The three common options, side by side
What actually changes when you switch
No queue. There is no shared pool to wait in. Tap start and the server starts, at 4pm on a Saturday like any other time.
No sleep. The server keeps running when the last player logs off, so farms keep ticking, redstone keeps running and nobody has to be first to wake it up.
Real file access. A built-in file browser lets you upload plugins and mods and edit .yml, .json and .properties directly, plus a live console with command execution.
No ads. The free tier is ad-supported in the app, and Premium removes ads entirely — but nothing gates the hosting itself.
The trade-off, stated plainly
Aternos needs no hardware at all. Anvil-MC needs a phone, and that phone is the server:
- It has to stay on and connected for anyone to join.
- It should stay on a charger — hosting uses noticeably more battery.
- Its RAM and thermal limits set your ceiling. Roughly 2 GB free starts most servers; 4–6 GB is the comfortable range for modded or busier worlds.
If you have no spare device and play only occasionally, a free cloud host is still the more practical choice. Anvil-MC wins when you have a phone to dedicate and want uptime and control.
Bringing an existing world across
Download your world from your current host as a .zip, then import it straight into Anvil-MC — world import and backup from a .zip is built in. Match the server software and version you were running (Paper, Spigot, Fabric or NeoForge) and re-upload your plugins or mods through the file browser.
Read the long version
Our full write-up compares all three on cost, uptime, mods and effort: Anvil-MC vs Aternos vs Realms — which should you use? If you are weighing every no-PC option, including LAN and old laptops, see how to host a Minecraft server without a PC.
