Free Minecraft Server Hosting in 2026: The Best Aternos Alternatives

This guide compares the free hosts worth using in 2026, explains what "free" really costs you, and shows the cheapest ways to upgrade when your server outgrows a free plan. Prices and limits were checked on each provider's own site on September 29, 2026.

Free Minecraft server hosting at a glance

What "free" really means

Free hosts pay for their servers with ads and by sharing hardware between many users. That shapes how your server behaves:

• It turns off when nobody is playing

  Aternos shows a countdown and stops an empty server to free resources for other users. Minehut puts free servers to sleep when empty, and Minefort keeps only paid servers online 24/7.

• RAM is limited

  Free plans usually give about 1 GB or an automatic amount you cannot raise. That is fine for a few friends in vanilla, and tight for big modpacks.

• Starting can take a minute

  Someone has to press Start or join to wake the server, and busy free hosts can queue you at peak times.

• Mods come from a list

  Aternos installs mods and plugins only from its own library. You cannot upload mod files you downloaded elsewhere.

None of that matters much for a weekend survival world with friends. It matters a lot for a public server, where players expect to join at any hour.

The best free Minecraft server hosts

1. Aternos: the best free host overall

Aternos has run free Minecraft servers since 2013 and says it will always be free, with no way to pay for anything. You get Java Edition (Vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, Quilt and preconfigured modpacks) or Bedrock, unlimited player slots, DDoS protection, custom domains and optional backups to Google Drive.

Limits: the server stops a few minutes after the last player leaves, and mods and plugins must come from the Aternos library. If you want the same panel with custom uploads and adjustable uptime, the Aternos team also runs exaroton, which is covered below.

2. Minehut: best for getting found

Minehut's free Starter plan gives 1 GB of RAM and 10 player slots, with no playtime limit and 10 GB of storage. Servers sleep when empty. Its big advantage is the Minehut network and server list, where players browse and join community servers, which helps a new server get its first visitors. Paid plans use Minehut credits, and only the top plan stays online 24/7.

3. Minefort: best upgrade path for plugin servers

Minefort lets you run up to three servers per account and install plugins from a built-in manager, with a console, file manager and FTP. Free servers have fewer resources, are not kept online 24/7 and show ads in the dashboard. The upgrade is simple: the Cottage plan adds 2 GB, 35 players and 24/7 uptime for $5.99 a month.

4. Falix: best free host for custom mods

Falix's free plan runs Java and Bedrock with unlimited player slots and supports Paper, Forge, Fabric, Quilt and one-click modpacks from CurseForge, Modrinth, FTB and Technic. Unlike Aternos, it includes a file manager and FTP, so you can upload your own mods, configs and worlds. The free plan is currently limited to certain countries, so check availability for yours before you plan around it.

Aternos vs Minefort: which should you pick?

Pick Aternos for a modded or vanilla world with friends: it supports more server types and modpacks, and it never asks you to pay. Pick Minefort if you run a plugin server and expect to go 24/7 soon, because its paid plans are an easy step up from the free one.

Free 24/7 Minecraft server hosting: your real options

No free host keeps a server running around the clock with nobody online. If your server must always be up, these are the closest options:

1. Pay only while you play with exaroton

   exaroton, from the Aternos team, bills 1 credit per GB of RAM per hour, and 100 credits cost about $1.15. A 4 GB server played three hours a day comes to roughly $4 a month, and players can start it by joining. It also allows custom mod and plugin uploads.

2. Use Oracle Cloud's Always Free tier

   Oracle's Always Free Arm instance offers 12 GB of memory across one or two virtual machines, which is enough for a small server that runs all day. The catch is setup: you install Linux, Java and the server yourself, and free Arm capacity is sometimes unavailable in busy regions.

3. Host it on a computer that stays on

   An old PC or mini computer at home can run a server for free as long as it stays powered on. See the next section for the setup.

Free Minecraft server hosting with mods

For popular modpacks such as RLCraft or All the Mods, Aternos is the easiest free choice because the packs install with one click. For mods that are not in a host's library, use Falix (if its free plan is available in your country) or exaroton, which both accept your own files. Heavy modpacks need more memory than most free plans provide; 6 to 8 GB is a sensible target for large packs.

How to host a Minecraft server on your own PC

Hosting at home costs nothing and gives you full control. You need Minecraft: Java Edition, a computer with memory to spare, and a way for friends to connect.

1. Download the official server

   Get the Java Edition server file from the Minecraft server download page and put it in its own folder.

2. Start it once and accept the EULA

   Run the server with the command below, then open eula.txt, change eula=false to eula=true, and start it again. Replace the file name with the version you downloaded.

3. Let friends connect

   Either forward port 25565 on your router or use a free tunnel such as playit.gg, which gives your server a public address without port forwarding.

java -Xmx4G -Xms4G -jar minecraft_server.26.3.jar nogui

The -Xmx4G part gives the server 4 GB of RAM. Lower it if your computer has less memory to spare. Once the server is running, the Minecraft server commands list covers everything you need to manage players.

When to upgrade to paid hosting

Move to a paid host when any of these become true:

• Players join at different times and find the server offline.
• You want to list the server publicly and grow a community.
• Your modpack needs more than about 4 GB of RAM.
• You need custom plugins, full file access or scheduled backups.

Prices are the standard monthly rates shown on each provider's site and can change. First-month discounts are not included.

Now make players want to join

A public server competes with thousands of others on server lists. An animated banner with your server name and IP, plus a matching icon in the multiplayer list, makes a new server look established from day one.

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To round out the look, add a custom 64 × 64 server icon for the multiplayer list and a server logo for your website and Discord. Then follow our guide on how to advertise your Minecraft server to bring in your first players, and set up ranks with the LuckPerms tutorial.

Free Minecraft server hosting questions