Polar Anticheat vs Shard
Polar Anticheat
polar.topShard
shard.acSide by side
| Figure | Polar Anticheat | Shard |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €15/mo | 1,490 RUB/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 7 |
| Spec score · Minecraft anti-cheat plugins | 7.9 (#10) | 8.1 (#7) |
| Spec score · Minecraft Anti-Cheat Plugins | 7.6 (#15) | 7.7 (#12) |
| Compatibility | Documented requirements include x86_64, Linux or Windows, an uninterrupted internet connection, Java 8 or higher, Spigot/Paper, OpenSSL 1.1, and libc6 2.25 or higher on Linux. | The plugin requires Java 17 or newer and a Paper or Folia based server, and supports SQLite or MySQL storage. |
| Purpose | Polar is SaaS cheat prevention software aimed at limiting cheaters from gaining an unfair advantage on Minecraft servers. | Shard provides cloud protection against combat cheats on Minecraft servers. |
| Support | The documentation directs users to its Discord support server, while the terms say technical support is not guaranteed and may incur additional fees. | Shard lists email for support, billing, and refund requests, plus Telegram and a Discord community. |
Plans
Polar Anticheat
- Small server€15 a month
- Medium server€29 a month
- Large server€59 a month
- Enterprise Custom SolutionPriced on request
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
Polar Anticheat
Polar Anticheat is cheat-prevention software for Minecraft servers, with checks largely processed in Polar Cloud. It monitors player activity and can mitigate movement, reach, and damage before applying punishments. Listed detection coverage includes auto clicker, heuristics, invalid protocol, movement, tick speed, inventory, world interaction, and latency abuse; enforcement can include hit cancellation, setbacks, kicks, and bans. Its plans include all checks, with limits on players, server instances, and HWIDs. Small server is €15 a month (billed €45/quarter or €150/year); Medium server is €29 a month (billed €29/month or €290/year); Large server is €59 a month (billed €59/month or €590/year). Installation uses a PolarLoader.jar file in the server’s plugins folder. Requirements include Java 8 or higher, Spigot or Paper, and an uninterrupted internet connection. Domain verification is required for onboarding, and proxy plugins are unsupported. The documentation describes an API for server and user lookup, events, and custom subcommands. The service supports Bedrock exemption when Floodgate and player-data forwarding are configured.
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.