How much does a Minecraft server cost?
Published on 3 October 2026
Renting a Minecraft server at CakeHosting costs from €4.95 a month for Java and from €2.95 for Bedrock, VAT included. What you end up paying depends mostly on how much memory your group needs and whether you choose Standard or Premium. Free options exist too, on Aternos or your own PC, but then you pay in other ways: convenience, time or a server that isn’t always online.
How much does a Minecraft server cost per month?
The usual ways to play together and what they cost each month:
| Option | Per month | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Aternos | Free | Stops when empty, sometimes a queue |
| Self-hosting | Power: around 21 euros at 100 watts | Full control, while your PC is on |
| Realms for Bedrock | 3.99 dollars | You plus 2 players |
| Realms Plus or Realms for Java | 7.99 dollars | You plus 10 players, no plugins on Java |
| CakeHosting Bedrock | From €2.95 | Your own server, always on |
| CakeHosting Java Standard | From €4.95 | 4 to 64 GB, in 12 sizes |
| CakeHosting Java Premium | From €8.95 | 4 to 64 GB, in 12 sizes, AMD Ryzen 9 7950X or 9950X |
Mojang lists Realms prices in US dollars; the amount in your own currency shows up in your platform’s store. With us you don’t pay per player, you pay for the amount of memory.
How much RAM does your group need?
Memory makes up most of the price. These rules of thumb fit most groups:
- a few friends on Paper with a handful of plugins: 4 GB;
- ten to twenty players with a good number of plugins: 6 to 8 GB;
- a modpack: easily 8 GB or more, and more again for big packs.
A bigger plan gives you more than memory: you also get more CPU time and storage. For an exact answer, try the server size calculator, which shows straight away which plan fits. Where the rules of thumb come from is explained in How much RAM does a Minecraft server need?
Torn between two sizes? Take the smaller one. If it gets tight, you upgrade to a bigger plan in the same line from My CakeHosting, and your world stays where it is. The steps are in Upgrade your plan to more memory.
Standard or Premium: is the price difference worth it?
Every Minecraft server comes in two lines with the same features. The difference is the hardware:
- Standard runs on solid hardware at a sharp price. On Standard, your server gets standard DDoS protection from the data centre. For most groups of friends, that’s all you need.
- Premium runs on an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X or 9950X, gets more CPU time and storage per plan and comes with DDoS protection through Cloudflare Magic Transit.
Minecraft simulates the world mostly on a single CPU core, so the difference shows when things get busy: lots of players at once, large farms, heavy redstone or a big modpack. If you’re unsure, start on Standard and keep an eye on CPU usage in the game panel on busy evenings. More detail is in Standard or Premium: which game server is right for you?
What would it cost for your group? Every Minecraft plan from 4 GB to 64 GB is listed with its monthly price on one page. See the Minecraft plans.
Realms, free hosts and self-hosting: what do they really cost?
Realms
Realms is Mojang’s own server subscription. It’s easy, and console players join without any workaround. On the other hand, the player count is fixed and a Java Realm doesn’t take plugins or mods. The full comparison is in Minecraft Realms vs your own server.
Free hosts
Aternos is free, and according to its own site there’s no way to pay for anything. You pay in other ways: sometimes there’s a queue, the server stops once the last player leaves and you can’t upload your own plugins. Fine for a start. Once you’ve outgrown it, read Aternos alternative.
Self-hosting
On your own PC there’s no subscription, but there is a power bill. A worked example: a PC averaging 100 watts day and night uses 72 kWh in 30 days. Eurostat puts the average household electricity price in the EU at about 29 cents per kWh in the second half of 2025, all taxes included. That makes roughly 21 euros a month for power alone. Prices vary a lot between countries, so plug in your own rate: watts × hours ÷ 1,000 × your price per kWh. If the PC is only on while you play, or uses less power, you pay less. How to set one up is in How to make a Minecraft server.
Which costs are easy to forget?
- A domain name. Nice for an address like play.yourname.com, but not required. Domains are paid per year.
- Paid plugins. Most plugins are free, but some cost money.
- Growth. If more players join, you may need a bigger plan later, so start small.
- Your own time. When you host at home, everything is on you. With a rented server we look after the machine and the network, and you set the rules.
What you won’t pay with us: setup fees. You’re not tied in either, because you can cancel any month. Backups are included: each server keeps 2 at a time, and you can download them. You pay through Stripe, with options such as iDEAL, Bancontact, card or PayPal. That leaves money for cake at the opening night. Comparing several hosts? Read How to compare Minecraft server hosts as well.
