Coalstack vs Minehut
Minehut is a hosted Minecraft service with a free starter plan that sleeps when empty. Coalstack runs a server on your own PC. What each is good at, and which to pick.
| Coalstack | Minehut | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, one-time Plus | Free starter plan, paid plans above it |
| Where the server runs | Your own PC | Minehut's servers |
| Your PC has to be on | ||
| Memory | What your PC has | 1 GB on the free plan, up to 14 GB on paid |
| Player slots | None set by Coalstack | 10 on the free plan |
| Sleeps when empty | Optional (Wake on join, Java) | Yes, except the top plan |
| Java and Bedrock together | ||
| Plugins | Modrinth installer | Upload from the dashboard |
| Server software and loader choice | ||
| Minecraft-specific crash diagnosis |
The short version
Minehut is a hosted service: you create a server on its website and it runs on its hardware. There is a free starter plan, and paid plans raise the memory and player limits. On the free plan servers sleep when empty and wake the moment a player joins.
Coalstack runs a server on your own PC. There's no host, so there are no plans to climb, and the limits are the ones your computer has.
Where Minehut wins
- No hardware needed. It runs when your PC is off, and nothing on your side has to stay powered on or connected.
- Crossplay is built in. Its site says every server supports it: Java and Bedrock players use different addresses and share one world.
- Players reach it through Minehut's address, so there is no router setup and no home address to hide.
- An always-on tier exists. Its top plan stays online all the time, if you would rather pay than run a PC.
Where Coalstack is different
- No memory or slot ladder. Coalstack's free tier has no cap on servers or players. How big a server gets depends on your PC, not a plan.
- You choose the server software. Vanilla, Paper, Spigot, Fabric, Quilt, Forge and NeoForge, with a Modrinth installer for mods and plugins on the free tier, and the modpack installer on Coalstack Plus.
- Sleep is your choice. Wake on join is optional and free for Java servers, so you can have a server that starts when someone joins, or one that stays up.
- You keep the files. Backups go to a folder or Google Drive, and unlimited destinations including S3-compatible storage come with Plus.
The catch with running it at home
Your PC must be on for the server to be up, and friends connect over your home internet. Coalstack can open the port with uPnP or use a Playit tunnel, but a hosted plan does that part for you. If nobody in your group has a PC that can stay on, a host is the easier answer.
Which should you use?
Minehut if you want a small hosted server up in minutes, ten slots is enough, and you don't have a PC to run it on.
Coalstack if you have the PC, want to pick your own server software and mods, or don't want to be held to a plan's memory or player limit.
Minehut's details come from its own site as of October 2026. Plans change, so check there for the current limits.
Comparing something else? See all comparisons.
Try Coalstack instead of Minehut?
The free tier doesn't expire, so you can run both side by side and keep whichever you like.
DownloadSee pricing