Selling Minecraft plugins is one of the few ways to get paid for code you'd probably write anyway. Thousands of servers need features they can't build themselves, and plenty of them will pay for something that works and is looked after.
But a good plugin isn't enough on its own. You also need the right place to sell, a price that makes sense, a way to stop one purchase being shared across fifty servers, and a plan for supporting buyers. This guide walks through the whole thing in order.
1. Pick something worth paying for
Server owners pay to solve problems, not for features. The plugins that sell well usually do one of these:
- Save the owner time: moderation, backups, cross-server tools, setup wizards.
- Make the server money: crates, shops, battle passes, rank perks.
- Make the server stand out: custom game modes, polished GUIs, unique mechanics.
Before you build, look at what already exists on BuiltByBit and Voxel Shop. Competition isn't a bad sign: it proves people pay for that kind of plugin. What you're looking for is a gap: an existing plugin with bad reviews, slow updates or no support for current versions.
Tip: a free version on SpigotMC, Modrinth or Hangar is the cheapest market research there is. If nobody downloads the free version, the paid one won't sell either.
2. Make it sellable, not just working
Buyers judge a premium plugin on things that have nothing to do with its core feature:
- Clean configuration, with comments, sensible defaults and reload support.
- Clear version support: say exactly which Minecraft versions and server software (Paper, Spigot, Folia) you support, and test them.
- No lag. Never do network calls or heavy work on the main thread (here's why that matters).
- Folia support, if you can. More large servers run it every year, and it's an easy selling point. Here's how to make a plugin Folia-compatible.
- Documentation: even a single page with commands, permissions and placeholders saves you hours of support.
3. Set a price
There's no formula, but a few rules of thumb help:
- Look at comparable plugins on the marketplaces you'll sell on, and price against what they offer, not just what they charge.
- SpigotMC caps premium resources at $19.99. If your plugin is worth more, it belongs on BuiltByBit, Voxel Shop or Tebex.
- Don't underprice. A very cheap plugin can look like a low-effort one, and you'll be supporting every buyer either way.
- Know what you'll keep. Fees range from 0% to almost 10% before payment processing. Our marketplace fee calculator shows your take-home on each one.
4. Choose where to sell
The four main options work very differently:
| Fee | Audience | Licensing allowed? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpigotMC | None (PayPal fees only) | Largest | No |
| BuiltByBit | 9.9% + gateway | Large, premium-minded | Yes |
| Voxel Shop (Polymart) | 2% by default + processor | Smaller, growing | Yes, if it works out of the box |
| Tebex | 5% + gateway | None, so you bring your own | Yes |
Most successful sellers use more than one: a free or lite version on SpigotMC for reach, the premium version on BuiltByBit and Voxel Shop, and a Tebex store once they have their own audience. We cover each in detail in SpigotMC vs Voxel Shop vs BuiltByBit.
5. Write a listing that sells
Your listing page is your shop window. The ones that convert usually have:
- A one-line pitch that says what problem it solves, not what it is.
- Screenshots or a short video of the plugin actually running in-game.
- A feature list, then commands and permissions.
- Supported versions and dependencies, stated up front.
- A support link, usually a Discord server.
- An update history, because buyers check whether a plugin is still maintained.
6. Protect what you sell
The uncomfortable truth: if your plugin sells, someone will try to share it. Leaks usually look like one of these:
- One buyer shares their jar or key with friends or in a Discord server.
- The jar is uploaded to a leak site within days of release.
- Someone edits the bytecode to remove your check.
You can't make piracy impossible, but you can make the easy routes fail:
- Use a license system with signed responses and server limits, so a shared key stops working and a fake license server is rejected. We compare the options in the best Minecraft plugin licensing systems.
- Deliver keys automatically, so protection costs your genuine buyers nothing. On BuiltByBit and Voxel Shop the key can be written into the jar at download. On Tebex it's emailed the moment they pay.
- Obfuscate your jar, so removing the check takes real effort. Here's how with ProGuard.
- Use marketplace placeholders to identify who leaked a copy. Here's how to trace a leak.
Remember that SpigotMC prohibits licensing in premium resources, so keep any licensed version off SpigotMC.
7. Support your buyers
Support is what turns one sale into reviews, repeat buyers and recommendations:
- Run a Discord server with a support channel, and answer quickly, especially in the first week after launch.
- Make license issues self-serve. With MC License, buyers can check their own key's status and expiry on the license checker, and you can manage licenses from Discord with the bot.
- Keep a changelog and update for new Minecraft versions promptly. "Updated for the latest version" is one of the best marketing messages you have.
8. Keep growing
Once the first plugin is selling:
- Ask happy buyers for reviews. On marketplaces, reviews are what move you up the listings.
- Bundle and upsell: add-ons, premium tiers or a bundle of your plugins.
- Build an audience you own: a Discord, a newsletter or a YouTube channel. That's what makes a Tebex store worth having, and keeps you less dependent on any one marketplace.
- Bring in help when support gets busy. MC License's collaborators let you give a support person license access for one plugin without sharing your account.
Ready to start?
If you're getting ready to sell, MC License can take care of licensing for you. Every sale on BuiltByBit, Voxel Shop or Tebex creates a license automatically, server limits stop key sharing, and adding it to your plugin takes one method call. Start free.