Multi-Theft Auto vs SAMP

When it comes to GTA: San Andreas online mods, there are two real options. The classic San Andreas: Multiplayer (SAMP) and Multi-theft Auto, also known as MTA. You may be wondering how they stack up to each other and which is the best fit for you.

The first thing you should know is that while both mods enable similar functionality, they're entirely separate releases.  Though San Andreas Multiplayer was released before Multi-theft Auto, it is far from a straight clone.

In fact, there are quite a few nice quality of life improvements in MTA that may be attractive to some SAMP players. First of all, it has a built-in server browser, which makes finding communities that suit you and their player counts easier. According to user reports, MTA also tends to have much better synchronization and lower latency, which can be a help during gunfights, vehicle use, and more.

Due to its open-source nature and built-in map editor, most developers also agree that MTA is easier to script for. You can also load objects directly from the server, increasing the breadth of what you can do with mods.

So, if MTA has all these nice features, why would you choose to use SAMP? The main answer is simple – due to its age and media coverage, more people know about SAMP. As a result, it tends to be easier to find populated English-speaking servers on SAMP, especially when it comes to roleplaying. On top of this, SAMPs age has given developers plenty of more time to develop mods, skins, and various other content for it.

Finally, there's hosting. As SAMP is older and traditionally more popular than MTA, it's typically far easier to find reliable, cost-efficient hosting for. There aren't as many server providers for MTA, which generally means less competition. Less competition leads to less innovation, lower standards, and a reduction in consumer choice.

Ultimately, it's up to you whether you value features or maturity/hosting stability. Just know that for now at least, SAMPhosting is primarily a place for SAMP servers. If you'd like to see more multiplayer mods supported, let us know – we're always open to new ideas so long as the demand is high enough.