Exaroton is not free. It uses a pay-per-hour credit system. Exaroton and Aternos are made by the same team.
Exaroton and Aternos: Same Team
Exaroton is the paid premium service created by the same developers behind Aternos (the free Minecraft host). Think of it as Aternos's paid upgrade path.
| Aternos | Exaroton | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Pay-per-hour credits |
| Server sleeping | Always sleeps when empty | Optional auto-stop |
| RAM | Shared, limited | 2-16 GB selectable |
| Performance | Shared hardware | Dedicated resources |
| Custom JAR | Yes | Yes |
| Modpack support | Yes | Yes |
| Queue times | Can be long | None |
How Exaroton Pricing Works
Exaroton charges credits per hour of server runtime. You buy credits in advance and they deplete while your server runs.
Example costs (approximate):
- 2 GB: ~0.04 EUR/hour
- 4 GB: ~0.08 EUR/hour
- 8 GB: ~0.16 EUR/hour
A 4 GB server running 24/7 for a month would cost approximately: 0.08 × 24 × 30 = 57.60 EUR/month
Is Exaroton Worth It?
For occasional use (a few hours per week), Exaroton can be cost-effective. For servers that run 24/7 or even 8+ hours daily, monthly hosting is significantly cheaper.
Space-Node offers a 4 GB server (MC Iron) at just 3.89 USD/month with 24/7 uptime, NVMe storage, and no credit system.
FAQ
Is Exaroton the same company as Aternos? Same development team, yes. Exaroton is the premium paid service.
Is Exaroton free? No. It uses a pay-per-hour credit system. Aternos is the free option.
Is Exaroton good? For short sessions, yes. For 24/7 servers, monthly hosting is more economical.
Should I use Exaroton or monthly hosting? If your server runs more than 4-6 hours daily, monthly hosting is cheaper.
Related: Exaroton review, Exaroton vs Aternos, Best free hosting 2026