A free Minecraft server
that's actually good
Real hardware, the full FadeHost panel, and your own world that boots in about 20 seconds. It sleeps when nobody's online and wakes the moment a friend joins — that's the whole catch.
Playing in three steps
Create your account
Register with email, Discord, Google, or GitHub and verify your email. Takes about 30 seconds.
Claim your server
Pick Europe or North America and hit claim. Your server starts booting immediately.
Join and play
Copy your address and jump in — the server is typically ready before you've opened Minecraft.
The one honest trade-off
With nobody online, your server falls asleep after 1 minute. When a player clicks join, they wait inside Minecraft — in a FadeHost waiting room — while it boots, then get transferred straight in. About 20-30 seconds, fully automatic.
No start buttons, no website visits, no queues. Sleeping servers are what make the free tier sustainable without ads — and if you ever want always-on, that's $2.50/month.
What you get for $0
A real Minecraft server
Latest Paper build on real FadeHost hardware in Europe or North America — the same nodes our paid servers run on. Not a shared sandbox, not a demo.
The full control panel
Live console, file manager, plugin uploads, player list, scheduling — the complete FadeHost panel, not a stripped-down free version.
Playing in under a minute
Your server boots the moment you claim it — typically joinable in about 20 seconds. No queues, no waiting rooms, no 'position 47 in line'.
Free .fmc.pw address
A clean subdomain for your server so friends can join with an address, not an IP and port.
Your world is yours
Keep building on the same world for as long as you play. If you ever upgrade, the world comes with you — nothing resets.
No ads, no surveys, no catch-catch
We don't sell your attention. The free tier exists because our hibernation tech makes idle servers nearly free to keep — and because some of you will love it enough to upgrade.
Free vs. typical free hosts vs. paid
| FadeHost Free | Typical free hosts | FadeHost paid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $0, no card | $0 + ads and surveys | from $2.50/mo |
| Queues to start | None — boots in ~20s | Wait in line at peak times | None |
| When nobody's online | Sleeps after 1 min, wakes on join | Shuts down, manual restart | Runs 24/7 (sleep optional) |
| RAM | 2 GB | 1-2 GB shared | 1 GB per $1, up to 50 GB |
| Storage | 10 GB | Varies | 30 GB + expandable |
| Server address | Free .fmc.pw subdomain | Random host + port | Free subdomain or dedicated IP |
| Panel | Full FadeHost panel | Limited web console | Full FadeHost panel |
| Backups | — | — | Automatic cloud backups |
| World kept | While you play (21-day activity rule) | Often wiped when inactive | Forever |
Free server FAQ
▸Is it really free? What's the catch?
Really free — no card, no trial clock, no ads, no surveys. The one trade-off: your server goes to sleep after 1 minute with nobody online and wakes automatically when someone joins. Sleeping servers cost us almost nothing, which is what makes the free tier sustainable.
▸How does wake-on-join work?
When your server is asleep and a player clicks join, they land in a FadeHost waiting room in-game while the server boots — usually 20-30 seconds — and are transferred in automatically. Nobody has to visit a website or press a start button.
▸How many players can join?
The free server has 2 GB of RAM, which comfortably handles a group of friends on the latest vanilla or Paper build. It's not sized for a public community server — that's what paid plans are for.
▸Can I install plugins and change settings?
Yes. You get the full panel: upload Paper plugins through the file manager, edit server.properties, use the live console, manage the whitelist — the same tools paying customers use.
▸How long can I keep my free server?
As long as people actually play on it. If no player joins for 14 days we email you a heads-up; after 21 days of zero joins the server is recycled so someone else can have the slot. Join once and the timer resets.
▸What if no free slots are available?
Free capacity is limited and slots recycle as inactive servers are cleaned up. If everything is claimed right now, create your account anyway — then check back in a day or two and claim yours the moment a slot opens. Paid servers are always available instantly.
▸Is this a free Aternos alternative?
If you're looking for an Aternos-style free Minecraft server without start queues, FadeHost Free is exactly that: your server boots in seconds, wakes itself when players join, and runs on the same hardware as our paid hosting — with a full panel and no ads.
▸Is this a trial?
No. A trial ends; this doesn't. The free server stays free for as long as you play on it. We also offer a separate 7-day trial of the full paid experience — always-on option, more RAM, backups — with no card required.
Your world is one click away
Register, claim, and you're placing blocks in about a minute. Free for as long as you play.
No credit card. No ads. Recycled only after 21 days without a single player.