How to host a Minecraft server for free
Every free way to run a Minecraft server, and what each one takes instead of money.
The short version
Every free host is paid for somehow. Aternos takes a manual start, a queue at peak, and deletion after around three months idle. Minehut takes 1GB of RAM and ten player slots. Your own PC takes electricity and has to stay on. Oracle Cloud's free tier is a real always-on option but you administer a Linux server yourself.
Every free Minecraft host is paid for by someone. Working out what each one takes instead of money is the whole decision, because the hosting itself is broadly similar.
#What each option costs you
| Option | Paid for by | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| Aternos | Advertising | Manual start, queue at peak, stops when empty, deleted after ~3 months idle |
| Minehut | Paid upgrades | 1GB RAM, 10 player slots, sleeps when empty but wakes on join |
| Other free hosts | Upgrades or adverts | Usually slots, uptime or performance ceilings |
| Your own PC | Your electricity | Machine must be on, and hardware problems are yours |
| Oracle Cloud free tier | Customer acquisition | Real setup work, capacity not guaranteed |
#Free hosts that run the server for you
These are what most people mean. The server runs on the provider's hardware, so nothing depends on your machine.
Aternos is the largest and the model others copy. Advertising funds a great many free servers, and the trade is that somebody must log into the website and press Start before anyone can join. At peak that means waiting in a queue and clicking a confirmation when your turn arrives; miss the confirmation and you go to the back. The server stops once the last player leaves, and servers sit idle for around three months are deleted, though Aternos warn you by email if you have linked one and can restore from a backup.
Minehut takes a different approach to the same constraint. Free servers sleep when empty but wake automatically when a player joins, so there is no manual start. The limits are expressed in hardware instead: the free Starter plan is 1GB of RAM and 10 player slots, which covers vanilla and rules out modpacks.
That distinction matters more than it looks. On Aternos somebody has to be at a browser before anyone can play. On Minehut the first player to connect wakes it themselves.
#Your own PC
The machine you already own is usually the strongest free option, and the one people skip because hosting sounds like something that happens elsewhere.
A mid-range desktop from the last few years will comfortably outrun a free shared slot, particularly on single-core speed, which is what decides Minecraft's tick rate. There is no queue for hardware nobody else is using.
Two real costs. The machine has to be on while people play, which is electricity and some noise. And you have to solve the connectivity problem, since most home connections either need port forwarding or cannot do it at all. The methods that avoid port forwarding covers that ground.
#Oracle Cloud's free tier
Oracle's free tier is the only widely available way to get a full always-on Linux machine at no cost, and it rarely appears in Minecraft guides.
Oracle offers a perpetually free allowance of ARM compute sufficient for a modest server running continuously. The catches are real: you set up and maintain Linux yourself, ARM means using a compatible Java build, free capacity is frequently unavailable in popular regions, and idle accounts can be reclaimed.
If you want a free always-on server and you are comfortable at a command line, this is the realistic answer. If SSH is unfamiliar, expect a frustrating weekend.
#What "free 24/7" usually means
Read the phrase carefully. On most free hosts it means the server is permitted to run at any hour, not that it stays running when empty. Sleeping on idle is close to universal, because it is what makes the economics work.
If genuine always-on matters, the free options that deliver it are your own machine left switched on, or a cloud instance you administer.
#Choosing
- Occasional play, nothing to install, no admin work: a free host, accepting queues and sleeping.
- You own a decent PC and play evenings: self-host, and solve connectivity with a tunnel.
- You want always-on and enjoy Linux: a free-tier cloud instance.
- You want always-on and do not enjoy Linux: this is where free stops being free, and paid hosting is the answer.
#Where Self Hostd fits
We make one of these, so weigh it accordingly. Self Hostd covers the self-hosting route: your server on your machine, our relay giving it a fixed public address without port forwarding, plus a web console and off-site backups. It is funded by our paid cloud hosting rather than by advertising.
It does not make your PC run while it is switched off. If that is the requirement, a free host that sleeps or a paid plan are the real options, and no tooling on our side changes that.
#Frequently asked questions
What is the best free Minecraft server host?
It depends which cost you mind least. Aternos is the most capable free hosted option but queues at peak and sleeps when empty. Your own PC gives better performance and no queue but must stay on. Oracle Cloud's free tier gives a genuine always-on server if you are willing to administer Linux.
Can I get a free Minecraft server that runs 24/7?
Not from the mainstream free hosts, which sleep servers when empty. Genuine always-on for free means either leaving your own machine switched on, or running a free-tier cloud instance such as Oracle's and maintaining it yourself.
Why does Aternos make me queue?
Because free servers share a finite pool of hardware funded by advertising. At busy times demand exceeds capacity, so starts are queued. The queue is the mechanism that keeps the free tier viable rather than a fault.
Will a free host delete my world?
Some remove worlds after extended inactivity. Policies differ and change, so check the current terms for your host, and download a copy of your world if you are taking a long break.
Is hosting on my own PC actually free?
Close to it. You pay for the electricity to keep the machine on while people play, and you own any hardware problems. There is no fee, no queue and no advertising, and a mid-range desktop usually outperforms a free shared slot.
Written and maintained by the Hostd engineering team. Last updated 2026-08-11. Notice a mistake? Tell us.