Aternos review: limits and alternatives in 2026

Contents#

• Aternos at a glance
• What the free plan includes
• RAM and performance
• Startup queue and sleep mode
• Allowed plugins and mods
• Deletion of inactive servers
• Who Aternos is right for
• When to leave Aternos
• FAQ
• Conclusion

Introduction#

Aternos is usually the first host people try when they want a Minecraft server without reaching for a credit card. It does stay free, but it comes with rules most users only discover later: a startup queue, a closed plugin catalogue, and automatic deletion of forgotten servers. Here is our Aternos review for 2026, limit by limit, based on the service's own documentation.

If you are still weighing different ways to host for free, start with our guide on how to make a free Minecraft server. And if what you really want is a server where you can play without paying, the list of free Minecraft servers will save you some time.

Aternos at a glance#

Aternos is run by Aternos GmbH, a company based in Bonn, Germany. It started in 2013 as a student project. The company now claims more than 75 million registered accounts, which puts it among the largest Minecraft hosts in the world, free or paid.

The business model fits in one line: ads pay for everything. No subscription, no hidden paid tier on the site. The trade-off is that the machines are shared by a huge number of servers, and every limit described below comes from that.

What the free plan includes#

RAM and performance#

Aternos does not publish a fixed quota. The memory you get depends on the server software and the Minecraft version. The official documentation gives one reference point: a vanilla 1.20.1 server receives 2,400 MB of RAM. That is enough for a survival world with friends, but tight for a big modpack or a base full of redstone.

Two tips come straight from the Aternos team, and they go against what most people assume:

• Picking the software that gets the most RAM does not help. Modded servers get more because they use more.
• Paper or Purpur run better, even with less memory assigned.

There is one small boost available. Aternos has a partnership with Medal, a clip recording app: installing it on your PC and recording a Minecraft clip unlocks extra RAM. The service does not say how much or for how long.

Startup queue and sleep mode#

This is the limit that annoys users the most. When the Aternos machines are at full capacity, your server does not start right away. It joins a queue that shows your position and an estimated time, and leaving the queue means losing your spot.

What few people realise is that queue time and startup time add up. Two minutes in the queue plus ten minutes to load a modpack means twelve minutes before you place your first block. In the evening and at weekends, when everyone starts their server at once, the wait gets noticeably longer.

Another rule: the server shuts down on its own when nobody is online. The world is kept, but the next player has to start it again and go back through the queue. For a group of friends meeting at a set time on Discord, that is a minor detail. For a public server, it is a deal-breaker.

Allowed plugins and mods#

On Aternos you cannot upload your own .jar files, and there is no FTP access. Support gives two reasons: keeping the free model sustainable, and making sure a malicious plugin cannot run a crypto miner on their machines.

In practice:

• Plugins and mods: only those in the built-in catalogue. A missing plugin can be suggested to the team, with no guarantee it will be added.
• Files you can upload: datapacks, resource packs, Bedrock add-ons, WorldEdit schematics and config files.
• Home-made plugins or plugins bought on SpigotMC: cannot be installed.

The most widely used plugins are generally in the catalogue. To know where to start, our list of essential Minecraft server plugins sorts it out.

Deletion of inactive servers#

This is the trap that costs the most: a server that has not been started for about three months is deleted automatically. Aternos sends an email a few days before, as long as an address is linked to the account and notifications are switched on.

Once the server is gone, only a backup can bring it back. Since April 2025, deleted servers show up in a "Previous servers" section, where you can restore the last backup. Without a backup, the world is lost and support says it cannot help. If someone has taken your .aternos.me address in the meantime, you will also need to pick a new one.

The right habit takes two steps: turn on backups as soon as you create the server, then download your world from the panel every now and then.

Who Aternos is right for#

Aternos does the job very well in three cases:

• a group of 2 to 6 friends who play at the same times;
• testing a setup or a modpack before paying for a host;
• a first experience as a server admin, with nothing to install on your PC.

It holds you back as soon as the project grows. A server you want strangers to discover has to be up when they connect. A player who hits a queue or an offline server rarely comes back.

When to leave Aternos#

A few signs are hard to miss:

• you restart the server several times in the same evening;
• your players do not log in at the same times;
• you need a plugin that is not in the catalogue, or a paid one;
• you want to open the server to the public.

At that point you have two options. exaroton, the paid service built by the same team, removes the queue and allows file uploads. Otherwise, a regular host billed monthly gives you dedicated RAM and a server that stays on. Once you are online 24/7, you can list your server on ServeurListe and follow our tips to get players on your Minecraft server.

FAQ#

Is Aternos really free?#

Yes. The service is funded only by the ads shown on the site. There is no premium version of Aternos: the same team's paid offer is called exaroton, and it is a separate service.

How much RAM does Aternos give you?#

It depends on the software and version you choose. The official reference is 2,400 MB for a vanilla 1.20.1 server. RAM cannot be set manually.

Can an Aternos server stay online 24/7?#

No. The server stops when it is empty and has to be restarted from the panel. Bots that pretend to be a player to keep it online are against Aternos rules.

Why did my Aternos server disappear?#

If it was not started for about three months, it was deleted. Check the "Previous servers" section: if backups were enabled, you can restore it.

How do my friends join my Aternos server?#

Give them your .aternos.me address, plus the port if the panel shows one. They add it under Multiplayer, then Add Server, and connect.

Conclusion#

In 2026, Aternos is still the best free way in for playing with friends, as long as you accept its rules: fixed RAM, a startup queue, a closed catalogue and deletion after three months of neglect. Turn on backups from day one and you will avoid the most common bad surprise. The day your server needs to run without you, move to paid hosting and come and show it to players in our Minecraft server list.