PluginAnalytics vs spark
spark is the profiler server owners run to find lag on their server. PluginAnalytics shows plugin developers what their plugin costs on every server that runs it. Different jobs, and they work well together.
| spark | PluginAnalytics | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The server owner, with a command | Nobody: the SDK in your plugin |
| Which servers | The one you're on | Every server running your plugin |
| When | While a profile is recording | All the time, aggregated per hour |
| Whole-server profile (all plugins, the game itself) | ✓ | – |
| Your plugin's time per tick, by method | On that server | Across all servers |
| Event handlers and commands timed | – | ✓ |
| Compare plugin versions (did a release get slower?) | – | ✓ |
| Notification when a release is slower | – | ✓ |
| Memory and GC analysis | ✓ | – |
| Errors, events, funnels, listing analytics | – | ✓ |
| Price | Free, open source | Performance is part of Premium (€19/mo) |
Comparison checked in October 2026 against each tool's own website. Something out of date? Tell us at hello@pluginanalytics.dev.
Use spark when
you can reproduce lag on a server and want to see the whole picture: every plugin, the game itself, memory and garbage collection. It's the best tool for that and ships with Paper.
Use PluginAnalytics when
you want to know what your plugin costs out in the world: on average across servers, which of your methods use the most time in real use, and whether your latest release made things worse, before server owners notice.
More: performance in PluginAnalytics and which part of your plugin causes lag.
Questions
Is PluginAnalytics a spark alternative?
Not a replacement: a complement. spark profiles one server while you look at it. PluginAnalytics measures your plugin on every server that runs it, all the time, and compares versions.
Can I use both?
Yes. Use PluginAnalytics to find which method and which release cost the most across servers, then spark on a test server to see exactly why.
Does PluginAnalytics need a command or a server owner to start profiling?
No. Sampling runs by itself in the SDK inside your plugin, with no command and nothing for the server owner to install.
See what your plugin costs on every server
Free to start. Performance is part of Premium.