7 Best Minecraft Server Hosting Platforms

Osborn Somerville

Aug 24, 2022 • 7 min read

Minecraft has sold more than 200 million copies as of 2020 and has a large community with over 126 million players. This game has stood the test of time and the demand for more resources doesn't seem to be diminishing anytime soon. From modpacks to standalone mods, plugins to servers, players are constantly on the lookout for ways to keep their game fresh, creative, and optimized.

We have already covered some popular Minecraft mods within our updated Minecraft Mods Guide For Parents. We've also included a list of the top Minecraft texture packs. In this article, we're going to look at Minecraft Servers.

You can learn a valuable skill while creating your own games. Enroll in CodaKid classes which use games like Minecraft to teach coding for kids!

62+ Courses

Minecraft servers are essentially dedicated to secure online platforms that allow Minecraft players to play and interact with other Minecraft players. They can also customize their games and host multiplayer game modes without consuming their computer resources.

Can anyone create a Minecraft server? Yes, actually! In our How to Make a Minecraft Server guide, you'll find that the process, while a little daunting, is actually very doable.

However, it can take a while to set-up and there is a lot more trial and error. That's why people prefer specialized Minecraft server hosting platforms. They're just easier and more convenient.

The Best Minecraft Server Host?

It would be an understatement for me to say there are many options. Offtopic hut There are dozens of established Minecraft server hosting platforms out there, and plenty more are popping up. Many of them require that you pay a monthly, or yearly fee.

If you're not willing to pay upwards of $10 just to experience running a Minecraft server, don't worry; there are plenty of free and affordable servers out there. Below, we have listed seven of the most popular.

Server.pro

Server.pro offers professional Minecraft servers that are "easy to setup" and "easy to use." This Swedish game hosting company offers both free and paid plans to meet low-risk, high-reward hosting needs. The paid plans will have more perks than the free accounts. For example, you'll get daily backups and multi-admin access.

However, the free option isn't too shabby. It's just the same as its paid counterpart, but it's also as fast, customizable, and easy-to-edit (thanks to Server.pro’s sleek file manager feature).

Server.pro offers paid packages. The Premium setup costs $5 to $10 per month, while the Pro setup costs $20 to $40 per month. Server.pro offers only the Pro setup which includes a dedicated IP, MySQL server with root acces, and the Pro setup.

Pricing: Free Plan

Aternos

Ever since its launch in 2013, Aternos has gathered over 28 million dedicated users, with roughly 600,000 daily players. It's a common and popular platform that provides all its features, including RAM, plugins, customizations, and more - at no cost.

That's right; everything is 100 percent free. Aternos' motto is, in fact; "Minecraft Servers - Free. Forever."

What's so special about this? Well, you do get what you pay for.

Aternos is a great platform for free. Aternos offers a basic or starter package that is comparable to other hosting servers. You can add upto 20 players, up to 1.7GB of RAM and access to their 24/7 Customer Service (which, by a side note, is very quick to respond).

Aternos will never ask you for your credit cards details.

If you ask us, this is a pretty huge pro that makes all its other possible cons - i.e., limited plugins, inability to modify config files - worth it.

Pricing

Minehut

Like Server.pro, Minehut offers both paid and free plans to suit specific Minecraft server needs. As a free user, you get two (2) free servers, viewable to 250,000 monthly viewers who pass through the lobby. You also get 12 plugin slots, 1GB of RAM allocated, and a maximum of 10 players.

It's quite good all things considered. It's especially impressive when you consider it in comparison to Server.pro and Aternos' "no-cost” packages.

However, because Minehut is more popularly known as a "freemium" (free premium) server hosting provider than a paid platform, people often approach with cautious curiosity. Truly "free" servers are few and far between, and many of them come with plenty of drawbacks (i.e., lag, crazy limitations, hidden fees, hundreds of ads, etc.). But Minehut seems to pass muster.

If anything, plenty of reviews say it's a good hosting platform for pre-servers, or Minecraft servers that aren't ready for public opening. It gives you a safe space to test and refine your server without having to pay a single cent.

Upgrades are also reasonably priced, starting at $5 a month for 10 more player slots and another 1GB of RAM (for a total of 2GB allocated).

