Free Minecraft crossplay server hosting compared
If half your group plays on a PC with Java Edition and the other half plays on phones or the Windows app with Bedrock, you need a server both editions can join. Several hosts do this for free. They differ in how you switch crossplay on, how the server gets started, and what the free plan limits, and those differences decide which one fits your group.
How crossplay works
Java and Bedrock speak different network protocols, so a normal server only accepts one of them. Most crossplay servers are Java servers running Geyser, a free, open-source bridge that translates Bedrock connections into Java ones. Floodgate, its companion, lets Bedrock players sign in with their Xbox account, so they do not need to own Java Edition.
A few things follow from this, whichever host you choose:
- Bedrock players connect on a separate port, usually
19132, and type the address and the port into separate fields. - Bedrock names get a prefix (often a dot) so they cannot clash with Java names. Use the prefixed name when you whitelist someone.
- Java mods do not show up for Bedrock players. Plugin and vanilla servers work best.
- Phones, tablets and Windows can add any server. Xbox, PlayStation and Switch cannot add a custom server without a workaround.
At a glance
| Host | Turning crossplay on | Free plan | Starting the server | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aternos | Install the Geyser plugin (Paper) or Fabric mod from the panel. Floodgate comes with it. | Free with ads, unlimited slots | Someone with access starts it on the Aternos website | Queue at busy times. Geyser has to be reinstalled by hand after Bedrock updates. |
| Minehut | Built in. Every server has a Bedrock address. | 1 GB, 10 players, sleeps when empty | /join name in the Minehut lobby wakes it | 10-player cap on the free plan. Minehut says consoles are not supported. |
| FalixNodes | Pick Geyser in the Version Changer. Works on the free plan. | 1 GB, unlimited slots | Wakes when someone joins. After a long sleep, start it from the Start Server page. | 1 GB is tight for a crossplay server with plugins. |
| FreeMcServer | Add GeyserMC to a Java server. A Bedrock port is included. | Up to 4 GB with ads | Renew every 4 hours (6 with an ad). Stops after 30 minutes empty. | The renewal clock: someone has to keep renewing it. |
| JetRift | Nothing to do. Every world accepts both editions. | Free, no ads, three servers per account | Starts by itself when a Java or Bedrock player joins | Early access. Exact versions only (Java 26.3, Bedrock 26.60). No Forge, Fabric or Paper. |
The other hosts change their plans from time to time, so check their pages before you build a world on one.
Aternos
Aternos has been free since 2013 and is the host most players have heard of. Crossplay is a plugin install: on a Paper server you add the Geyser plugin from the panel, on Fabric you add the Geyser mod, and Aternos installs Floodgate alongside it with a config that already works on their network. Bedrock friends use the same address as Java players with port 19132, or a share link of the form add.aternos.org/yourserver.
The trade-offs are the ones Aternos is known for. Someone with access has to start the server on the website before anyone can join, and at busy times there is a queue. For crossplay in particular, Aternos updates the server software automatically but not plugins, so after a Bedrock update you reinstall Geyser yourself. Aternos provides one UDP port per server, and Geyser and voice chat mods each need their own, so you cannot run both.
Good for: groups that want plugins or a modded Fabric world alongside crossplay, and do not mind pressing Start.
Minehut
Minehut runs Geyser across its whole network, so crossplay needs no setup at all. Every server has a Bedrock address made by adding .bedrock before minehut: example.minehut.gg becomes example.bedrock.minehut.gg on port 19132. Bedrock players can also join the shared lobby at bedrock.minehut.com and type /join with the server name, which wakes the server if it is asleep.
The free Starter plan has 1 GB of memory, a 10-player limit and no playtime limit, and the server sleeps while it is empty. Minehut lists Bedrock support for iOS, Android and Windows and says consoles are not supported. Free servers are paid for with ads.
Good for: small groups who want crossplay without touching a config file, and anyone who likes the idea of a server list where strangers can find them.
