ReducedX-Anti Cheat vs Shard

ReducedX-Anti Cheat is a free, self-hosted anti-cheat plugin for Minecraft Java Edition servers using Paper or Spigot. The listing specifies Minecraft 1.21.x compatibility. Combat checks look for KillAura, attacks beyond 3.2 blocks, AutoClicker, AntiKnockback, and hitbox exploits. Movement checks cover Speed, Fly, NoFall, Jesus, Step, and Scaffold, with lag compensation and a TPS-based safe mode. World checks use mining paths and ore rates to identify XRay and also detect FastPlace. PacketFlood, JoinFlood, and ReconnectSpam protections address packet-spam and bot attacks. Staff can use the /punish GUI to issue warnings, kicks, mutes, and bans, including permanent and IP bans; button access is permission-based, and alert levels can be configured. The config.yml and lang.yml files allow changes to messages, sensitivity, thresholds, per-world checks, and bypass permissions. Violation decay and combination detection are also included. Listed commands cover information, logs, alerts, spectating, and reloading. The listing names ReducedG as author and identifies the license as MIT.

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.