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Head-to-head · Free Minecraft Server Hosting

Aternos vs FreeMCHost

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Aternos #1 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting 9.0/10 Free Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Aternos
FreeMCHost #7 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting 6.8/10 Free plan · paid from €0.59/mo Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit FreeMCHost

Aternos leads on 0 checks, FreeMCHost on 1, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAternos · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresFreeMCHost · 3 of 3

Aternos scores higher on our rubric for free minecraft server hosting: 9.0 against 6.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #7.

FreeMCHost offers ftp/sftp on free; Aternos doesn't.

Aternos is the better fit for friends who play together and never want to pay. FreeMCHost is the better fit for tinkerers who can wait for a free slot.

  • Aternos fits best

    Friends who play together and never want to pay

  • FreeMCHost fits best

    Tinkerers who can wait for a free slot

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Aternos 9.0/10 Visit ↗ FreeMCHost 6.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 6.8
Ranking #1 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting #7 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting
Best for Friends who play together and never want to pay Tinkerers who can wait for a free slot
Pricing model Free Free plan + paid
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Features Aternos 2/3 · FreeMCHost 3/3
Mods on free ✓ ✓
Bedrock players ✓ ✓
FTP/SFTP on free — ✓ (best)
Specs
Free RAM Not published Not published
Keep-alive rule Starts on demand; stops when empty Renew every 48 hours to 14 days
Player limit Unlimited No hard limit
Deletion rule About 3 months unstarted At any time, per the terms
Our review
Pros
  • No renewal chores; start it when you play and it stops when everyone leaves
  • Unlimited slots, and no playtime limit while someone is online
  • Modpacks, mods and plugins from a reviewed library, plus one-click Geyser
  • One-click renewals last 48 hours, 7 days or 14 days
  • Full console and FTP access, with Paper, Forge, Fabric and Bedrock
  • No hard player limit, and no ads injected into the game
Cons
  • No FTP, and no uploads of mods or plugins downloaded from the web
  • Start queue at busy times, and the world can't keep running when empty
  • Servers left unstarted for around three months are deleted
  • All free plans were out of stock, so new users queue for a slot
  • Free RAM is a shared 24 GB pool, not a dedicated allocation
  • The terms allow free servers to be deleted at any time, even if renewed
Our verdict

Aternos is the reference point for free Minecraft hosting: an ad-funded service run by Aternos GmbH in Bonn that states paying for anything is not possible. Its free servers run Java or Bedrock, with software from Paper and Purpur to…

Read the review →

FreeMCHost, run by a French sole trader in Paris, offers three free plans with full console and FTP access, Paper by default, support for Forge, Fabric and Quilt, and a Bedrock server type, with Geyser and Floodgate available for…

Read the review →
  1. AternosFree Minecraft Server Hosting 9.0Free
  2. FreeMCHostFree Minecraft Server Hosting 6.8Free plan · paid from €0.59/mo

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Aternos — where it wins

    • No renewal chores; start it when you play and it stops when everyone leaves
    • Unlimited slots, and no playtime limit while someone is online
    • Modpacks, mods and plugins from a reviewed library, plus one-click Geyser

    Where it doesn't

    • No FTP, and no uploads of mods or plugins downloaded from the web
    • Start queue at busy times, and the world can't keep running when empty
    • Servers left unstarted for around three months are deleted
  • FreeMCHost — where it wins

    • One-click renewals last 48 hours, 7 days or 14 days
    • Full console and FTP access, with Paper, Forge, Fabric and Bedrock
    • No hard player limit, and no ads injected into the game

    Where it doesn't

    • All free plans were out of stock, so new users queue for a slot
    • Free RAM is a shared 24 GB pool, not a dedicated allocation
    • The terms allow free servers to be deleted at any time, even if renewed
  • Aternos9.0/10 · Free

    The benchmark free host: unlimited slots, Java or Bedrock, modpacks and no renewal clicks, within firm limits.

    Visit AternosFull verdict →
  • FreeMCHost6.8/10 · Free plan · paid from €0.59/mo

    Free servers renewed for 48 hours to 14 days a click, with FTP and Bedrock, when a free slot opens up.

    Visit FreeMCHostFull verdict →

More comparisons

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update