Aternos vs Minehut 2026: Free Minecraft Server Hosting Compared

Published on | Updated

Aternos vs Minehut, checked on their own pages: RAM, player slots, storage, sleep and queue rules, mods, plugins, Bedrock, ads and Minehut's paid plan prices.

Spruce trees on a hillside beside a lake in a Minecraft taiga

Aternos and Minehut both give you a free Minecraft server, but they work differently. On Aternos you press Start on its website, the server stops after a countdown once the last player has left, and when Aternos is at full capacity you wait in a queue before it starts. A Minehut server has its own address, yourname.minehut.gg, and players can also reach it from the Minehut lobby with /join. The free server sleeps when it is empty and wakes when a player joins. We checked every row below on Aternos' and Minehut's own pages on 31 October 2026.

Quick answer: Aternos is the better free host for modded Minecraft: it runs Forge, NeoForge, Fabric and Quilt and installs modpacks from CurseForge, Modrinth, ATLauncher and the FTB App, but only from its own library. Minehut suits plugin servers: you can upload your own plugin files, the free plan has 10 GB of storage against 4 GB on Aternos, and its listed paid plans go up to 14 GB of RAM on Ultimate, the only one that stays online 24/7. Ads pay for both free plans, and neither keeps an empty server running.

Quick Comparison

Checked on each host's own pages on 31 October 2026 (every page is linked in the sources at the end):

FeatureAternosMinehut
CostFree, with no paid plan; the Aternos team runs exaroton as a separate paid hostFree Starter plan; Standard, Pro and Ultimate cost 600, 1,800 and 6,000 credits a month
RAMSet by Aternos per software and version, for example 2,400 MB for Vanilla 1.20.11 GB free; 2 GB on Standard, 6 GB on Pro, 14 GB on Ultimate
Player slotsYou set the number of slots in the server options10 on the free plan, no cap on paid plans
Storage4 GB10 GB free, 20 GB on paid plans
Playtime limitNone while someone is playingNone on any plan
When nobody is onlineStops after a countdownStarter, Standard and Pro sleep and wake when a player joins; Ultimate is listed as online 24/7
Start queueYes, when its servers are at full capacityNone mentioned on its plan page or FAQ
Server softwareVanilla, Paper, Purpur, Spigot, Forge, NeoForge, Fabric and Quilt, plus Bedrock Edition serversPaper, Fabric and Velocity (a proxy)
Custom server JARNoNot listed: its help centre names only those three server types
PluginsOnly from the Aternos plugin libraryFrom the Add-ons page, or upload your own plugin files
Mods and modpacksMods and ready modpacks from its library, one modpack at a timeFabric mods; Forge and NeoForge are not among its server types
File accessWeb file manager, no FTPWeb file manager, SFTP on paid plans
Bedrock playersA Bedrock Edition server, or Geyser on a Java server; port 19132 since Bedrock 26.60Crossplay on every server, in beta: bedrock.minehut.com, port 19132
BackupsFree, to your own Google Drive, by hand or each time the server stopsManual backups in the dashboard, with more slots on bigger plans
AdsYes: Aternos is "completely financed through advertisements"Yes: its cookie notice says it shows "the ads that keep free servers free"
Unused serversDeleted after about 3 months without a start5 free servers per account, 1 online at a time; extra ones are deleted after one email 30 days before

When Aternos Is Better

  • You play modded Minecraft. Forge, NeoForge, Fabric and Quilt are all there, and a ready modpack installs from the software page, as long as Aternos has it in its library.
  • You want a Bedrock Edition server, not only Bedrock players joining a Java server.
  • You want free backups: Aternos stores them in your own Google Drive and can make one each time the server stops.
  • You are fine pressing Start yourself and waiting in the queue at busy times. Players who join through Dawn, the Aternos launcher, can also start an offline server, and you choose in the options who may do that.

When Minehut Is Better

  • You run a plugin server and need a plugin that no library has: Minehut lets you upload your own plugin files in the File Manager.
  • You want players to find you. Anyone can reach your server from the Minehut lobby at mc.minehut.com with /join and your server name, and you can tag it with up to 3 categories for Minehut's in-game server list.
  • You want the server to start when a friend joins, without anyone opening a panel.
  • You want room to grow: 10 GB of storage on the free plan, and paid plans from 2 GB to 14 GB of RAM.

