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Minecraft Realms alternative

The best Minecraft Realms alternative is your own server: from €3.20 a month for 4 GB it runs plugins, mods and crossplay, which a Realm cannot. Here is how a server compares with Realms on Java and Bedrock, what it costs and how to move your world.

Prices checked on 7 October 2026 on the hosts' own order pages. All prices include VAT.

A processor, a pair of scales and a server: comparing Minecraft hosting prices

The short answer

A 4 GB Minecraft server costs €3.20 a month at the cheapest host we compare, against US$7.99 for a Java Realm in the US store. A server runs plugins, mods and any Minecraft version, and a Crossplay plan puts Java and Bedrock players in one world, which Realms cannot do.

Compare Minecraft servers that replace a Realm

A Minecraft Realms alternative for up to ten friends needs about 8 GB on Java, and this table starts with the lowest monthly price at each host. The best Minecraft server plan at each host for 6 to 10 players with vanilla Minecraft on Java in Poland (Warsaw), starting with the lowest price.

The best Minecraft server plan at each host for 6 to 10 players on Java in Poland (Warsaw)
ProviderMemoryCPU & storageMonthly priceOrder page
Cheapest Minecraft Hosting Plus, budget line8 GBRyzen 9 7950X with DDR5, Poland (Warsaw) 2 shared vCPU, 40 GB NVMe€6.40 /mo Same price on every termView plan CheapestMinecraftHosting Plus (opens Cheapest Minecraft Hosting)
Astroworld Hosting Starter Performance8 GB Free websiteRyzen 9 7950X with DDR5, Poland (Warsaw) 2 reserved vCPU, 50 GB Enterprise NVMe€6.38 /mo First 3 months, then €15.95/mo, €13.95 on 24 months 60% off for new customersView plan Astroworld Starter Performance (opens Astroworld Hosting)
Lodehost Starter, performance line8 GB Free websiteRyzen 9 7950X with DDR5, Poland (Warsaw) 2 reserved vCPU, 60 GB Enterprise NVMe€6.38 first month Then €15.95/mo, €13.95 on 24 months 60% off for new customersView plan Lodehost Starter (opens Lodehost)

On the Performance lines the large price is what a new customer pays a month at the start: for the first 3 months at Astroworld Hosting and the first payment at Lodehost. The regular monthly price comes after it, and the last price in each row is the monthly price on the host's longest term.

Compare the same billing term and location before you order.

Every price is taken from the host's own order page. How we compare

What a server does that a Realm cannot

A server does 3 things a Realm cannot: run plugins and mods, put Java and Bedrock players in one world, and hold more than eleven players.

  • Plugins and mods

    Land claims, homes, Fabric or Forge mods and whole modpacks.

  • Java and Bedrock together

    A Crossplay plan runs Geyser, so both editions share one world.

  • More than eleven players

    A Realm holds the owner plus ten friends at a time; a server is sized for your group.

A Realm is simple and enough for vanilla on one edition. A server is the alternative once your group wants plugins, mods or crossplay.

What is the best Minecraft Realms alternative?

The best Minecraft Realms alternative is a hosted server, because it stays online like a Realm and adds what a Realm leaves out. A Realm runs vanilla Minecraft for the owner and up to ten friends at a time, on one edition, with no plugins or mods. A hosted server runs the version and server software you choose, takes as many players as its RAM allows and can put Java and Bedrock players in the same world. Free hosts and a server on your own PC are cheaper alternatives, with limits of their own.

Minecraft Realms vs a server: price

A Minecraft server often costs less than a Realm. Realms are priced per month in each country's store: in the US, Java Realms and Bedrock's Realms Plus are US$7.99 for the owner and ten friends, and Realms Core is US$3.99 for the owner and two friends. A 4 GB server for about six players on vanilla costs €3.20 a month at Cheapest Minecraft Hosting, and an 8 GB server for about twelve players with plugins costs €6.40. That host charges the same for a Crossplay plan as for Java.

