Coalstack vs PufferPanel

The short version

PufferPanel is a general game server panel. Minecraft, Forge, NeoForge, Sponge, Source servers, BungeeCord and PocketMine are among what it supports, using templates you can also write yourself, and it can manage servers on more than one machine. Its own site calls it the simplest panel to use and says it is a small open-source project worked on in spare time.

Coalstack is narrower. It only does Minecraft, and spends that focus on the Minecraft-specific problems, as a desktop app on the machine that runs the server.

Where PufferPanel wins

• It is free and open source, with no tiers.
• It covers more than Minecraft. One panel can run a Minecraft server next to other games, and templates extend it to new ones.
• It can span machines. Nodes let one panel manage servers on several computers. Coalstack manages the machine it is installed on.
• Docker is a supported way to run it, if that is how you already host things.

Where Coalstack is different

• It is an app, not a service to host. You install it on the PC the server runs on and create a server from a wizard that shows a progress bar for the Java download, the server jar and any loader installer.
• Minecraft problems have dedicated tools. An Auto Debugger on the free tier reads crash logs, a Modrinth marketplace installs mods and plugins, and compatibility checks (Coalstack Plus) flag likely conflicts. See the error code reference.
• Both editions, plus crossplay. Java and Bedrock servers sit in one list, and Geyser crossplay lets Bedrock players join a Java server from one tab.
• Port forwarding and the firewall are in the app, along with a Playit tunnel and dynamic DNS, so getting friends connected doesn't mean leaving the window.

Which should you use?

PufferPanel if you want a free, open-source panel, you run games other than Minecraft, or you want one panel across several machines.

Coalstack if you only need Minecraft, the server runs on a PC you can sit at, and you want mod, crash and connection help built into the app.

PufferPanel's details come from its own site and documentation as of October 2026. Check there for its current feature list.