Aternos is free. That is its main selling point. But the question people keep asking is whether Aternos has paid plans that remove the limitations. Here is the straight answer.
Does Aternos have paid plans?
No. Aternos does not sell paid hosting plans. It is a free-only service funded by ads. You cannot pay Aternos to get more RAM, remove the queue, or keep your server online 24/7.
Aternos does have a sister service called Exaroton, which is the paid version. Exaroton offers always-on servers with configurable RAM, no queue, and no ads. It is made by the same team but operates as a separate product.
Aternos limitations
- Server shuts down when no players are online.
- Queue to start your server during busy hours.
- Limited RAM (typically 4 GB max).
- Limited plugin and mod support.
- Ads on the web panel.
- No guaranteed uptime or performance.
These limitations are fine for testing or playing with 2-3 friends casually. They become a problem the moment you want a community server that is always available.
When to upgrade from Aternos
Move to paid hosting when:
- You want your server online 24/7 without manual starts.
- You have more than 5 regular players.
- You run modpacks that need 6+ GB RAM.
- You need reliable performance without lag spikes from shared resources.
- You want DDoS protection (Aternos does not include this).
Aternos vs paid Minecraft hosting
| Feature | Aternos | Paid hosting (Space-Node) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | From EUR 0.90/GB |
| 24/7 uptime | No | Yes |
| Queue | Yes | No |
| RAM | Up to 4 GB | 3-32 GB |
| DDoS protection | No | Included |
| Custom JVM flags | Limited | Full control |
| Modpack support | Some | All modpacks |
| Ads | Yes | No |
Is Exaroton worth it?
Exaroton charges per hour of runtime. For a server that runs 24/7, this gets expensive quickly. A flat monthly plan from a host like Space-Node is usually cheaper for always-on servers.
Exaroton makes sense if you only play a few hours per week and want to pay by usage. For anything more, monthly hosting is better value.
The short answer
Aternos does not have paid plans. Use Exaroton (same team, paid) for light usage, or switch to monthly hosting for 24/7 servers. Paid hosting starts at EUR 0.90/GB with no queue, no ads, and real uptime.
Space-Node Minecraft plans start at EUR 2.70/month with 24/7 uptime, NVMe storage, and Ryzen 9 CPUs. See our Minecraft hosting page.