Why ads exist on some plans

Why we show ads

Running game server hardware — the processors, storage, bandwidth, and network infrastructure — has real and ongoing costs. Advertising revenue on entry-tier plans allows TornHost to offer those plans at a significantly lower price point, and in some cases, entirely free. Without ads, all plans would need to be paid at a higher rate to cover operational costs.

Ads are entirely removed on all paid tiers above the starter level. They are a funding mechanism for accessibility, not a permanent feature of the product.

Which plans show ads

Only the free tier and the starter paid plan include ads. Every plan at the Basic tier and above is completely ad-free, both in the control panel and in every part of the service. See the pricing page for current plan details and upgrade options.

Exactly where ads appear

Ads are displayed only in designated widget areas of the TornHost control panel UI. They are never shown in or injected into:

• Your game server itself — no in-game ads of any kind, ever.
• Server console output or log streams.
• The file manager, SFTP interface, or any file access tool.
• API responses, CLI tools, or any automated integration.
• Server backups or exported data files.

Ad content standards

We require ads to be relevant to a general gaming and technology audience. Ads promoting gambling, adult content, deceptive financial products, or anything that violates our ad network's policies are not permitted. If you encounter an ad that appears inappropriate or harmful, you can report it directly to our support team on Discord and we will escalate it to the ad provider immediately.

Privacy and ad data

Ads served on free and starter plans may be contextual (based on which section of the control panel you are currently viewing) or interest-based (based on browser-level signals managed by the ad provider's own systems). We do not share your personal account data, server name, player lists, or any server content with ad providers. For users in the EU and EEA, ads are served exclusively through GDPR-compliant networks using appropriate consent mechanisms.

Third-party ad providers

Panel ads are currently delivered via Google AdSense. Google may collect and process data through their advertising platform according to their own policies. For more information about how Google uses this data, visit policies.google.com/privacy. You can manage Google's personalised ad settings at adssettings.google.com.

How to remove ads

Upgrading to any paid plan at the Basic tier or above removes all ads permanently for your account. Ads will stop appearing immediately after the upgrade is applied, with no further action needed. If you are on a paid plan that should be ad-free and you are still seeing ads, this is an error — contact support on Discord immediately and we will resolve it.

Ad blockers

Using a browser ad blocker on the control panel is permitted and will not result in any restriction of panel functionality. All server management features work identically whether ads load or not. If you are on the free plan and using an ad blocker, we may display a polite notice — but we will never gate access to features based on ad blocker usage.