ARCADYO_BETA

Aternos alternatives for a Minecraft server with friends (2026)

2026-10-04 · Lire en français

If you want to keep a free server, Aternos is still the one most people start with; if the queue, the ads or the Start button bother you, the closest free alternative is Minehut (also ad-supported, but it wakes when a friend joins and no queue is mentioned), and the pay-as-you-go hosts exaroton, VoxelRun, Eytak and PowerupStack stop billing for running time while the server is off (storage can still cost a little). Everything below was read on each vendor’s own pages on 2026-10-04. Prices are in each host’s own currency; where a page does not say whether VAT is included, we say so.

What Aternos does

  • Free. Its home page says the service is free and always will be, and its help center says there is no playtime limit.
  • Ads. Its help center says Aternos is financed entirely by advertising and asks visitors to switch off ad blockers; it points to exaroton for an ad-free panel.
  • A queue. When it is at full capacity you join a queue after pressing Start and see your position and an estimated wait.
  • Stops when empty. It stops empty servers, with a countdown after the last player leaves, and says it does not offer always-on hosting.
  • Start. You press Start on the site. Its help center describes an option that starts the server automatically when you join through Aternos’s own Dawn launcher.

None of that is a criticism: it is how a free service pays for itself, in the company’s own words.

The comparison

Option Price model (read 2026-10-04) Queue How it starts
Aternos Free, paid by ads Yes, when full Start button; automatic only via Dawn launcher
Minehut Free plan, no card: 1 GB, 10 player slots; paid plans exist (prices not read); ad-supported (its cookie notice says so) None mentioned Automatically when a player joins
exaroton 1 credit per GB per hour; 100 credits = €1.00, so 4 GB is about €0.04 an hour; storage up to 10 credits per 30 days, offset by credits spent; VAT not stated Aternos’s help says none Optional start-by-joining, or panel button
VoxelRun 8 GB costs €0.04 an hour, compute capped at €20 a month at that size, first 10 GB of storage free; VAT not stated Its page says none Automatically on join; share link with one button
Eytak Pay by the second, starts with £0.50 of free usage; or fixed plans £4.99 (4 GB), £8.99 (8 GB), £15.99 (16 GB) per 30 days; VAT not stated None mentioned Automatically, from the server list
PowerupStack Permanent free Minecraft plan; Minecraft Budget tier from €0.0224 per online hour, monthly maximum from €5.45, 21% VAT included; Rust 8 GB €0.0795 per hour, maximum €19.36 (read 2026-10-04) None mentioned Minecraft: start by joining. Rust: you switch it off yourself
Your own PC No rental; electricity and a router setup are yours None Free lazymc tool wakes it on connect; the PC must be on
Fixed-size host One price a month for a size, running whether or not anyone plays None Always on
Arcadyo Private beta, free for the first 20 groups; Rust only Beta waitlist Wakes on connect (private beta, Rust only; success rate still being measured). Minecraft not offered

“None mentioned” means we did not find a queue on the page, not that we tested the busiest hour. The Eytak plan sizes are the host’s own figures.

How to choose

  • You want free and can live with waiting and ads: Aternos or Minehut. Check how Minehut’s free 1 GB fits your group with our Minecraft server RAM calculator.
  • Friends should join without anybody pressing Start: a host that wakes on join (Minehut, VoxelRun, Eytak, or PowerupStack and exaroton with their join setting switched on).
  • You play a few evenings a week and want to pay only for those hours: the pay-as-you-go hosts. Do the sum for your own hours rather than trusting any headline rate.
  • It runs all day for a big public world: a fixed-size host that never sleeps, or a pay-as-you-go host with a monthly maximum (VoxelRun, PowerupStack), is simpler than any of the above.
  • You have a spare PC and some patience: self-hosting plus lazymc costs no rent but needs setup and a machine that stays on.

Where Arcadyo fits

Arcadyo is a private beta for Rust, not Minecraft. Its server sleeps when nobody plays and wakes when a player connects. Minecraft is being tested, not offered, so for a Minecraft server with friends today, use one of the options above.

What we could not verify

Minehut’s paid-plan prices, VAT status at exaroton, VoxelRun and Eytak (their pages do not state it), and the length of any queue at peak hours.

FAQ

Is there a free Minecraft server without a queue?

Minehut and PowerupStack both advertise a free Minecraft plan without a card, and neither page mentions a queue (read 2026-10-04). Aternos documents a queue when it is at full capacity. What happens at your busiest hour is not something we tested.

Is Minehut like Aternos?

In one respect, yes: both are free, and an empty server is switched off. The difference on the pages we read is the wake-up. Minehut says a sleeping server wakes automatically when a player joins; Aternos starts with a Start button, or automatically only through its own Dawn launcher.

What is exaroton and how does it relate to Aternos?

exaroton is a paid, ad-free hosting service. Aternos's own help pages call it a platform developed and run by the Aternos team, with no queue.

Can I keep paying nothing when nobody plays?

On the pay-as-you-go hosts we read (exaroton, VoxelRun, Eytak, PowerupStack), compute billing stops while the server is off, but storage can still be billed. Check each page for the exact rule.

Does Arcadyo replace Aternos?

Not for Minecraft today. Arcadyo is a private beta for Rust only. Minecraft is being tested and is not offered.

Sources