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Head-to-head · Free Minecraft Server Hosting

Aternos vs Server.pro

  • 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
Server.pro #8 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting 6.6/10 Paid from $7/mo · free demo ✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Server.pro

Aternos leads on 2 checks, Server.pro on 0, and 2 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 planonly Aternos
  • Most featuresAternos · 2 of 3

Aternos scores higher on our rubric for free minecraft server hosting: 9.0 against 6.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #8.

Aternos offers free plan; Server.pro doesn't. Aternos offers mods on free; Server.pro doesn't.

Aternos is the better fit for friends who play together and never want to pay. Server.pro is the better fit for A quick test before buying a Server.pro plan.

  • Aternos fits best

    Friends who play together and never want to pay

  • Server.pro fits best

    A quick test before buying a Server.pro plan

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 ↗ Server.pro 6.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 6.6
Ranking #1 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting #8 in Free Minecraft Server Hosting
Best for Friends who play together and never want to pay A quick test before buying a Server.pro plan
Pricing model Free Paid
Starting price Not published $7/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Features Aternos 2/3 · Server.pro 1/3
Mods on free ✓ (best) —
Bedrock players ✓ ✓
FTP/SFTP on free — Not published
Specs
Free RAM Not published 2 GB
Keep-alive rule Starts on demand; stops when empty Renew every hour (demo)
Player limit Unlimited Not published
Deletion rule About 3 months unstarted Data kept 24 hours
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
  • No credit card needed for the free demo
  • Same platform as the paid plans, with 2 GB of RAM and 2 cores
  • Vanilla Java or Bedrock can be tried
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
  • A time-limited demo that has to be renewed by hand every hour
  • Data is kept for 24 hours, then only a paid plan can reach it
  • Only Montreal and Gravelines, with vanilla software only
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 →

Server.pro doesn't offer a free plan so much as a free demo of its platform. The demo gives 2 GB of RAM, 2 cores and 8 GB of disk at $0 an hour with no credit card, runs vanilla Java or Bedrock in Montreal or Gravelines, and has to be…

Read the review →
  1. AternosFree Minecraft Server Hosting 9.0Free
  2. Server.proFree Minecraft Server Hosting 6.6Paid from $7/mo · free demo

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
  • Server.pro — where it wins

    • No credit card needed for the free demo
    • Same platform as the paid plans, with 2 GB of RAM and 2 cores
    • Vanilla Java or Bedrock can be tried

    Where it doesn't

    • A time-limited demo that has to be renewed by hand every hour
    • Data is kept for 24 hours, then only a paid plan can reach it
    • Only Montreal and Gravelines, with vanilla software only
  • Aternos9.0/10 · Free

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

    Visit AternosFull verdict →
  • Server.pro6.6/10 · Paid from $7/mo · free demo

    A free, hourly-renewed demo of a real Server.pro machine in Montreal or Gravelines, data kept 24 hours.

    Visit Server.proFull verdict →

More comparisons

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update