JetRift vs Aternos
Aternos is the free Minecraft host most people know. It has been around for years and it works for a lot of players. Two things annoy people about it, though: the server only runs after the owner opens the website and presses Start, and at busy times there can be a queue. JetRift was built around those two problems. It is also much newer and much smaller, and that matters, so this page tells you what you give up as well.
The short answer
JetRift is a good fit if you play with a few friends on Minecraft Java, you are happy with mostly vanilla survival, and you are tired of being the person who has to start the server.
Stay on Aternos (or use another host) if you need Bedrock, mods, Paper or Spigot plugins, or a big public server. JetRift does none of those.
Side by side
| JetRift | Aternos | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no ads, no card | Free, paid for by ads |
| Starting the server | It starts when a friend joins, usually in a few seconds. Nobody presses Start. | The owner starts it from the Aternos website |
| Waiting line | None. If our machine is full we tell you straight away. | A queue at busy times |
| When you are offline | Friends can still join and wake it, unless you turn on the whitelist | The server has to be running first |
| Minecraft edition | Java only | Java and Bedrock |
| Mods and plugins | No Forge, Fabric, Paper or Spigot. A small set of our own plugins. | Mods and plugins are supported |
| Server software | Butternut, our own engine written in Rust. Plays like vanilla, with some rough edges. | The usual Java server software |
| Size | A few servers at once on small hardware, built and run by one person | Years of operation and a large user base |
| Your world | Saved every time the server goes idle. Download it whenever you like. | Downloadable from the site |
The Aternos column is our understanding of their free plan, so check their site before you decide anything. They change things.
What you give up on JetRift
- Mods and plugins. If your world runs on a modpack or a plugin like WorldGuard or EssentialsX, JetRift cannot run it. This is the main reason to stay where you are.
- Bedrock. Java Edition only today. Bedrock is something we want to do, not something we have started.
- A battle-tested server. Butternut is young. Survival plays like vanilla, but a few mechanics still behave differently, and we fix them as people find them. Typing
/bugin game sends us what you describe. - Capacity. JetRift runs on a few small computers, so only a handful of worlds can be awake at once. If it is full you get a message saying so instead of a line to stand in.
What you get
- No Start button. A friend types the address and the world wakes up for them. Close the tab and go to bed.
- Your world is yours. You can download it, or upload one from single player or another host.
- No ads, no ranks, no card.
- You are talking to the person who wrote the server. That is a small advantage and a real one.
Moving a world over
- Download your world from Aternos as a zip file.
- On JetRift, make a server, open the Worlds tab, and use Upload a world with that zip. It must contain the world folder.
- Switch the server to the uploaded world and join.
Back up the original first. JetRift runs the newest Minecraft Java version Butternut supports, so an older world is upgraded when it loads, and we have not tested every old version. If you play on a modded or plugin-heavy world, expect things to be missing.
Try it, then decide
Make a server, send a friend the address, and see how long it takes them to get in. It takes a minute and costs nothing, and your Aternos world stays where it is.
It is early. If something breaks, tell us at [email protected] or with /bug in game. We read every one.