MineGuard vs DDoS-Guard: Minecraft DDoS Protection Comparison 2026

If you are looking for DDoS protection for your Minecraft server, you have probably come across DDoS-Guard. This service is very popular in the CIS region and is widely used to protect websites, game servers, and other online projects. But is it the right fit specifically for Minecraft? And how does it compare to a specialized solution like MineGuard?

I put together an honest comparison of both services so you can make an informed choice for your project.

A Quick Overview

DDoS-Guard is a major Russian DDoS protection provider operating since 2011. The company offers a wide range of services: website protection, network protection, game server protection, CDN, and SSL certificates. DDoS-Guard is known for reliable infrastructure with filtering nodes in multiple countries and solid bandwidth capacity. It is a universal solution that works with any type of traffic.

MineGuard is our service, and we built it from the ground up specifically for Minecraft. Every feature, every filter, every setting is tailored to the specifics of the Minecraft protocol. We offer built-in captcha for player verification, custom messages via MiniMessage, real-time analytics, and a firewall with IP, country, and ASN filtering.

Feature Comparison Table

Feature	MineGuard	DDoS-Guard
Specialization	Minecraft only	Universal protection
DDoS protection (L3/L4)	Yes	Yes
DDoS protection (L7)	Yes, Minecraft-specific	Yes, general
Bot captcha	Yes (web captcha via browser)	No (web captcha)
Custom messages (MiniMessage)	Yes	No
Real-time analytics	Detailed, game-focused	General network
VPN/Proxy blocking	Yes	No
IP/Country/ASN firewall	Yes	Partial (IP only)
Bedrock tunnels	Yes	No
PlasmoVoice support	Yes	No
Adaptive CPM	Yes	No
Free tier	Yes (1 TB)	No
Minecraft filter in Russia	Yes (Moscow)	No
Russian-language support	Yes	Yes
Starting price	Free / ~$4 (390 RUB)	~$30+

DDoS Protection: General vs Specialized

DDoS-Guard handles classic DDoS attacks very well. Their infrastructure processes massive volumes of traffic, and in terms of raw bandwidth there are no complaints. However, their filtering works at a general level and does not understand the specifics of the Minecraft protocol.

We developed our filtering engine from scratch specifically for Minecraft. The filter analyzes every packet at the game protocol level, recognizes typical bot attack patterns, and applies Minecraft-specific filtering rules. This means that during a bot attack, our filter more accurately determines who is a bot and who is a real player. In practice, this results in significantly fewer false positives.

When your server faces an attack from 50,000 bots, a universal filter may start blocking legitimate players too. Our filter in such a situation activates adaptive CPM (Connections Per Minute) mode and if needed turns on captcha verification, letting real players through without issues.

Filtering Geography

MineGuard has filtering servers in Germany (Frankfurt) and Russia (Moscow). For servers in Russia this makes a real difference - CIS players connect through the Moscow filter with minimal latency instead of going through Europe with extra 30-40ms. DDoS-Guard also has nodes in Russia, but their filtering is not built for the Minecraft protocol. Our Moscow filter works specifically with game traffic - analyzing packets, filtering bots, and providing low latency for CIS players.

The Captcha System

This is one of the key differences. When suspicious activity is detected, our system kicks the player with a message containing a verification link. The player opens this link in their browser, passes Google reCAPTCHA on the web page, and can then reconnect to the server. It is quick and seamless.

DDoS-Guard offers web captcha for website protection, but it is not integrated with the Minecraft protocol. MineGuard automatically kicks suspicious players with a verification link, providing a seamless flow: the player passes reCAPTCHA in their browser and reconnects immediately.

MineGuard captcha is configurable: you choose the trigger threshold, mode (automatic or manual), and messages can be customized through MiniMessage format with colors, gradients, and formatting.

Custom Messages and MiniMessage

When a player gets blocked by the filter, they see a message. In MineGuard you fully control these messages through MiniMessage format. You can use colors, gradients, bold and italic text, hover effects. This lets you brand the protection to match your server style.

DDoS-Guard does not offer this feature since it operates at the network level and does not interact with the Minecraft game protocol directly.

Analytics and Monitoring

We provide detailed analytics specifically for Minecraft: connection counts, blocked bots, player geography, VPN statistics, real-time data. You see not just traffic graphs in megabits but concrete numbers on players and attacks.

DDoS-Guard gives standard network analytics: traffic volume, request counts, filtering statistics. This is useful but does not provide insight into the actual gaming situation on your server.

VPN Blocking and Firewall

VPN and proxy blocking is an important feature for Minecraft servers that helps combat ban evasion and multi-accounting. In MineGuard this feature is built in and works at the filter level with a regularly updated database of VPN providers.

The firewall lets you configure rules by IP addresses, countries, and ASN. For example, you can block connections from certain countries or from specific hosting providers commonly used by botnets.

DDoS-Guard offers basic IP filtering, but specialized gaming features like VPN blocking or ASN filtering for Minecraft are not available.

Bedrock and PlasmoVoice Support

If your server needs Bedrock Edition support through Geyser, we have built-in Bedrock tunnels. Bedrock player traffic goes through protection just like Java traffic, with no extra configuration needed.

PlasmoVoice is a popular voice chat mod in the Russian-speaking community. MineGuard proxies PlasmoVoice UDP traffic, so voice chat works through protection without any issues.

DDoS-Guard does not offer specialized support for either Bedrock or PlasmoVoice, as these are Minecraft-specific features.

Pricing Comparison

Here are our plans for reference:

Plan	Price	Networks	Domains	Traffic	Key Features
Free	$0	1	3	1 TB	Basic protection
Basic	~$4/mo (390 RUB)	1	5	3 TB	Extended protection
Starter	~$9/mo (860 RUB)	2	10	5 TB	VPN blocking, firewall
Optimal	~$30/mo (2,790 RUB)	3	25	30 TB	Captcha, Bedrock
Professional	~$93/mo (8,600 RUB)	10	100	150 TB	All features

DDoS-Guard does not publish fixed gaming server pricing publicly. Costs are calculated individually, but based on community feedback, prices start around $30+ for basic network-level protection. And that comes without any Minecraft-specific features.

We offer a free tier with 1 TB of traffic, which lets you test the service with no financial commitment. For most small servers, this is enough for full operation.

When to Choose DDoS-Guard

I will be honest: DDoS-Guard is a good service. If you need comprehensive protection not just for Minecraft but also for your website, API, and other services under one provider, DDoS-Guard may be more convenient. Their infrastructure is battle-tested over many years, and support is available in Russian.

Also, if your project goes beyond Minecraft and you need universal DDoS protection for different types of traffic, DDoS-Guard would be a more fitting choice.

When to Choose MineGuard

If your main project is a Minecraft server and you care about:

• Precise filtering at the game protocol level
• Captcha for player verification via web page in browser
• Detailed analytics on players, not megabits
• VPN blocking and country/ASN firewall
• Custom messages with MiniMessage
• Bedrock and PlasmoVoice support
• Affordable pricing with a free starter plan

Then MineGuard is the better choice. We do one thing, but we do it well.

Conclusion

DDoS-Guard and MineGuard solve the same problem but take different approaches. DDoS-Guard is a universal DDoS shield that works with any traffic type. MineGuard is a specialized tool built specifically for Minecraft with all the resulting advantages: deep game protocol integration, captcha, player-focused analytics, and Minecraft-specific features.

For a Minecraft server, a specialized solution will always be more effective than a universal one. But if you need protection for your entire infrastructure and not just the game server, consider both options.

Try MineGuard for free and see the difference for yourself.