no pay perks

Not necessarily. Many servers still sell cosmetics or accept donations. The line is that purchases do not improve combat strength, progression speed, or access to core survival features.

Usually, yes. Even if they are not raw power, they change efficiency and safety, which changes progression. On stricter servers, these tools are either equal for everyone or kept limited.

Read the store like a balance patch. Avoid anything that directly or indirectly boosts gameplay: kits, currency, crate keys that drop real gear, mcMMO or XP multipliers, spawners, flight in survival, cooldown bypasses, or extra claim/sethome tiers. If the store is vague, ask what a paying player can do that a free player cannot.

Some communities allow it because it does not change items, stats, or progression. Others avoid it because it still creates first class access. Treat it as a server policy choice and decide how strict you want equal footing to be.

They can be. Voting is not a cash advantage, but vote crates can still create a gap if they hand out high tier gear, big money, or rare items. The cleanest setups keep vote rewards cosmetic or minor convenience that does not replace playing.