Aternos review

Aternos is the free option on this list, and it is generous about it: the homepage says there is no possibility to pay for anything, and the company has hosted Minecraft servers since 2013. The free service includes mods, plugins and preconfigured modpacks, DDoS protection, automatic backups to Google Drive, custom domains, shared access for friends, unlimited slots and a drag and drop uploader for Bedrock add-ons and datapacks. Starting a server is a single button. Because Aternos does not sell anything, its homepage does not publish RAM per server or a resource guarantee, so you cannot buy your way to more memory for a heavy modpack or a busy public world. That is why it ranks last on capabilities while scoring well on value. Use it to learn how a server works, or for a small group, and move to a paid host when the world outgrows it.

Who it is for

Kids, students and friend groups who want to try running a server without paying anything.

Price

Free; no paid plans.

We are free, and we will always be free for everyone at any time.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Free Minecraft servers with no option to pay
• Mods, plugins and preconfigured modpacks
• DDoS protection and automatic backups to Google Drive
• Custom domains, shared access for friends and unlimited slots
• Drag and drop upload for Bedrock add-ons and datapacks

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Costs nothing, forever according to Aternos
• Strength: Mods and modpacks are supported on the free service
• Strength: Simple start button for first-time owners
• Weakness: No paid tier means no way to buy more resources
• Weakness: RAM per server is not published on its homepage
• Weakness: Not built for large public communities that need guaranteed resources

Key facts

• Price: Free
• Hosting since: 2013
• Users: 142,733,857 shown on its homepage
• Backups: Automatic, to Google Drive
• Slots: Unlimited

Where it ranks

Aternos is No. 10 in our Best Minecraft Server Hosting verdict.