What the free plan actually includes
The panel is the same one paying customers get. No credit card is involved at any point.
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Live console
Run commands, read the log, restart
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Plugin manager
Install plugins without touching a file
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File manager and FTP
Upload worlds, jars and modpacks
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DDoS protection
Applied across the whole network
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A public address
A minefort.com subdomain, or bring your own
What paying adds
- Online 24/7, so the server answers while you are asleep
- More RAM and CPU, from 2 GB up to 12 GB
- More player slots, from 35 up to 200
- More backup slots
- An ad-free dashboard
Minefort publishes these as the reasons to upgrade, which is also the clearest statement of where the free plan stops.
The life of a server
Four stages, in the order they happen. Most servers never leave the third.
- Stage 1
Create
Sign up with an email, pick a name, hit create. The server boots in a few seconds on a minefort.com subdomain — nothing to install, no port forwarding, no router settings.
- Stage 2
Configure
Swap the jar for Paper or Spigot, install plugins from the plugin manager, edit server.properties from the panel, and drop files in over FTP.
- Stage 3
Invite
Your friends paste your address into Minecraft's Add Server box. The world and its files stay on Minefort, so nobody has to leave a PC running at home.
- Stage 4
Outgrow
When free stops being enough — a heavy modpack, more player slots, a server that has to stay up while you sleep — a paid plan starts at $5.99 a month.
What the paid tiers cost
Minefort's published monthly pricing. Every paid tier is online 24/7 with unlimited plugins. Purchases are final — Minefort does not refund or swap plans, so pick the tier you actually need.
| Plan | Price | RAM | Player slots |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cottage | $5.99/mo | 2 GB | 35 |
| House | $11.49/mo | 4 GB | 50 |
| Mansion | $23.99/mo | 8 GB | 100 |
| Fort | $47.99/mo | 12 GB | 200 |
Free is enough when
- You and a handful of friends play in the evenings
- You are running vanilla, Paper or a short plugin list
- Nobody minds if the server is not up around the clock
- You are testing an idea before committing money to it
Pay when
- The server has to stay up while you are asleep
- A heavy modpack needs real RAM behind it
- You have advertised the IP and strangers are joining
- You want the server listed publicly and judged on uptime
Common questions
- Is Minefort actually free?
- Yes. Minefort has a free plan and signing up takes no credit card. Paid plans start at $5.99 a month and exist for more RAM, more player slots and 24/7 uptime. Minefort does not publish the exact RAM the free plan gets, so treat it as enough for a small vanilla or Paper world rather than a modpack.
- Do free servers stay online when nobody is playing?
- No. Minefort lists 24/7 availability as a reason to upgrade, which means free servers are not guaranteed to stay up when you are away. For a group that plays together in the evenings this rarely matters.
- Can I use plugins and mods?
- Yes. Minefort supports Vanilla, Spigot and Paper, ships a plugin manager, and lets you upload custom jars and modpacks through the file manager or FTP.
- Can I use my own domain?
- Servers get a minefort.com subdomain by default. You can connect a custom domain instead if you own one.
- Can I list the server on Crafty?
- Yes. Once your server is online and has players, add it to the Crafty server list and it gets a public page with uptime graphs, player counts, reviews and upvotes.
Your address is one signup away
Pick a name, hit create, paste the address into Minecraft. When the server has players, list it on Crafty and it gets a page of its own.
Crafty earns a commission if you sign up through the links on this page. It does not change what you pay, and the numbers above are Minefort's own published figures.