Updated 4 November 2026
Aternos and Minehut are the best-known free Minecraft hosts. Fine to start with, but when is your own server worth it? Below we compare them honestly. Checked on 22 October 2026.
At a glance
| Aternos | Minehut (free) | Own server (ServerSpark) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free | From €0.99 per month (paid quarterly) |
| Memory | Limited (around 1–2 GB according to independent reviews) | 1 GB | 1 to 8 GB, reserved for you |
| Players | Depends on memory | Up to 10 | As many as your plan handles |
| Always on? | No: stops when nobody plays, you start it | No: sleeps when nobody plays, wakes when someone joins | Yes, 24/7 |
| Queue when starting | Yes, mostly at busy times | Not stated | No |
| Plugins and mods | Yes, also modpacks (heavy packs often fail) | Plugins yes | Plugins, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Modrinth modpacks |
| Backups | Limited | Limited | Every night, at a separate location |
Minehut: from their own site, 22 October 2026. Aternos blocks automated reading of its site; the figures come from several independent reviews and may differ. Check their own sites for the current situation.
When is free enough?
- You want to try Minecraft servers out.
- You play now and then with one or two friends, at times you agree on.
- You don't mind waiting sometimes or starting the server yourself.
When is your own server better?
- Friends want to join whenever they like, even when you're not there. A free server is then off or asleep.
- You play modpacks or use many plugins: that needs more memory.
- Something keeps running, like farms, an economy plugin or a Discord link. On a server that stops, that stops too.
- You want your world safe, with nightly backups you restore yourself.
Switching
You don't have to start over: you take your world with you. Read From Aternos to your own server, or let us do it for free. A server for a few friends costs €1.89 a month with us (2 GB, paid per quarter; €2.19 with monthly billing), and you can cancel any time.
Want to compare paid hosts too? See Compare Minecraft server hosting.