Pricing

BUDGET-FRIENDLY SERIES

Shockbyte is one of the most user-friendly Minecraft server hosting platforms in the market. It's not cheap, but it's definitely very budget-friendly. Plans start at $2.50 per month and you can upgrade or downgrade as many times as you want. It's been around since 2013, and it's definitely made a name for itself since then.

The $2.50 Dirt plan, which is represented by a Minecraft dirtblock, gives you 1GB of RAM and a recommended number of 20+ slots. Your server is activated upon subscription, and you also get a subdomain for it to help attract more people. Other standard features include 24/7 standby support and 100% uptime.

If you're looking for something safe and secure without breaking the bank, Shockbyte is a total winner.

Pricing: Dirt ($2.50/month)

ScalaCube is a flexible and accommodating game-hosting platform that offers many servers in addition to Minecraft (like Hytale or Ark). This widespread experience gives them the foresight they need to create packages that perfectly suit different Minecraft server needs.

They allow users to launch their game in a more customized way and give them more control. Server owners can also monitor players through a forum or website. Users can also install thousands upon thousands of modpacks in just one click.

(Wanting to know how you can create your own modpacks?) Check out our Ultimate Guide to Minecraft Modding Using Java!

ScalaCube is as affordable as Shockbyte in terms of pricing. Although it doesn't offer as many tiers, ScalaCube offers a full 50% discount on every subsequent server you purchase after your first.

Pretty neat, huh?

Package prices start from $2.50 a monthly and go no higher that $13 a Month. The $13-a month package includes a staggering 4.5GB RAM and 70 slots for players, among other things.

Pricing: Minecraft VPS 768 MB ($2.50/month) | Minecraft VPS 1.5G ($5.00/month) | Minecraft VPS 3G ($10.00/month) | Minecraft VPS 4.5G ($13.00/month)

MelonCube Hosting

MelonCube Hosting has always strived to provide the best service and product at a fair price.

MelonCube is the restructured and redesigned 2013 Minecraft hosting provider. It certainly has its own unique features. Comprehensive SSD storage, for instance. Full FTP access is also available and customizable JAR functions. It also provides modpack support on top of providing some truly excellent Bukkit plugins.

Plans start at $3.00 per monthly (1GB of RAM, unlimited players slots), and can go up all the way to $144.00 per month (48GB DDR4RAM, unlimited players slots).

If you're playing offline on a personal computer, you can easily allocate more RAM for Minecraft. You can find our complete guide on how to allocate more RAM to Minecraft.

MelonCube Hosting won the title of having 22 plans available at varying price points.

Pricing: Zombie ($3.00/month)

Marketed specifically as a "budget hosting option" for Minecraft servers, PebbleHost's standard plan is pretty inclusive compared to most. For $3.00 a quarter (not a month! You get 1GB RAM allocated, 250Mbps uplink, unmetered enterprise SSDs and unlimited player slots.

PebbleHost's Budget Minecraft Hosting 1GB package also includes access to the Control Panel. This allows the server host to run commands directly from console, run auto-reboots on a crash and manage plugins. It also provides statistics about usage statistics. PebbleHost is known for its 2-factor authentication and 160Gbps DDoS defense, as well as 24/7 Discord Support.

There are currently three pricing tiers available: Extreme, Premium, or Budget. There are 12 Budget Plans that start at $3.00/quarter with a $25.00/month end. There are 12 Premium plans that start at $2.25/month with an ending at $56.25/month. There is also one Extreme plan which starts at $2.25/month with an ending at $56.25/month.

00/month)

There you have it. Our top picks for Free and Budget-Friendly Minecraft Server Hosting Platforms.

Let's recap the list of the best Minecraft server hosting platforms:

- What is a Minecraft Server? - The Best Minecraft Servers? Server.pro. Aternos Minehunt Shockbyte ScalaCube ScalonCube Hosting PebbleHost

Creating and hosting a Minecraft server may be a little intimidating at first. There are many things you need to do and many other factors to consider. It's important to have top-quality resources, such a great server hosting platform, in order to ensure smooth gameplay and enjoyable gaming.

Are you ready to take your Minecraft skills to the next level? Register for CodaKid Minecraft Modding classes now!

Sign up for more like this.