Mining Minecraft · Servers
What does “free” Minecraft server hosting cost besides money?
The price can be $0. In return, you may wait for shared space, start the world by hand, or supply your own computer. A public listing is a separate promise.
Aternos price
$0
Its official site says Aternos itself has nothing to buy. Starts still share limited server space.
Lowest saved Realms price
$3.99
Bedrock Realms per month on Mojang’s U.S. page saved August 12, 2026.
Aternos makes the money price easy: $0
Aternos is unusually direct. Its home page says the service is free and that there is no way to pay for anything on Aternos itself. That makes the dollar answer simple: $0 to the provider.
The missing part is capacity. Aternos says that when its machines are full, a server start enters a queue. Near the front, you confirm that you are still there. Then the server starts when shared space becomes available.
The service also assigns memory based on the server software and version.
Its connection help says the underlying machine and numeric address can change between starts, while the aternos.me name updates for you.
None of that makes “free” fake. It shows what the $0 plan is buying: a turn on shared machines instead of a machine kept ready only for you.
A free public listing makes a different promise
Minehut offers a free-to-start server inside a public network where players browse many worlds. That listing matters if you want strangers to find your server, but it does not promise an audience.
My two saved Minehut snapshots did not spread attention evenly. The first list held 802 names. Only 31 of them held half of the listed players. The second held 820 names. Only 34 held half.
Both round to about 4% of listed servers holding half of the listed crowd. Around 36% to 38% of rows showed zero players at those moments.
That is not a speed test and it is not a complaint about Minehut. It is a separate finding for public servers: a free place on the menu does not guarantee that anybody clicks your name.
Free server software moves the bill to your house
Mojang lets you download the Java Edition server and Bedrock Dedicated Server software. The software download is free. The computer running it is not magically free.
A home server uses hardware, electricity, internet, setup time, backups, and security work. I did not price those here, so I will not call self-hosting “$0 total.”
This path gives you more control. It also makes you the host company. When the machine is off or the connection fails, your friends feel it.
Realms shows what paying for less setup looks like
Realms is not the same product as Aternos, Minehut, or a home server. It shows what Mojang charges to manage a private world that invited friends can join when the owner is offline.
On the U.S. page I saved, Bedrock Realms listed at $3.99 a month. Bedrock Realms Plus and Java Realms each listed at $7.99 a month.
Paying that bill does not unlock every plugin or modpack. It buys a different trade: less server setup, closer-to-vanilla rules, and a monthly charge.
Swipe for all columns →
| Path | Saved price | What you handle | Not measured here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aternos | $0 to Aternos | On-demand start; queue when shared capacity is full | Speed and uptime |
| Minehut | Free-to-start path | A public listing; most players gathered on a few names | Plan limits and performance |
| Self-host | $0 server-software download | You supply and maintain the computer | Hardware and electricity cost |
| Realms | $3.99 or $7.99 monthly in saved U.S. panel | Paid, Mojang-managed, closer to vanilla | Speed against other hosts |
How I calculated it
I checked these sources on August 17, 2026. Aternos facts come from its home, queue, RAM, and connection help pages. Minehut numbers reuse the two snapshots behind my Minehut list paper. Realms prices reuse Mojang’s U.S. page saved August 12, 2026.
Minehut’s “about 4%” is 31 ÷ 802 = 3.9% and 34 ÷ 820 = 4.2%. I keep that result on public-list attention. It does not measure the whole Minehut network or any server’s quality.
Sources
- Aternos home. Free-service statement.
- Aternos queue help. Shared capacity, confirmation, and startup.
- Aternos RAM help. Memory varies by software and version.
- Aternos connection help. Dynamic machine/IP and stable domain behavior.
- Minehut public-list paper. Two August 2026 snapshots.
- Realms price paper. Mojang U.S. page saved August 12, 2026.
- Java Edition Server download and Bedrock Dedicated Server download.
