TAB Plugin Alternatives Compared: Which Tablist Plugin Fits Your Server?

TAB is an all-in-one display plugin, but it is not the only choice. Some networks prefer a proxy-focused plugin, and some small servers only need nametags. This comparison looks at the main TAB plugin alternatives by features, supported platforms, price and setup effort, so you can pick what genuinely fits your server.

What TAB does well

Everything in one jar

TAB handles header and footer, tablist names, nametags, sorting, objectives, sidebar scoreboard, bossbar and layout. One plugin means one config style and no conflicts between display plugins.

Wide platform support

The same universal jar runs on Paper, Spigot, Folia, BungeeCord, Velocity, Fabric and NeoForge, and it is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.

Velocitab

Strengths

Velocitab is a free, proxy-only tablist plugin for Velocity. It focuses on a network-wide tablist with server groups and a simple config, which suits Velocity networks that want minimal setup.

Trade-offs

It only runs on Velocity and does not try to cover sidebar scoreboards or bossbars, so you may need extra plugins.

TabList and NametagEdit

TabList

TabList is a long-running Spigot plugin for tablist header, footer and names. It is lighter in scope than TAB and fine for single servers with simple needs.

NametagEdit

NametagEdit only changes prefixes and suffixes above heads. It is easy to learn, but development has slowed, so check support for your Minecraft version before relying on it.

FeatherBoard

Strengths

FeatherBoard is a premium scoreboard plugin known for animated sidebar effects and a large set of built-in placeholders.

Trade-offs

It costs money and covers the scoreboard only. TAB's built-in scoreboard handles most servers' needs for free.

How to choose

Pick TAB when

You want one plugin for every display feature, run a mix of server types, or plan to grow into a network. The installation guide gets you started.

Pick a narrower plugin when

You only need one feature and want the simplest possible config, or you run a Velocity-only network and like Velocitab's approach. Whatever you choose, avoid running two plugins that control the same feature. See the full comparison table.

Quick answers

Can I move from another plugin to TAB?

Yes. Remove or disable the old plugin's overlapping features first, then recreate your header, prefixes and board in TAB's config.

Is TAB heavier than smaller plugins?

Not noticeably. TAB is built for performance and /tab cpu lets you measure usage on your own server.

TabPlugin Editorial Team

We run test servers on Paper, Folia and Velocity and update these guides whenever TAB changes. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.