Shared Limitations

Both free plans:

  • Stop or sleep when nobody is online, so a Discord bridge or a web map only works while someone plays.
  • Show ads, which pay for the free servers.
  • Cap the RAM: Aternos sets it per software and version, Minehut gives 1 GB.
  • Cap the storage: 4 GB on Aternos and 10 GB on Minehut's free plan. Aternos says a large world generated by mods or a very long playtime is what usually fills it.
  • Delete servers in some cases: Aternos after about 3 months without a start, Minehut when you have more than 5 free servers.

When to Move to Paid Hosting

Upgrade when:

  • Friends want to join while nobody is online, and the server is stopped or asleep.
  • A modpack needs more memory than the free plan gives, or your world outgrows 4 GB (Aternos) or 10 GB (Minehut) of storage.
  • You need a mod, plugin or server file that is not in a library, or SFTP access.
  • You want the server to keep running without anyone starting it.

Minehut's own paid plans cost credits: Standard (2 GB) 600 a month and Pro (6 GB) 1,800, both still sleeping when empty, and Ultimate (14 GB, online 24/7) 6,000. Custom plans in the dashboard offer other sizes; Minehut's custom plan guide from October 2024 lists up to 32 GB. On 31 October 2026 its store sold credit subscriptions from $5.00 a month for 800 credits to $50.00 a month for 9,400. Aternos has no paid plan; its team runs exaroton as a separate paid host, which our exaroton review covers.

A Space-Node Standard server keeps running when nobody is online, with no start queue, no ads and the RAM in your plan reserved for your server. As of 30 October 2026 Standard in Europe costs €0.90 per GB a month: 3 GB for €2.70 runs Minecraft up to 1.20.4, and 4 GB for €3.60 is the smallest Standard plan for 1.21 and newer. With full file access and SFTP you upload your own modpacks, plugins and world, and our Minehut alternative page shows the move.

FAQ

Is Aternos or Minehut better? For modded Minecraft, Aternos: it runs Forge, NeoForge, Fabric and Quilt and installs modpacks from its library for free. For a plugin server that you want players to find, Minehut: you can upload your own plugins, the free plan has 10 GB of storage, and the Minehut lobby and server list bring in players. Neither free plan keeps an empty server online.

Are Aternos and Minehut really free? Yes. Aternos has no paid plan and is financed by ads. Minehut's Starter plan is free with 1 GB of RAM and 10 player slots, and you can own up to 5 free servers with 1 online at a time. Ads pay for those too, and Minehut's paid plans cost credits.

Is Minehut 24/7? Of its listed plans, only Ultimate, at 6,000 credits a month; Minehut's custom plan guide from October 2024 also lists Online 24/7 as a custom option at 400 credits per GB of RAM. Starter, Standard and Pro sleep when the server is empty and wake when a player joins. Aternos has no 24/7 option at all: its servers stop when the last player leaves. Our guide to free 24/7 Minecraft hosting compares the other free options.

Can Bedrock players join Aternos and Minehut servers? Yes, on both. Aternos runs Bedrock Edition servers, and Geyser lets Bedrock players join a Java server. Since Bedrock 26.60, every Bedrock player connects to Aternos on port 19132, so a saved entry with the old port has to be edited. On Minehut, Bedrock players connect to bedrock.minehut.com on port 19132 or straight to yourname.bedrock.minehut.gg; Minehut calls its Bedrock support a beta.

Can I run ATM10 on Aternos or Minehut? Not on Minehut: All the Mods 10 runs on NeoForge, which is not among Minehut's server types. On Aternos only if the pack is in its modpack library, with the RAM Aternos assigns and 4 GB of storage. Our ATM10 page suggests 12 GB for up to 5 players.

Related: Best free Minecraft server hosting 2026, Aternos review, Minehut review, FalixNodes review, Exaroton review, Best Minecraft Server Hosting USA 2026

Sources

All opened on 31 October 2026: