What is 24/7 Minecraft server hosting?
24/7 Minecraft server hosting is a server in a datacenter that keeps running when nobody is online, until you stop it yourself. It has a fixed address, a stated amount of RAM and processor, and a panel in your browser where you start, stop and change it. A hosted server does not sleep, does not wait in a queue and does not need renewing by the hour. That is the difference with free hosting, and it is what you pay for.
Is there free 24/7 Minecraft server hosting?
No, there is no free 24/7 Minecraft server hosting. Aternos stops your server after a countdown when it is empty, Minehut puts an empty server to sleep and Server.pro's free server has to be renewed by hand every hour, as each of them explains on its own site. That is fair for a group that plays together, but it is the opposite of 24/7. More about the free options is on free Minecraft server hosting.
How to keep a Minecraft server online 24/7
To keep a Minecraft server online 24/7, run it on a hosted plan instead of your own computer. At home, a server is only online while your PC is on and connected, and that comes with costs most people do not count:
- Electricity. A desktop left on all month draws about 100 to 200 watts, which Astroworld Hosting puts at roughly €20 to €40 a month at European prices.
- Port forwarding on your router, and your home IP address handed to everyone who joins.
- Upload speed that was never meant for many players at once.
- Every update, restart or power cut takes the server down with your PC.
A small hosted plan costs less than that electricity alone, and the world keeps running when you close the lid.
How to host a Minecraft server 24/7
To host a Minecraft server 24/7, follow these four steps:
- Choose the size: 4 GB for about five friends on vanilla, 8 GB for ten players with plugins. The Minecraft RAM calculator works it out for your group.
- Choose a location close to most of your players, and Java, Bedrock or crossplay.
- Order, then set up the server in the panel: pick the software and version, and start fresh or upload the world you ran at home. The folder from your saves directory is the whole world.
- Turn on the whitelist if the group is private, and give your friends the address.
Cheapest 24/7 Minecraft server hosting
The cheapest 24/7 Minecraft server hosting of the three hosts we compare is CheapestMinecraftHosting Mini with 2 GB for €1.60 a month, then CheapestMinecraftHosting Starter with 4 GB for €3.20 and CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus with 8 GB for €6.40. Daily backups are included at Astroworld Hosting and Lodehost and cost €1.99 a month at Cheapest Minecraft Hosting, so count them in if your world matters to you. These are the cheapest plans paying month by month:
| Host and plan | Memory | Processor | Location | Per month | Per GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CheapestMinecraftHosting Mini | 2 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €1.60 | €0.80 |
| CheapestMinecraftHosting Starter | 4 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €3.20 | €0.80 |
| Lodehost Camp | 2 GB | Shared processor | Germany | €5.95 (€4.95 on 24 mo) | €2.98 |
| CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus | 8 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €6.40 | €0.80 |
| Astroworld Mini | 4 GB | AMD EPYC | Germany | €7.95 (€6.95 on 24 mo) | €1.99 |
| Astroworld Mini Performance | 4 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €7.95 (€6.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €3.18 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off | €1.99 |
| Lodehost Mini | 4 GB | Shared processor | Germany | €7.95 (€6.95 on 24 mo) | €1.99 |
| Lodehost Mini | 4 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €7.95 (€6.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €3.18 for the first month, 60% off | €1.99 |
| CheapestMinecraftHosting Builder | 12 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €9.60 | €0.80 |
What runs better on a 24/7 Minecraft server
A 24/7 Minecraft server makes everything that runs on time work: AFK farms, crop and mob farms in loaded chunks, scheduled restarts and backups at night, a Discord bot that posts who is online, and a web map that updates while players build. It also means a friend in another time zone can play on a Tuesday afternoon without waking you up to start the server.
Best 24/7 Minecraft server plans
The best 24/7 Minecraft server plan for ten players with plugins has 8 GB of RAM:
For 6 to 10 players with a few plugins on Java in Poland (Warsaw), the finder recommends Cheapest Minecraft Hosting Plus: 8 GB, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5, for €6.40 a month when you pay monthly. The best plans at the other two hosts are Astroworld Starter Performance at €15.95 and Lodehost Starter at €15.95.
| If you want | Host and plan | Memory | Processor | Location | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus | 8 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €6.40 |
| Balanced | Lodehost Starter | 8 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €15.95 (€13.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €6.38 for the first month, 60% off |
| More performance | Astroworld Starter Performance | 8 GB | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 | Poland (Warsaw) | €15.95 (€13.95 on 24 mo) New customers: €6.38 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off |
For groups that want reserved Ryzen 9 threads for farms and redstone, see high performance Minecraft hosting.