MineStrator free: resources and limits (2026)

MineStrator does offer a genuine free Minecraft server for life. The MyBoxFree plan currently includes 4 GB of RAM, one dedicated CPU core plus a FlexCore, 8 GB of NVMe storage and hosting in France, with no credit card required. According to the official page we consulted, it carries no advertising and no queue.

The words "for life" do not mean the server stays online without any action on your part. You have to renew the plan for free every 30 days, and the server shuts down after four hours of inactivity. It can then be restarted in one click. The other documented limitation is the absence of SmartBackup, the automatic backup system of the paid plans.

Here is the detail, with the confirmed points, the limitations and the few contradictions found in the official documentation.

What is MineStrator?

MineStrator is a French game server host launched in 2017. The service is operated by OctoGency, a French company registered with the Castres trade register under SIREN 844 727 594. Its legal status can be checked in the MineStrator legal notice.

The offering is no longer limited to Minecraft. The "MyBox" principle is to rent a pool of resources (memory, CPU and storage) then split it between one or several game servers where the plan allows it. For Minecraft, MineStrator supports Java, Bedrock, plugin-based software and several mod loaders.

Three offers not to be confused

MineStrator uses the word "free" for two different products: the free server for life, and a 12-hour trial of a paid plan. A third category covers the paid MyBox plans.

Plan	Duration	Main resources	After the period	Intended use
MyBoxFree	Free for life, renewed every 30 days	4 GB RAM, 1 core + 1 FlexCore, 8 GB NVMe	The service must be renewed; shutdown after 4 h of inactivity	Small occasional server
MyBox trial	12 hours	MyBox 12 or MyBoxPerf 12, so 12 GB of RAM	Nothing is charged automatically; you must subscribe to continue	Testing the panel and performance
Paid MyBox	Cycles of 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 months	From 4 to 64 GB on the public plans	Automatic renewal unless disabled	A lasting, always-on server

Sources: MyBoxFree, 12-hour free trial, MyBox comparison and MineStrator terms of service.

What MyBoxFree actually includes

The official page of the free Minecraft server publishes the following resources.

Specification	MyBoxFree Minecraft
Price	Free
Credit card	Not required
RAM	4 GB DDR4
CPU	1 dedicated core + 1 FlexCore
Stated processor	Intel Xeon Gold 6230R
Storage	8 GB SSD NVMe
Location	France
Editions	Minecraft Java or Bedrock
Free servers	1 per account
Advertising	None "as of today", according to MineStrator
Queue	None stated
Automatic shutdown	After 4 hours of inactivity
Keeping it active	Free renewal every 30 days
Automatic SmartBackup	Not included
Anti-DDoS protection	Included according to MineStrator

Main source: official MyBoxFree Minecraft page. For SmartBackup, the dedicated backup page states explicitly that MyBoxFree does not benefit from it.

4 GB of RAM and 8 GB of NVMe storage

Four gigabytes of RAM is a credible allocation for a small vanilla or Paper server. In its FAQ, MineStrator gives 1 to 5 vanilla players for 4 GB as a rule of thumb. That figure remains a commercial recommendation, not a guarantee: the real number depends on view distance, plugins, the number of loaded chunks, world generation and the Minecraft version.

The 8 GB of storage is a more concrete limit. A recent world played with friends will fit, but a map explored over long distances, large logs or a heavy modpack can fill that space quickly. MineStrator publishes no way to exceed this capacity for free.

One dedicated core, plus a FlexCore

The MyBoxFree page states an Intel Xeon Gold 6230R, with one dedicated core and one FlexCore. MineStrator describes FlexCore as extra CPU capacity available during occasional peaks. That description does not make the plan equivalent to two permanently dedicated cores: the published allocation remains one dedicated core, supplemented by a temporary capacity mechanism.

We have not measured the frequency actually available, the TPS, chunk generation time or the level of contention. It would therefore be misleading to conclude from the processor model alone that MyBoxFree is faster or slower than another plan.

Java, Bedrock, plugins and mods

MineStrator states that MyBoxFree accepts Minecraft Java and Minecraft Bedrock. For Java, the page mentions Vanilla, Paper and Spigot, while its FAQ also mentions Forge and Fabric and confirms that plugins and mods can be installed from the panel.

The official wording stays cautious about modpacks: demanding Forge or Fabric packs are steered towards the paid plans. So it is fair to say mods and plugins are supported, but not that any large modpack will run properly on 4 GB of RAM and 8 GB of disk.

No advertising and no queue, currently

MineStrator states that its free plan is funded by the company and that it involves, "as of today", no advertising and nothing to give in return. The same page mentions an immediate restart, with no queue and no timer.

The phrase "as of today" matters: it describes the situation at the time of publication, not an unchanging contractual promise. The terms of service also state that the conditions of free plans may change.

