Minecraft Bedrock Anti-Cheat Comparison: Which Solution Is Right for Your Server in 2025?
Hack clients for Minecraft's Bedrock Edition are a constant headache for server owners, allowing cheaters to fly, use X-ray vision, and gain speed advantages that ruin the game for everyone. As these tools become more sophisticated, server administrators are left to navigate a market of anti-cheat options, each with different strengths and setup processes. This guide will break down the top anti-cheat solutions for Bedrock to help you find the best fit for your server.
Understanding the Threat from Hack Clients
Hack clients on the Bedrock Edition give players an unfair edge by using automated exploits to get around the game's normal rules. These tools make impossible feats possible, like flying indefinitely, moving faster than the game should allow, and manipulating items in ways that can wreck a server's economy.
This isn't just about a few rogue players. Cheating is a widespread issue on Bedrock, and the community has long been asking Mojang to add official, client-side countermeasures. Until that happens, server owners have to depend on third-party plugins and good old-fashioned moderation.
Leading Anti-Cheat Solutions Compared
Matrix AntiCheat
Often considered the gold standard for Bedrock servers, Matrix is designed specifically for Bedrock and its realms, with support for the latest game versions. It works by analyzing player behavior to spot impossible actions, rather than trying to detect modified game clients.
Key capabilities:
- Validates player movement in real time
- Compatible across different game versions
- Automatically punishes cheaters
- Receives regular updates to counter new exploits
SafeGuard AntiCheat
SafeGuard provides highly customizable options, giving you fine-tuned control over its cheat-spotting settings. Its most unique feature is inventory locking, which stops item duplication exploits and protects server economies in a way many other tools don't.
Distinctive features:
- Systems to protect inventories
- Adjustable thresholds for flagging cheats
- Layered exploit prevention
- Ability to create custom rules
Basic AntiCheat for Bedrock Edition
As the name suggests, Basic AntiCheat offers a starting point for smaller servers and realms. However, it has a major catch: you need to enable experimental gameplay features and cheats for it to work. This creates a security trade-off that server owners need to consider carefully.
Implementation considerations:
- Needs experimental game features to be turned on
- Has a limited scope for catching cheats
- Best suited for small communities
- Uses fewer server resources
What Makes an Anti-Cheat Effective?
Accuracy
Anti-cheat plugins for Bedrock use algorithms to analyze player behavior and spot actions that shouldn't be possible, then automatically kick or ban offenders. For example, a common and effective technique is a speed check that boots anyone moving faster than the game allows, which helps stop speed hacking.
Ease of Setup
Different tools have different setup requirements and demand varying levels of attention. Some basic options require you to enable experimental settings, while more advanced plugins work with a standard server setup.
Regular Updates
Cheating tools are always evolving, so your anti-cheat needs to as well. Look for plugins that are actively developed and updated frequently to stay ahead of new hacks and exploits. This ensures better security in the long run.
A Multi-Layered Strategy Is Best
To truly cut down on cheating, you should combine an automated plugin with other security measures like a server whitelist and active moderators. No single tool can offer 100% protection against the most advanced cheats.
An ideal security setup:
- Deploy an automated tool like Matrix or SafeGuard.
- Enforce checks for speed and movement.
- Add inventory safeguards on economy-based servers.
- Have active human moderators online.
- Use extra security add-ons that target specific cheats, such as auto-clicking.
Making Your Choice
For busy servers that need the strongest security, Matrix is likely your best bet due to its powerful cheat-flagging and reliable cross-version support. If your server has an economy, you'll benefit from SafeGuard's features for protecting player inventories. For smaller communities, Basic AntiCheat can get the job done, especially if you have active moderators.
Players continue to push for built-in, client-side solutions, with some suggesting that servers should be allowed "to analyze the code of the client used by players for determine whether or not they use unfair modifications." Until that day comes, server-side tools are a must-have.
Take action: Build a solid anti-cheat strategy using proven tools and smart moderation. Learn how to block cheats and protect your Minecraft Bedrock server with detailed setup guides and advanced techniques.