Where the server actually is
If your players are in Australia, the server should be too. A server in the United States or Singapore sends every player's traffic offshore and back. Ask which city your server will run in and whether you can choose it at checkout. ASPEC Hosting publishes its Sydney and Melbourne locations along with whether each one is open for orders.
Prices in Australian dollars
Overseas hosts often bill in US dollars, so the price moves with the exchange rate and your bank may add a foreign transaction fee. Look for a host that publishes prices in AUD and shows the full price for each billing cycle.
A real Australian business
A local business is easier to deal with when something goes wrong. Check for:
- An ABN you can look up on the Australian Business Register.
- Invoices that show the business name and ABN, and GST where the business is registered for it.
- Refund and cancellation terms that acknowledge the Australian Consumer Law.
- Support that replies during Australian hours.
Honest plan limits
Be wary of plans sold only by "slots" or vague performance labels. You need the memory, storage and CPU class for each plan, and the minimum each game needs. A good host tells you before checkout when a plan cannot run the game you picked.
Room to change games
Groups rarely play one game forever. With most hosts, switching from Minecraft to Rust means cancelling and buying a new server. ASPEC Hosting sells game server capacity, so you can install another compatible game on the same plan from the control panel.