Aternos vs Minehut

Aternos9.0Visit Minehut7.7Visit

Higher score Aternos #1 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting 9.0/10 Free Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Aternos

vs

Minehut #3 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting 7.7/10 Free plan · paid plans in credits Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Minehut

• Aternos fits best

  Friends who play together and never want to pay

• Minehut fits best

  Plugin servers that want free players from a lobby

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Side by side

Feature	Aternos 9.0/10 Visit ↗	Minehut 7.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	7.7
Ranking	#1 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting	#3 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting
Best for	Friends who play together and never want to pay	Plugin servers that want free players from a lobby
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Features Aternos 2/3 · Minehut 1/3
Mods on free	✓ (best)	Not published
Bedrock players	✓	✓
FTP/SFTP on free	—	—
Specs
Free RAM	Not published	1 GB
Keep-alive rule	Starts on demand; stops when empty	Sleeps when empty; wakes on /join
Player limit	Unlimited	10
Deletion rule	About 3 months unstarted	Servers over the 5-per-account limit
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	Up to five free servers per account, with unlimited plugins Servers wake themselves when a player uses /join from the lobby Bedrock crossplay is built in, even on free servers
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	1 GB of RAM and a 10-player cap No SFTP on free; files are managed in the browser only Free servers beyond the five-per-account limit are being deleted
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 →	Minehut's free Starter plan gives each server 1 GB of RAM, a 10-player cap and no time limit, and an account can keep up to five of them. What makes it different is the network: every server is reachable from the shared lobby at… Read the review →

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

• Minehut — where it wins

  • Up to five free servers per account, with unlimited plugins
  • Servers wake themselves when a player uses /join from the lobby
  • Bedrock crossplay is built in, even on free servers

  Where it doesn't

  • 1 GB of RAM and a 10-player cap
  • No SFTP on free; files are managed in the browser only
  • Free servers beyond the five-per-account limit are being deleted

• Aternos9.0/10 · Free

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

  Visit AternosFull verdict →
• Minehut7.7/10 · Free plan · paid plans in credits

  Up to five free 1 GB servers that sleep when empty and wake when a player joins through the Minehut lobby.

  Visit MinehutFull verdict →