Overview

ModGUI brings punishment, investigation, notes, and player reporting into a server-side plugin. Punishments run as console commands, which lets administrators connect actions to LiteBans, AdvancedBan, EssentialsX, or another punishment plugin instead of replacing their existing system. This makes it a practical fit for teams that need a staff-facing layer over an established backend.

Installation involves placing the JAR in the server's plugins folder, restarting, configuring the files, and running /modgui reload. Administrators can tune punishment types and durations, GUI borders, messages, webhook URLs, GrimAC thresholds, ignored checks, and report cooldowns. The range of controls is useful, but teams must configure them to suit their moderation process.

Key features

Punishments and investigations

The punishment GUI supports configurable types, icons, permissions, commands, and durations. That flexibility suits servers with distinct staff roles or existing command-based punishment workflows. The investigate GUI shows a player's GrimAC flags from the current session; GrimAC is optional for the plugin overall, but required for this view of anticheat activity. A recovery compass can also open the investigate GUI with a right-click.

Notes, reports, and Discord

Staff can attach notes to players, and players can submit reports with /report, optionally assigning severity levels. Discord webhooks can send punishment logs, anticheat alerts, reports, and staff notes, with optional role pings. This gives teams a way to keep several moderation events visible in Discord, while the report cooldown configuration provides a control for report frequency.

The documented permissions cover administration, punishment types, investigation, notes, spyglass use, reporting, and player exemptions. That permission coverage supports separating staff capabilities rather than granting every user the full toolset.

Pricing

ModGUI is free: its plan costs 0.00 USD per free and is released under the MIT License. The license permits use, copying, modification, distribution, sublicensing, and sale without charge, and provides no warranty. There are no paid tiers to weigh against the free plan.

Platforms

ModGUI is self-hosted and requires Paper 1.21.11 or newer. Compatibility is listed for Minecraft Java Edition 1.21.11 on Paper. GrimAC is an additional requirement only for anticheat flag tracking. Servers on other platforms or older Paper versions should look elsewhere.

Who it's for

ModGUI is best for Paper server teams that want configurable moderation interfaces, player reports, staff notes, and Discord event logging without giving up their current punishment plugin. It is less suited to teams seeking a standalone anticheat: its flag view depends on GrimAC, and the plugin's documented role is moderation workflow rather than anticheat detection.

Pros and cons

Pros: Command-based punishment actions can work with several established punishment plugins, giving teams flexibility over their backend.
Pros: Reports, notes, punishments, and anticheat alerts can feed Discord webhooks, helping staff follow multiple moderation events in one place.
Pros: Free under the MIT License, including permission to modify and redistribute the software.
Cons: The core plugin requires Paper 1.21.11 or newer, ruling out servers on older versions and other platforms.
Cons: Anticheat flags are available only with GrimAC, so teams using another anticheat will not get that investigation view through this integration.
Cons: Configuring commands, permissions, and workflow settings takes administrator attention before the tools fit a server's policies.

Alternatives

Minecraft Moderation Plugins is a broader category to browse when you want to compare moderation tools beyond ModGUI.

Choose LibertyBans if a free self-hosted or API-based option with Java 17 support better fits your server setup.

Choose Nimbus AntiCheat if you want a free self-hosted anticheat for Paper 1.21.8, with Java 21 and PacketEvents required.

Choose Staff+ if you need a free MIT-licensed staff plugin supporting Paper, Purpur, and Folia 1.20–1.21+, as well as Velocity 3.3.0+.

BanManager is another free, open-source option, with API, Linux, self-hosted, and web platforms.

PunishBAN is another free self-hosted option.

AdvancedSensitiveWords is a free self-hosted option.

ChatSentinel is a free self-hosted option.

ReducedX-Anti Cheat is another free self-hosted option.

Verdict

Choose ModGUI if your team runs Paper 1.21.11 or newer and wants configurable staff actions, reports, notes, and Discord logging alongside an existing punishment plugin. Its strongest reason to choose is that it unifies those moderation workflows without forcing a specific punishment backend. Look elsewhere if your server cannot meet the Paper requirement or if you need anticheat flag tracking without GrimAC.

	ModGUI	StaffUltimate
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	self-hosted	—
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Report workflow	Yes	Yes
Staff notes	Yes	Yes
Audit logs	Yes	Yes
Chat filters	—	Yes

ModGUI vs StaffUltimate

ModGUI

StaffUltimate