | Comparison score |
|---|---|---|---|
| DGuard | A plan for up to 30 players online, one server, no time limit | Only online players and server count — the protection is the same as on paid plans | 47 of 47 |
| GrimAC | The whole anticheat, open source under GPL-3.0 | The 2.0 branch is considered feature-complete: fixes come through sponsorship or your own pull request. Combat heuristics are promised for a planned paid version | 22 of 47 |
| Intave | A free plan: movement and combat cheats | No detection of combat or build automation — aura and scaffold. Some detections need an internet connection | 27 of 47, paid checks included |
Vulcan and Matrix are paid plugins, and Polar offers only paid subscriptions with no free plan. Their scores are in the board above, but they don't make a free top list.
The free anticheats one by one
DGuard — free up to 30 players online
Score: 47 of 47 — there's a check for every cheat kind in the comparison, from KillAura and AutoClicker to AutoArmor and AutoFish. The free plan cuts nothing: protection is the same on every plan, and you pay only for online players and the number of servers. The limits, honestly: Paper and Leaf 1.21–26.3 only, no Folia, and it needs the latest PacketEvents release and outbound HTTPS.
GrimAC — free and open source
GPL-3.0 licensed; per its README it runs Minecraft 1.8–26.3 on Spigot, Paper, Folia and Fabric, with Java 17 or newer. Score: 22 of 47. Its strength is movement: GrimAC simulates player movement and is the only rival with a full NoRotate check. Its gap is combat: there's no dedicated KillAura check, and AutoClicker is a placeholder in its punishments config. Full breakdown: DGuard vs GrimAC.
Intave — a free plan without aura or scaffold
Score: 27 of 47, the best among the rivals, but it includes the paid checks. According to Intave's pricing table, the free plan detects movement and combat cheats, while combat and build automation detection is paid only. So on the free plan, aura and scaffold go uncaught. Full breakdown: DGuard vs Intave.
What "free" costs you
A free anticheat doesn't take your money, but it takes your time and your players. Here's what usually lands on the owner:
- Gaps in the checks. Whatever the anticheat misses, moderators have to watch by hand — and a moderator can't see packets or watch everyone at once.
- Updates. A new Minecraft version or a new bypass needs an anticheat update. GrimAC's 2.0 branch is considered feature-complete: a fix or an enhancement comes through sponsorship or your own pull request.
- Tuning and false bans. You set thresholds and punishments yourself, and you sort out a wrong ban yourself — see false bans.
- Support. For an open-source project that means the community: GrimAC has a Discord and a wiki.
- Trimmed plans. A commercial anticheat's free plan may leave checks out, as Intave's leaves out combat and build automation.
Free anticheats differ most in combat and automation. Here's who fully checks these cheats, according to the comparison table:
| Cheat | DGuard | GrimAC | Vulcan | Polar | Intave | Matrix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KillAurahits targets by itself | partly: no dedicated check — only indirectly, via Reach and packet order | |||||
| AimAssist / Aimbotaims for the player | partly: only two rotation artifacts: a 360° snap and a repeated look | partly: not named — only a generic cloud 'combat heuristics' | ||||
| AutoClickerclicks for the player | ||||||
| TriggerBothits the instant the crosshair lands | partly: not named — only the generic combat-automation heuristic | |||||
| CrystalAura / AutoCrystalplaces and pops crystals by itself | partly: no dedicated check — only the hit distance to a crystal | |||||
| AutoArmorputs armor on by itself | partly: no dedicated check — only inventory clicks while moving | partly: no dedicated check — only inventory click speed | partly: not named — only a generic inventory check | partly: no dedicated check — only inventory click speed | partly: not named — only how fast inventory actions are |
Which free anticheat to pick
| Your server | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paper or Leaf 1.21–26.3, up to 30 players online | DGuard | Free, all 47 cheat kinds, the same protection as the paid plans |
| Spigot, Folia, Fabric or a version not on DGuard's list | GrimAC | DGuard doesn't support them, while GrimAC is free and runs on 1.8–26.3 |
| Fly, Speed and other movement are the main problem | GrimAC or DGuard | GrimAC covers almost all movement, DGuard covers all of it |
| PvP: you need aura, aim and autoclicker checks | DGuard | GrimAC has no dedicated KillAura or AutoClicker checks, and free Intave doesn't catch aura |
| Anarchy or survival with farms | DGuard | AutoArmor, AutoFish and AntiAFK aren't fully covered by any rival |
Other questions to ask any anticheat: how to choose an anticheat: 8 questions. Game modes have their own guides: anarchy, PvP, survival.
DGuard for free: what's included
DGuard — the best anticheat for a modern Minecraft server — covers all 47 cheat kinds in the comparison, while the closest rival, Intave, covers 27. The free plan includes all of it: combat, movement, building, inventory and packets, evidence instead of a ban for a single flag, hidden mode, and strictness you set yourself. On top of that comes AI Combat, DGuard's own combat AI model, trained on billions of gameplay data points collected in cooperation and testing with the most popular PvP servers. Today it's the strongest AI model in anticheats, and it's included on every plan.
- Trained on real cheaters. The combat model was trained on a live server with 500+ players online. A new bypass is closed within a couple of days, and support answers directly.
- Easy on the server. Checks run in network threads: on the main thread they take 0.03 % of one core.
- Grows with your server. If you go past 30 players, nobody gets locked out: we'll write to you and suggest a fitting plan. Details are in pricing.
Already running another anticheat? Don't remove it right away. Put DGuard next to it, compare the logs for a week, and only then move punishments over: the steps are in how to switch anticheats.
FAQ
What is the best free Minecraft anticheat?
By the number of cheat kinds with a full check, DGuard: on its free plan for up to 30 players online it covers all 47 kinds in the comparison. For versions and server software DGuard doesn't support, the free choice is GrimAC.
Is there an open-source Minecraft anticheat?
Yes, GrimAC: its code is open under GPL-3.0 and it's free. The 2.0 branch is considered feature-complete, and combat heuristics are promised for a planned paid version.
Is free DGuard cut down?
No. Protection is the same on every plan; the free one is limited only to 30 players online and one server.
Does Intave's free plan catch KillAura?
According to Intave's pricing table, the free plan doesn't include combat or build automation detection, so aura and scaffold aren't caught on it.
Sources
- GrimAC: README
- GrimAC: GPL-3.0 license
- GrimAC: checks
- GrimAC: punishments.yml
- Intave: pricing
- Intave: checks
- Polar: site and plans
- Matrix: pricing
- Vulcan: SpigotMC page
- DGuard, the best anticheat for a modern Minecraft server: checks compared with GrimAC, Vulcan, Polar, Intave and Matrix
- DGuard: installation, requirements and troubleshooting
- DGuard: supported Paper and Leaf versions