Pick Aternos when free is non-negotiable and someone can handle startup. Pick Minehut when you want a free plugin server with a built-in community. Pick exaroton when you want mature pay-per-use hosting with full file control. Consider WorldFolder when you want join-to-start convenience on simple fixed plans — and are okay joining a pre-launch waitlist.
There’s no universal winner here, because these are four different business models: Aternos is free-only, Minehut is freemium, exaroton charges for actual running time, and WorldFolder plans to pool sleeping worlds behind fixed free and paid tiers. WorldFolder is our product and isn’t publicly available yet. This comparison uses public documentation, not a private performance test; prices and limits were checked on August 10, 2026.
Comparison at a glance
- AternosStrict €0 budget, one person willing to handle startup.Queue + confirmation ritual; restricted file access.
- MinehutFree plugin server, owner who likes a community platform.1 GB free RAM; ecosystem shaped around Minehut.
- exarotonIntermittent group that wants controls and usage billing.Cost grows with RAM and hours; storage needs credits.
- WorldFolderPrivate group wanting one address, automatic wake, predictable pricing.Pre-launch; free wake may queue; service not yet established.
Published limits still need context. Aternos says it doesn’t impose an arbitrary player-slot cap; Minehut publishes ten free slots. Neither number guarantees performance — the practical player count depends on the world, software, view distance, mods, CPU and memory. Use our separate Minecraft server RAM guide rather than treating a slot number as a speed rating.
Choose Aternos if the budget must be exactly zero
Aternos is the cleanest answer for a small group that will accept inconvenience in exchange for never paying. The company says there is no paid upgrade on Aternos itself. Its feature list covers Java and Bedrock server software, plugins, mods, preconfigured modpacks, custom worlds, access sharing and Google Drive backups. Current software and features are on the official Aternos site.
The trade-off is startup. When capacity is full, starting an Aternos server puts the owner in a queue; near the front, someone must confirm they’re still present or lose the spot. Aternos explains that directly in its queue documentation. Reasonable for an occasional world where someone prepares before the group joins. Frustrating when friends expect to connect spontaneously without the owner.
Aternos also controls what can be installed. Its addon library is broad, but a plugin or mod must meet requirements around supported download sources, popularity, active development, licensing and technical compatibility. An obscure private plugin, paid plugin or custom server build may not qualify. The official addon suggestion rules point users who need arbitrary file uploads toward exaroton.
For world ownership, Aternos lets you download a world and connect Google Drive for backups. Its own world-safety guidance recommends regular downloads instead of assuming the host is the only copy. That advice is worth following on every provider.
Aternos fits: a vanilla SMP, a supported modpack, a family world, or a school-friend group where €0 is non-negotiable and one person can handle startup.
Look elsewhere if: your group needs join-to-start, guaranteed immediate capacity, full file access, a custom jar, or hands-on paid support.
Choose Minehut for a free server with a community around it
Minehut isn’t simply “Aternos with different branding.” It’s a freemium platform with a lobby, server discovery, advertising tools, free capacity and paid upgrades. That makes it more attractive if you’re building a public minigame or community server — and less relevant to a private group that wants only a quiet address.
As of July 2026, Minehut says an account can have up to five free servers, each with 1 GB RAM and 10 player slots, and advertises unlimited plugin slots (though 1 GB still limits how many demanding plugins run well). Current figures are in Minehut’s plan overview and service description.
Minehut’s free online mode is documented as on-demand — the server starts when requested — with an Activate Server button in the dashboard and joining through a name.minehut.gg address or the Minehut lobby. In practice, test the exact cold-start flow your friends will use rather than assuming “on-demand” means instant or always-running. Paid custom plans add RAM, CPU, storage and a 24/7 option; the custom plan guide lists those controls.
Minehut is the strongest of these three when discoverability is the goal: servers are visible to users passing through the lobby, and it sells placement through a server-ad system. For a private survival world that ecosystem may be unnecessary; for a budding public server it can be useful.
Portability is reasonable but tier-dependent. Free users can download world files through the file manager, while SFTP access for moving a whole server requires a paid plan, per the world-download guide. Minehut also announced in July 2026 that free accounts are limited to five servers and excess inactive servers may enter a notified deletion process with a 30-day window to download files; see its free-server retention policy.
Minehut fits: a small plugin server, an owner who wants an upgrade path, or a public project that benefits from the Minehut lobby and community.
Look elsewhere if: 1 GB is too tight, a modpack or custom stack is essential, you want simple usage billing, or you don’t want platform-specific community features.
Choose exaroton for flexible control and pay-for-use hosting
exaroton is run by the Aternos team, but it removes many free-host constraints by charging for use. One credit equals €0.01, and a running server costs one credit per GB of RAM per hour. RAM ranges from 2 GB to 16 GB, and billing uses actual runtime rather than rounding every session to a full hour. A new account gets five trial credits, and exaroton says there’s no way to earn more for free. Those terms come from its official pricing page.
That makes the math unusually transparent:
- 4 GB for 10 hours in a month = 40 credits, or €0.40.
- 4 GB for 50 hours = 200 credits, or €2.00.
- 8 GB for 100 hours = 800 credits, or €8.00.
Stored servers have a 10 GB limit and a fee of up to 10 credits (€0.10) per month, but running credits spent on that server are deducted from the storage fee — a server using at least 10 running credits in the month has no additional storage charge. If the account can’t cover storage, exaroton warns the server may be removed, so keep an external backup.
The strongest usability feature is optional AutoStart: a player attempts to join the normal address and triggers startup without visiting the panel. It supports Java and Bedrock (with version caveats) and can be limited to whitelisted players or operators, per its AutoStart guide. AutoStop then prevents idle time from burning credits.
exaroton also offers more control than Aternos: plugin and mod libraries remain, but owners can upload their own files through the file manager. Aternos worlds can be copied straight into exaroton — player data, installed addons, software and settings — using the official import tool.
Backups can live in Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox, with configurable automatic backups when the server stops. Note these backups use an internal format meant to be restored through exaroton, so a separate ordinary world download is still the most portable copy — see the backup documentation.
exaroton fits: a group that plays a few evenings per month, wants players to trigger startup, needs custom files, or is moving off Aternos without paying for unused days.
Look elsewhere if: you need a predictable all-inclusive monthly bill, a server running continuously for many hours, more than 10 GB storage, or a genuinely free service.
The decision most groups should make
Work through it in this order:
- Must the bill remain €0? Start with Aternos; consider Minehut if its plugin ecosystem or lobby is more useful.
- Will strangers discover and join the server? Minehut has the clearest community/discovery angle.
- Should anyone be able to start the world by joining? exaroton offers mature usage-billed AutoStart today; WorldFolder is building that behavior into fixed plans and a permanent address.
- Do you need custom uploads today? exaroton is the least restrictive of the available services; check Minehut’s paid SFTP options if you prefer its platform.
- Is this a heavy or frequently active server? Calculate monthly runtime first. At high usage, compare ordinary monthly hosts rather than assuming pay-per-use stays cheapest.
Before moving, stop the old server cleanly, make a fresh backup, download an ordinary copy you control, and verify player inventories and dimensions after import. Our backup and migration guide covers the provider-independent process.
For a deeper explanation of queues, sleeping servers and the limits behind “free forever,” read free Minecraft hosting without the start-button ritual.
Final verdict: Aternos wins on absolute price today, Minehut wins when its community platform is part of the product, and exaroton wins on available pay-per-use control. WorldFolder is the most interesting planned option for a private group that wants join-to-start convenience without an hourly meter. Pick the constraint you care about most, then export a backup before that constraint changes.