Best Minecraft Proxy in 2026: Velocity vs BungeeCord vs Waterfall

Starting a Minecraft network in 2026 can be challenging when it comes to software selection. You have all these options: Bungeecord, Waterfall, Velocity, and you might be thinking, which one do I choose?

This article will go over the story of each server software and why it exists.

Overview: Velocity vs BungeeCord vs Waterfall vs VanillaCord

Here is a quick comparison table for people who don’t want to read the entire article.

Software	Status	Plugin Ecosystem	Recommended
BungeeCord	Maintained	Largest legacy ecosystem	Legacy networks
Waterfall	Deprecated	Bungee plugins	No
Velocity	Active development	Velocity plugins	Yes
VanillaCord	No longer maintained	Vanilla-focused	Vanilla networks

For people who can’t be bothered to read the article, here’s a quick answer:

Best for legacy compatibility: Bungeecord

Best for Vanilla servers: VanillaCord (unmaintained)

Best overall: Velocity

NOTE: Waterfall is no longer maintained and PaperMC recommends Velocity, so I haven’t included it as one of the options.

How we got here

Before we actually explain what to use, for clarity it would be a good idea to go over the story of how we got here.

Before Bungeecord

Before BungeeCord, Minecraft proxies did not yet exist. When you joined a server, there was no network with backends. At best there were different worlds you could teleport to.

BungeeCord

BungeeCord made it possible to seamlessly move players between different Minecraft servers by connecting to one IP address, acting as a proxy that connects players to multiple backend servers through a single IP. Created by the SpigotMC team, the proxy software supported its own plugin ecosystem.

Unlike BungeeCord, VanillaCord is designed specifically for vanilla server networks and avoids dependencies on Spigot-based software.

Waterfall

Bungeecord built the base for what is known as Waterfall. Released back in 2016, Waterfall was a fork of the original Bungeecord software, designed by the PaperMC team for performance and efficiency, similar to how they forked Spigot and named it Paper. The Minecraft server software was then deprecated in April of 2025, in favour of their new software, Velocity.

Velocity

Velocity was later created as a “modern, next-generation” solution. In other words, instead of forking Bungeecord or Waterfall, the same PaperMC team took another route and built the proxy from scratch with the intention to address the architectural limitations they faced with Waterfall and BungeeCord.

It offers improved performance, enhanced security features, and better scalability for large player counts. These advantages have made it the preferred proxy for most newly created Minecraft networks.

Because Velocity was built from scratch rather than forked from BungeeCord, plugins written for Velocity will not work on BungeeCord, and BungeeCord plugins will not work on Velocity.

Velocity vs BungeeCord vs Waterfall vs VanillaCord: Which Minecraft Proxy Should You Use?

Now that the story of Minecraft proxies has been clarified, it should be quite clear what server software fits your needs. In case it’s not, this section of the post should clarify what server software is best for your Minecraft server.

If your Minecraft server prioritizes stability and compatibility with Spigot plugins, your Minecraft server should use BungeeCord.

For Minecraft servers where the latest software matters, go for Velocity.

For most new networks, Velocity is the preferred choice. However, some established networks continue using BungeeCord due to plugin compatibility requirements and existing infrastructure.

Conclusion

For most new Minecraft networks, Velocity has become the recommended choice due to its modern architecture, performance, and active development, while BungeeCord remains a viable option for networks that depend on legacy plugins and existing infrastructure. Choosing the right proxy ultimately depends on your network’s compatibility requirements, growth plans, and plugin ecosystem.