FalixNodes
On FalixNodes you pick Geyser as the server software in the Version Changer, and their own crossplay guide says the free plan is enough. Free servers come with extra ports, which is where the Bedrock port goes, and three free subdomains.
The free plan has 1 GB of memory and unlimited player slots. The server sleeps while nobody is online and wakes when someone joins. After a long sleep, anyone can start it by name on the Falix Start Server page without an account. Free servers run in Germany and in Utah and Chicago in the US.
Good for: people who want a full control panel, many server types and crossplay on the same free plan.
FreeMcServer
FreeMcServer hosts native Bedrock servers and Java servers with GeyserMC, and includes extra ports for Geyser, Dynmap and voice chat. Its free plan gives up to 4 GB of memory when you watch ads, with no start queue.
The price of that memory is the renewal system. A free server has to be renewed every 4 hours, or every 6 if you watch an ad, and it stops after 30 minutes without players (60 with an ad). A public page lets anyone start or renew it without logging in, which helps when the owner is away.
Good for: heavier crossplay setups that need more memory, if someone in the group is happy to keep renewing.
JetRift
JetRift is our host, so take this section as a description rather than a review. Every JetRift world accepts Java Edition 26.3 and Bedrock Edition 26.60 with nothing to install or enable. The world starts by itself when the first player joins from either edition, so nobody has to open a website first. It is free, with no ads and no card, and each account can have three servers.
The limits are real. JetRift runs Butternut, our own server engine, so Forge, Fabric, Paper and Spigot plugins do not load, and there is only a small set of our own plugins. Players must use exactly the supported versions, so a Bedrock player on an older or newer release cannot join until the versions match. Bedrock names start with a dot, and JetRift is in early access, so some mechanics still differ from vanilla. The Bedrock joining guide has the details.
Good for: a few friends on vanilla survival who are tired of being the one who has to start the server.
If your friends play on a console
Xbox, PlayStation and Switch only show featured servers and have no Add Server button for custom addresses. That is a limit of the console versions, not of any host above. Players get around it with community DNS or LAN-relay tools, which can break when consoles update. If most of your group plays on consoles, a Bedrock Realm is the least fiddly option, though it is paid and Java players cannot join it.
How to choose
- You want plugins or a Fabric modpack as well as crossplay: Aternos or FalixNodes.
- You want zero setup and a small group: Minehut or JetRift.
- You need more memory and can keep renewing: FreeMcServer.
- Nobody wants to start the server before playing: JetRift, or Minehut and FalixNodes if waking from a lobby or start page is fine for you.
Also checked
Minecraft Realms is simple but paid, and Java and Bedrock realms are separate, so it does not do crossplay. Server.pro’s free option is a time-limited demo rather than a plan you can keep. Running your own server with Geyser is free too: see free ways to host a Minecraft server.
Questions
Can Java and Bedrock players play on the same server for free?
Yes. Aternos, Minehut, FalixNodes, FreeMcServer and JetRift all have free plans where Bedrock players on Windows, Android and iOS can join the same world as Java players.
Do Bedrock players need to own Java Edition?
No. With Geyser and Floodgate, Bedrock players sign in with their Xbox account. Minehut and JetRift handle sign-in on their side as well.
Which port do Bedrock players use?
Usually 19132, the Bedrock default. Bedrock enters the address and the port in separate fields, so always give Bedrock friends both.
Why does my Bedrock friend’s name look different on the server?
Crossplay servers add a prefix to Bedrock names, often a dot, and may replace spaces with underscores, so a Java player and a Bedrock player can never end up with the same name. Use the name exactly as the server shows it when you whitelist or op someone.
Sources
Each host’s own pages, checked on 31 October 2026: Aternos Geyser guide, Minehut server plans, Minehut on Bedrock, FalixNodes free hosting, FalixNodes crossplay guide, FreeMcServer Bedrock hosting, Server.pro pricing. If something here is out of date, tell us with the Report a bug button and we will fix it.
More guides
Join JetRift from Bedrock · Free ways to host a server · Fix “Failed to connect to the server” · JetRift vs Aternos