Minecraft Realms alternative for Bedrock

For Bedrock, the Realms alternative is a Bedrock server or a Crossplay plan. A Bedrock server runs the official Bedrock Dedicated Server, so add-ons work as they do on a Realm, and Astroworld Hosting sells Bedrock plans from 2 GB at €5.95 a month. Players on phones, tablets and Windows add it with the Add Server button; Xbox, PlayStation and Switch players need a workaround, which our page on Bedrock server hosting explains. Choose a Crossplay plan if some friends play Java on a PC.

Minecraft Realms alternative for Java

For Java, the Realms alternative is a server on Paper, Fabric or Forge. Paper keeps vanilla gameplay and adds plugins for land claims, homes and rollbacks after griefing; Fabric and Forge run mods and whole modpacks, which a Realm cannot load. You also choose the Minecraft version yourself, including an older one that a modpack needs.

How to move from Realms to your own server

To move from Realms to your own server, take the world with you in four steps:

  1. Download the world from the Realm. On Java it is under the Realm's world backups.
  2. Order a server on the same Minecraft version and edition.
  3. Upload the world folder through the panel's file manager and set it as the server's world.
  4. Give your friends the server address and add them to the whitelist.

Free Minecraft Realms alternatives

Free Minecraft Realms alternatives exist, with limits a Realm does not have. Aternos is free but waits in a queue when busy and stops the server after a countdown when nobody is online. Minehut's free plan has 10 player slots and 1 GB of RAM and sleeps when empty. Opening a world to LAN or hosting on your own PC costs nothing, but only works while that computer is on. More on free Minecraft server hosting.

Best plans to replace a Realm

The best plan to replace a Realm for up to ten friends on vanilla has 8 GB of RAM, because no host we compare sells 6 GB for Java:

For 6 to 10 players with vanilla Minecraft 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.

Plans for ten friends on vanilla
If you wantHost and planMemoryProcessorLocationPer month
Lowest priceCheapestMinecraftHosting Plus8 GBAMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5Poland (Warsaw)€6.40
BalancedLodehost Starter8 GBAMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5Poland (Warsaw)€15.95 (€13.95 on 24 mo)
New customers: €6.38 for the first month, 60% off
More performanceAstroworld Starter Performance8 GBAMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5Poland (Warsaw)€15.95 (€13.95 on 24 mo)
New customers: €6.38 a month for the first 3 months, 60% off

Before you switch from Realms to a server

Switching from Realms to a server takes 3 decisions before you order: how the world comes along, which edition you pick and how much RAM your group needs.

  1. Download your Realm world

    On Java you download the world from the Realm's backups, so you can upload it to the new server.

  2. Pick the edition

    Java, Bedrock or Crossplay, depending on what your friends play on.

  3. Size it for your group

    4 GB for five friends on vanilla, 8 GB for ten with plugins.

Questions about Minecraft Realms alternatives

Is there a better alternative to Minecraft Realms?

For most groups, a hosted server: it stays online like a Realm, and adds plugins, mods, any version and crossplay between Java and Bedrock. Realms is still the simplest choice for vanilla on one edition.

Is a Minecraft server cheaper than Realms?

Often, yes. A 4 GB server costs €3.20 a month at the cheapest host we compare, against US$7.99 a month for a Java Realm in the US store.

Can Java and Bedrock players share a Realm?

No. A Realm is either Java or Bedrock. A Crossplay server with Geyser lets both editions play in the same world.

Can I move my Realm world to a server?

Yes. Download the world from your Realm, upload it with the server's file manager and pick the same Minecraft version. Builds, inventories and the map come along.

Can I use mods on a Realms alternative?

Yes. Choose Fabric, Forge or NeoForge on a Java server, or a modpack. A modded server needs about 8 GB for five players by our rule.

Can I get Minecraft Realms for free?

Only for a while. Minecraft.net offers a 30-day free Realms trial to players who qualify, and the subscription renews by itself unless you cancel it. After that a Realm costs a monthly fee, while a 4 GB server costs €3.20 a month at the cheapest host we compare.

Can you play Minecraft with friends without Realms?

Yes, in three other ways. You can open a single-player world to LAN for players on the same network, run a server on your own PC with port forwarding, or rent a server. Only a rented server and a Realm stay online when the person who started them is offline.

Still unsure? Use the Minecraft server finder