GuardianAC vs Shard
GuardianAC
hangar.papermc.ioShard
shard.acSide by side
| Figure | GuardianAC | Shard |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | 1,490 RUB/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 7 |
| Spec score · Minecraft Anti-Cheat Plugins | 7.4 (#20) | 7.7 (#12) |
| Spec score · Minecraft anti-cheat plugins | 7.5 (#23) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Compatibility | The listed release is a Paper plugin for Minecraft 1.18. | The plugin requires Java 17 or newer and a Paper or Folia based server, and supports SQLite or MySQL storage. |
| Open source | The maker describes GuardianAC as open source. | Shard describes its software as fully open source and says users can inspect checks, self-host, or contribute on GitHub. |
| Purpose | GuardianAC is described as an advanced anti-cheat plugin intended to keep a server safe. | Shard provides cloud protection against combat cheats on Minecraft servers. |
| Support | The maker says it helps users with bugs on its Discord support server. | Shard lists email for support, billing, and refund requests, plus Telegram and a Discord community. |
Plans
Shard
- FreeFree
- Plus1,490 RUB a month
- Pro2,490 RUB a month
- Business3,490 RUB a month
- Scale4,990 RUB a month
- Max7,990 RUB a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
GuardianAC
GuardianAC has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Shard
Shard is a Minecraft server anti-cheat service combining a plugin for self-hosted servers with a cloud dashboard. Its behavior analysis is trained on real gameplay, and Shard says it detects cheaters without manual review. Listed detection coverage includes killaura, aim assist and triggerbot. The dashboard brings statistics for connected servers together. To set it up, users install the plugin, create a server in the dashboard and connect it with the /shard connect command. The plugin requires Java 17 or newer and a Paper or Folia server; supported storage options include SQLite and MySQL, with MariaDB also described in the documentation. Shard describes its software as open source, and the plugin is licensed under GPLv3. Shard 1 Flash is available on any plan; the more accurate Shard 1 Pro is available on paid plans after account verification. A credit covers 400,000 checks with Flash or 100,000 with Pro. The Free plan is free and includes five monthly credits, one server and up to 10 online players.