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Realms Alternatives for Friends: Cost, Players, Mods, What You Give Up

Last checked: 6 October 2026

The main alternatives to Realms for a Java Edition friend group are free hosts such as Aternos and Minehut, exaroton (pay for the hours the server runs), self-hosting on your own PC, and Shulkerboxes (free Java Edition hosting, invite-only, in the US, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Brazil). Realms for Java costs $7.99 USD a month and lets you plus 10 other players play at the same time, according to minecraft.net on 6 October 2026. Choose with three questions: do you need mods or plugins, will more than 11 people be online at once, and do you want a monthly bill?

What Realms gives you

Realms is Mojang’s own hosting. On minecraft.net, as checked on 6 October 2026, Realms for Java Edition:

  • Costs $7.99 USD a month, recurring. New subscribers get a one-month free trial that continues at the monthly price unless cancelled.
  • Lets you plus 10 other players play at the same time. You can invite many more; the page lists 10,000 invited friends.
  • Lets friends play free. Invited friends don’t need their own Realms subscription, and they can play your active world when you are not online.
  • Is always on. The page lists a personal server available 24/7, and friends can play when you are not online.
  • Includes free backups and three world slots, with one world playable at a time.
  • Keeps your worlds. After a subscription expires you have 18 months to download them.

For a group that wants no setup at all and is happy to pay, that is a good deal, and the options below are not automatically better.

What you give up with Realms

  • A monthly bill. $7.99 a month is $95.88 a year at the listed price.
  • A cap on players online at once. You plus 10. A bigger group has to take turns.
  • Mods and plugins. The Realms for Java page lists “free community content” and does not list mods or plugins, and the Minecraft Wiki’s Realms page says mods and plugins cannot be installed.
  • Bedrock friends. The Realms page says a Java Realm is only for Java players, and a Bedrock Realm only for Bedrock players. Bedrock Realms costs $3.99 USD a month for you plus 2 players, and Realms Plus $7.99 USD a month for you plus 10.

Alternatives compared

ServiceCostPlayers online at onceMods / pluginsWhen nobody is onWhat you give up
Realms (Java)$7.99 USD a month, after a one-month trial for new subscribersYou + 10“Free community content” listed; mods and plugins not listedAlways on (24/7)A monthly bill and the player cap
Realms / Realms Plus (Bedrock)$3.99 or $7.99 USD a monthYou + 2, or you + 10Marketplace content and add-ons, not Java modsStays online, like a Java RealmBedrock players only
AternosFreeUnlimited slots, per its siteYes: plugins (Paper, Spigot, Purpur), mods (Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, Quilt) and modpacksStops empty servers after a countdownAds on its site; a start queue when its servers are full
MinehutFree Starter plan and paid plans10 player slots on the free Starter planPlugins, uploaded from the dashboardFree servers sleep when empty and wake when a player joins1 GB RAM on the free plan; its cookie notice says ads keep free servers free
FalixNodesFree plan and paid plansNo slot cap, per its siteYes: Paper, Forge, Fabric, modpacks and moreFree servers sleep after inactivity; anyone with the address can wake one with its Start Server tool2.5 GB of shared RAM on the free plan
Play HostingFree plan with 3 GB RAM; VPS plans from £4 a monthNo slot limit, per its siteYes: modpack installer and mod uploadFree servers start through a queueA start queue its help center says takes “a few seconds to a few minutes”
exaroton1 credit per GB of RAM per hour; trial without a payment methodCheck its siteYes: Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, Paper, Purpur, Spigot, and 500+ modpacksOptional start by joining and automatic shutdown after idle timeYou pay for every hour it runs after the trial
Self-hostingFree server software from minecraft.net; your PC and powerLimited by your PCYesRuns only while your PC is onSetup, a PC left on, and port forwarding or a tunnel
ShulkerboxesFree, no ads, no credit cardCheck before you joinPaper with built-in homes and /tpa; no modpacks or custom pluginsWakes when a friend joins, ready in about a minuteUS, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Brazil only; invite-only waitlist, gameplay recorded for AI datasets

How to choose

  1. Want zero setup and always on, and happy to pay? Stay on Realms.
  2. More than 11 people online at once? Aternos says it has unlimited slots, and FalixNodes and Play Hosting list no slot limit; exaroton or self-hosting also work if you give the server enough memory.
  3. Need mods or plugins? Aternos, FalixNodes, Play Hosting, exaroton or self-hosting for both; Minehut for plugins.
  4. Play a few evenings a week and can pay a little? exaroton charges only for the hours the server runs.
  5. Want zero cost and no ads? Self-hosting, or Shulkerboxes if your group is in the US, Spain, Germany, Mexico or Brazil, has an invite, and is comfortable with gameplay recording.

Moving a world off Realms

  1. Download the world from your Realm. Minecraft.net says worlds stay downloadable for 18 months after a subscription expires.
  2. On the new host, create a server on the same game version as the world.
  3. Upload the world through the new host’s file manager or world upload tool, if it has one.
  4. Start the server and check that builds and inventories look right before you cancel Realms.

Version mismatches are the most common problem after a move. See our outdated server guide. If friends can’t reach the new address, see the timeout guide.

Where Shulkerboxes fits (and doesn't)

Shulkerboxes is free Minecraft: Java Edition hosting for a friend group, with no ads, no credit card and no port forwarding. A server wakes up when a friend joins and is ready in about a minute, and your group gets a private Discord channel with the team. It is invite-only with a waitlist and open in the US, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Brazil. It is free because gameplay is recorded and de-identified into AI training datasets, and chat is recorded only if you opt in (full explanation). Every player sees a notice before playing. Compared with Realms, there is no monthly bill; the trade is the recording. Servers run Paper with built-in homes and /tpa, and your saved world is yours to download. Modpacks and custom plugins are not supported, and Bedrock players cannot join, so if your group needs those, pick a host that supports them.

Have an invite code? Enter it on the home page. No invite yet? Join the waitlist and we will save you a spot.

FAQ

Is Minecraft Realms worth it?

It is worth it if your group wants a world that stays online with no setup and is happy with vanilla Minecraft. Realms for Java costs $7.99 USD a month (checked 6 October 2026), lets you plus 10 players play at once, and includes backups. If your group wants mods or plugins, or does not want a monthly bill, a free host is usually the better fit.

How much is Realms for Java Edition?

Minecraft.net lists Realms for Java at $7.99 USD a month, recurring (checked 6 October 2026). New subscribers get a one-month free trial that continues at the monthly price unless cancelled.

How many players can play on a Java Realm?

You plus 10 other players at the same time. You can invite more friends than that; the Realms page lists 10,000 invited friends.

Do my friends need to pay for Realms?

No. Minecraft.net says the people you invite do not need their own Realms subscription and play on your Realm for free. Each friend still needs to own Minecraft for the same edition, because a Java Realm only takes Java players.

Can friends play on my Realm when I’m offline?

Yes. Minecraft.net says invited friends can play your active world at any time, even when you are not online. On most free hosts friends can also play without you, but the server may first need to be woken or started.

Can I use mods on Realms for Java?

The Realms for Java page lists free community content and does not list mods or plugins, and the Minecraft Wiki’s Realms page says they cannot be installed. If your group needs mods, use a host that says it supports them, or self-host.

Is there a free alternative to Realms?

Yes. Aternos and Minehut have free plans with ads and limits, self-hosting costs only your PC and power, and Shulkerboxes is free for groups in the US, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Brazil with an invite, paid for by recorded gameplay.

What happens to my Realm world if I stop paying?

Minecraft.net says your worlds are yours to keep, and you have 18 months to download them after the subscription expires.

Sources