We run Severoo, a free Minecraft host that competes with both of these, so we are not neutral in this Aternos vs Minehut comparison. Every fact about the two hosts comes from their own websites, read on the date shown under the table, with the sources linked there. We are not affiliated with either host.
The short version: Aternos gives you more room for players, RAM and modpacks. Minehut gives a small group more storage, crossplay on every server and a server that wakes when someone joins. Neither keeps a free server online while it is empty. The rest of this page goes through the facts one at a time, then gives a pick for three kinds of group.
Aternos vs Minehut, fact by fact
The limits below are as of October 2026. Our own column sits in the table as a third option, and we leave it alone until the last section.
RAM
Minehut’s free Starter plan has 1 GB. Aternos has no single figure: RAM varies by software and version, and the example it gives is 2,400 MB for Vanilla 1.20.1. That example is more than twice Minehut’s number.
RAM decides how many players, plugins and mods a server can carry before it starts to lag, so this gap matters most to bigger groups and modded servers. To see what your setup needs, read how much RAM a Minecraft server needs or use the RAM calculator. Because the Aternos figure changes with the version, check its Server RAM help page (linked under the table) for yours.
Storage
Minehut allows 10 GB. Aternos allows 4 GB per server. A world grows as players explore new terrain, and a modpack adds its own files on top. If you plan to keep one world going for months, Minehut gives it two and a half times the room.
Player slots
Aternos has no cap on slots. Minehut’s free plan has 10. For five friends the cap does not matter. For a class, a Discord community or a public server, 10 is a hard ceiling on the free plan. No cap on slots is not the same as room for everyone, though: the RAM runs out before the slots do.
What happens when the server is empty
Neither free server stays online around the clock. Aternos stops when the last player leaves. Minehut sleeps when empty. Both say there is no playtime limit while people are playing.
The difference is how the server comes back. A sleeping Minehut server wakes when a player joins, so a friend can connect at 2 a.m. without asking anyone. The Aternos facts we have describe no wake on join, so assume someone has to start the server before the others can get in.
Queue to start
Aternos puts you in a queue to start when its capacity is full. For Minehut the table says “Not stated”. That means we found no statement about a queue on the pages we used. It does not mean there is never a wait.
Ads
Both hosts show ads, and both say so on their own sites. Aternos is ad-funded and asks visitors to turn off ad blockers. Minehut is ad-supported: its site says ads “keep free servers free”. One difference in the model: Aternos is free-only, with no paid plan on the site, while Minehut also sells paid plans bought with credits.
Java, Bedrock and crossplay
Both run Java and Bedrock servers. Minehut goes further and states that every server has Java and Bedrock crossplay, so a friend on Bedrock can join the same world as a friend on Java. The Aternos cell lists both editions and says nothing about crossplay. If your group is mixed, Minehut is the one that puts it in writing. Our guide to Java and Bedrock crossplay explains how it works.
Mods and plugins
The two hosts split here.
- Aternos offers plugins, mods and preconfigured modpacks. It does not allow custom plugin or mod uploads, and there is no FTP. The plugin, mod or pack you want has to be one Aternos already offers.
- Minehut has plugins uploaded from the dashboard, and a Fabric server type for mods. Modpacks are not stated.
If you have a plugin file you downloaded yourself, Minehut is the one that takes it. If you want a modpack, Aternos is the one that lists them.
Other games
Aternos also hosts Hytale servers. Minehut is Minecraft only.
Which one suits your group
A few friends on vanilla
Pick Minehut, as long as you will never have more than 10 players online. Wake on join is the feature a small group feels every day: nobody has to message the one person who can start the server. You also get more storage for a long-running world, and crossplay if someone plays on Bedrock.
Change the pick to Aternos if the group may grow past 10, or if the server feels short on RAM. 1 GB is the smallest RAM figure in the table. If a Minehut server lags, try the fixes in how to reduce lag on a Minecraft server before you move.
A public server that wants visitors
Pick Minehut to start, and expect to outgrow the free plan. A visitor who finds a stopped server has to be able to get in, and Minehut wakes when a player joins. You can also upload your own plugins from the dashboard, which a public server usually needs. The limits are the 10 slots and 1 GB of RAM. Minehut also sells paid plans, so check what they include before you hit those limits.
Pick Aternos instead if you expect more than 10 players at once and someone will be there to start the server before each event. You get no slot cap, but no custom plugin uploads, and Aternos has no paid plan to grow into.
Neither free plan is a natural fit for a public server. Strangers arrive at any hour, and both hosts say their free servers are not online 24/7.
A modded group
Pick Aternos. It offers mods and preconfigured modpacks, and its RAM varies by software rather than being fixed at 1 GB. Two limits to check first: you cannot upload your own mod files, and the server and its world have to fit in 4 GB.
Minehut is the weaker choice here. Its cell names a Fabric server type and does not mention modpacks, and 1 GB of RAM leaves little room for mods. If your mods need Forge or NeoForge, read Forge vs Fabric vs NeoForge to see why the loader matters.
Where a third option fits
Aternos and Minehut share one limit: a free server is not running while it is empty. A third host makes sense when that is the thing you cannot live with, or when you need more RAM or storage than either offers.
That is where our own service sits. A free Severoo server gets up to 6 GB of RAM, up to 20 GB of NVMe SSD storage and unlimited player slots, with no queue to start. It runs Java and Bedrock with crossplay, and plugins, mods and modpacks are allowed. The RAM and storage figures are upper limits that depend on the plan, so check the plans and limits page first.
It does not sleep when empty: it stays online 24/7 as long as you renew it. That last part is a real condition. Renewing is one click, paid for with account credits that are free to collect. You collect credits by claiming them daily, using the site and running your server, and completing small tasks. Credits cannot be bought, and collecting them this way is enough to keep one server online all the time. You renew on a schedule that depends on your plan (every few hours on some plans). A server that is not renewed is suspended first. You have 7 days to re-enable it. After that it is removed permanently, and you can always create a new server. Because removal is permanent, keep your own copy of the world. If you will not remember to renew, Minehut’s wake on join is less work for you.
Other free hosts make similar trades, with renewal timers or credits you claim by hand. The Aternos alternatives, Minehut alternatives and FalixNodes alternatives pages compare more hosts with the same kind of table.