Free ways to host a Minecraft server for your friends
“Free” always costs something: your computer, your time, or some limits. These are the real options for Minecraft Java, with what you pay in each.
At a glance
| Way | Money | Your effort | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open to LAN | Free | One click | Same network only, and only while the host is playing |
| Server on your own PC | Free (plus electricity) | Medium | Off when your PC is off, and port forwarding may not be possible |
| Your PC plus a tunnel service | Free tiers exist | Medium | Still needs your PC on, and the tunnel adds delay |
| A free cloud server | Free tier, usually needs a card to sign up | High (Linux) | You run and secure it yourself, and free tiers are small |
| A free hosting plan | Free | Low | Limits: queues, ads, fewer features, fewer players |
| Minecraft Realms | Paid subscription | Low | Not free, but the simplest |
1. Open to LAN
In a single-player world, choose Open to LAN in the pause menu. Anyone on your Wi-Fi can join from the multiplayer screen. It is the quickest test and works for a family on one network. When you close the world, it is gone, and nobody outside your network can join.
2. A server on your own PC
Download the server from the official Minecraft website, accept the licence, and run it. It is free and you control everything, including plugins and mods. The costs are hidden: it only runs while your computer is on, it uses your memory and processor, and for friends outside your house you need port forwarding. That fails on many connections (see the connection guide).
3. A tunnel service
If you cannot forward ports, a tunnel service gives your PC a public address and relays traffic to it. Services like playit.gg offer free tiers for this. It solves the network problem, not the “my PC has to stay on” problem, and every connection takes an extra hop.
4. A free cloud server
Some cloud companies have free tiers, for example Oracle Cloud’s Always Free offering. They run 24/7 and have a fixed public address, and you install and update the server yourself on Linux. The free machines are small, availability can be limited, and signing up usually asks for a card. It is a good learning project and a poor way to get playing in ten minutes.
5. A free hosting plan
Several companies run free Minecraft hosting. They pay for it with ads, queues at busy times, or limits on players, memory or plugins. Read what each limits before building a world on one, because moving later costs time. The comparison with Aternos shows what to look for.
6. Realms
Mojang’s own service costs a monthly fee and is invite-only, but it takes no setup. Java and Bedrock have separate realms, so players can only join one that matches their edition. Worth it if nobody in the group wants to touch a server.
How to choose
- Testing with a sibling in the next room: Open to LAN.
- Playing every evening with friends, vanilla: a free hosting plan, or your own PC if it is on anyway.
- Mods: your own PC or a paid host, since free plans rarely allow them.
- You enjoy tinkering: a free cloud server.
If you would rather not run a server
JetRift is one of the free hosting plans. JetRift is a free Minecraft Java host we run: you make a server, send friends the address, and it starts when the first person joins. It is early, Java only, and has no mods. The main difference is that you never press Start: the world wakes up when a friend joins.
More guides
Fix “Failed to connect to the server” · “Can’t keep up! Is the server overloaded?” · Move a world to a new host · Whitelist, op and ban players