Free servers on Tick Hosting include a RAM boost option: a temporary memory increase you unlock by watching a short ad, no premium upgrade or payment involved. It is one of the more useful free-tier features and worth knowing about before you assume your only option for more headroom is upgrading.
What the boost actually gives you
Activating a boost adds extra RAM to your server for a limited window of time, several hours per activation, before it automatically drops back to your normal allocation. You can activate it multiple times per day, up to a set daily limit, making it realistic to boost for a big weekend session and boost again the next day without waiting through a long cooldown.
When it's actually worth using
- A full server with more players than usual — extra RAM directly reduces the odds of memory-pressure lag during a busy session.
- Running a heavier modpack or plugin set temporarily — a one-off event, a build competition, a community meetup, without committing to a permanent upgrade.
- Testing whether more RAM actually fixes a performance issue — before paying for a premium plan, a boost lets you confirm more memory is genuinely the bottleneck. See our guide on RAM usage if you are not sure it is.
How to activate one
From your server dashboard, find the boost option (usually alongside your resource stats) and activate it, you will watch a short ad as part of the process, which is what funds the extra resources at no direct cost to you. Once active, the extra RAM applies immediately, no restart required.
What it doesn't do
A boost is a temporary resource increase, not a permanent upgrade, and not a substitute for choosing the right free plan variant in the first place if you consistently need more RAM than your current plan offers. It also does not remove hibernation or change your renewal requirements, those keep working exactly as normal during a boost.
If you need more than a temporary boost
If your server consistently needs more RAM than boosting can reasonably cover, that is a signal worth listening to rather than boosting around indefinitely. Our free vs premium comparison breaks down when upgrading actually makes sense, and premium plans start with meaningfully more headroom and no ads at all. Questions about boosting specifically are always welcome in our Discord.