You can run a Minecraft server for free without leaving your PC on all night or opening ports on your router. The ValueGameNode free plan gives you 2 GB RAM, 5 GB NVMe storage, DDoS protection and SFTP access, with no credit card. This guide explains what "free" means in practice, roughly how many players it handles, and when a paid plan makes sense. To start one, go to the free server page.
What "free" really means
A free server is not magic. Someone pays for the hardware, so every free host sets a limit somewhere. Common catches elsewhere are a credit card "for verification", ads you must watch to stay online, or so little RAM that a world with friends will not load.
Our limit is easy to see: a session lasts up to 180 minutes (3 hours). Then the server stops. You can start it again from your dashboard whenever you like, and your world is kept between sessions. No card is needed.
What you get on the ValueGameNode free plan
- RAM: 2 GB.
- Storage: 5 GB NVMe.
- Software: Paper (Java Edition).
- Uptime: up to 3 hours per session, restart any time.
- DDoS protection and SFTP file access.
- Players: no player limit is set. Performance is the real limit.
- Credit card: not needed.
Paid plans start at 4 GB RAM and 15 GB NVMe, run 24/7, and offer more server types (Paper, Spigot, Forge, Fabric, and Bedrock).
How to start in 3 steps
- Sign in or create an account on the free server page. No card.
- Start the server from the dashboard at
/manage/free/. It runs Paper. If you wonder what that means, read Paper vs vanilla. - Share the address with your friends. They add it in Minecraft under Multiplayer → Add Server. To check it answers from outside, paste it into the server status checker.
If this is your first server, the first Minecraft server guide covers the next decisions.
How many players 2 GB handles
There is no hard number. It depends more on what the players do than on how many they are. Treat this as rough guidance:
- Paper, small world, no plugins: a small group of friends playing together is usually fine.
- A few lightweight plugins: still usually fine for a small group. Every plugin adds some memory.
- Many players exploring new terrain at once: this is where 2 GB runs out first. Generating chunks costs memory.
- Modpacks (Forge or Fabric): not on the free plan, and large packs need much more RAM anyway.
If the server crashes with exit code 137 or freezes when someone explores, it ran out of memory. That is the clearest sign you have outgrown 2 GB.
Tip: lower view-distance and simulation-distance in server.properties. On 2 GB that change helps more than anything else.
The 3-hour session limit, explained
The limit fits how most people use a free server: an evening with friends. When the session ends:
- the server stops
- your world is kept
- you start it again from the dashboard and carry on
It does not suit an always-online community, farms that must run overnight, or friends in other time zones who join at random hours. Those need a server that runs 24/7.
Free vs paid
- Free: 2 GB RAM, 5 GB NVMe, Paper, sessions up to 3 hours, no card.
- Paid: from 4 GB RAM and 15 GB NVMe up to 32 GB and 150 GB, always on, more server types including mods.
Both have DDoS protection and SFTP.
When to upgrade
- Friends want to play when you are not online. Only a 24/7 server does that.
- You want mods or a bigger world. You need more RAM and a Forge or Fabric server.
- The server keeps running out of memory. More RAM is the fix that settings cannot replace.
When you upgrade, you keep the same server, world and plugins. The smallest paid plan, Dirt Starter, is €3.99/mo with 4 GB RAM and 15 GB NVMe. With plugins or a small modpack, Stone Builder (€7.99/mo, 8 GB) is the next step.
Start your free server – no card →
Need 24/7? Plans from €3.99/mo →