The limitations to know before creating your server

1. The server must be renewed every 30 days

The free plan renews without payment, but it is not entirely passive. The account holder has to log into the client area and renew MyBoxFree in one click every 30 days. MineStrator states that this renewal keeps the same server and the same data.

This is less demanding than a daily restart, but it does mean not forgetting the deadline.

2. Shutdown after four hours of inactivity

The limit should not be distorted: MineStrator does not say each session is capped at four hours. The page states that the server shuts down after four hours of inactivity. An active session can therefore last longer; it is the absence of activity that triggers the shutdown.

After that shutdown, the owner can restart the server in one click, as many times as they want, with no stated queue. The practical trade-off is clear: if nobody has played for several hours, the first player may not be able to connect until the owner restarts the service from the panel.

MyBoxFree therefore suits a group that coordinates better than a public server expected to be reachable at any hour without intervention.

3. One free plan per account

The MyBoxFree page limits the offer to one free server per account. The terms go further: free and trial plans are limited to one account per individual or company, and creating extra accounts to get around that limit can lead to the suspension of the accounts involved.

This restriction prevents, for example, creating a free proxy, a lobby and several game servers across different accounts belonging to the same person.

4. SmartBackup is not included

This is the easiest point to misrepresent. The general FAQ says MyBoxFree keeps an interface that includes "backups". The official SmartBackup page, however, is unambiguous: "Only free MyBoxFree servers do not benefit from it."

The reasonable conclusion is this: do not count on automatic SmartBackup backups with MyBoxFree. You can download your files from the panel, but you have to organise a regular copy of your world yourself.

This precaution matters all the more because the terms forbid external automated backup systems that continuously consume server resources. Manual downloads and one-off exports remain allowed.

5. The free location is France

The MyBoxFree page states hosting in France. MineStrator's general FAQ mentions ten international locations and the ability to switch, but that describes the overall infrastructure and does not confirm the choice is available for free.

6. No specific player cap is published

The page sets no numerical player cap for MyBoxFree. It refers to a small community, and the FAQ recommends 4 GB for 1 to 5 vanilla players. It would be wrong to turn that recommendation into a contractual limit, or conversely to advertise unlimited slots with no official text specific to MyBoxFree.

7. Large modpacks remain limited by resources

Forge and Fabric are mentioned, but 4 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage do not suit every pack. MineStrator itself recommends its paid plans for large modpacks. For a pack such as All the Mods, a network with a proxy, or a community generating many chunks, the ceiling will usually come from RAM, CPU or disk before any player limit.

What happens if MyBoxFree expires?

The sales page promises that the monthly renewal does not delete data. For a service that has actually expired, the terms describe a more precise mechanism:

for 14 days after expiry, MineStrator states it keeps the last backup of the data, recoverable through support;
beyond that, the data of an initially free service may be archived for up to one year;
this archiving is provided on a best-effort basis, with no guarantee it will be kept for the full stated period;
restoring an archive after that period requires subscribing to a new active paid service.

It is therefore better to download the world and important files regularly, and above all before the renewal date. Post-expiry archiving should not be treated as a guaranteed backup.

Source: the data portability section of the MineStrator terms of service.

The 12-hour free trial: more powerful, but temporary

The 12-hour trial is not an upgraded MyBoxFree. It temporarily lends you a real paid plan:

MyBox 12: 12 GB of RAM, AMD EPYC 9354P, DDR5 4800 and Gen4 NVMe;
MyBoxPerf 12: 12 GB of RAM, Ryzen 9 9900X OC, DDR5 5200 and Gen5 NVMe.

The trial page states that no credit card is required and that nothing is charged automatically at the end. Slots are shown as limited depending on the range. The FAQ announces access to the full panel, WebSFTP, web hosting, plugins, modpacks and SmartBackup during the test.

On frequency, the terms mention one use per customer per week, while the FAQ presents the MyBox and MyBoxPerf trials as independent. Since those two wordings are not identical, it is safer to apply the stricter contractual rule and check the eligibility shown in your account.

The trial is useful for testing a modpack, the panel, or the difference between ranges. It is not permanent hosting.

The paid plans: prices and useful differences

On monthly billing, the standard MyBox range starts at €6.99 incl. VAT per month. Here are the first three tiers displayed on 29 August 2026. These prices are MineStrator's own published rates, in euros.

Plan	Price on a one-month cycle	RAM	Stated CPU	Storage	Simultaneous servers
MyBox 4	€6.99/month	4 GB DDR4	2 cores, EPYC 7543P	20 GB NVMe	1
MyBox 8	€13.99/month	8 GB DDR4	2 cores + 1 FlexCore, EPYC 7543P	50 GB NVMe	2
MyBox 12	€20.99/month	12 GB DDR5	3 cores + 1 FlexCore, EPYC 9354P	80 GB NVMe	3

MineStrator applies discounts based on cycle length: 10 % on 3 months, 25 % on 6 months, 40 % on 12 months and 50 % on 24 months. The €3.50/month headline price is therefore the monthly equivalent of MyBox 4 on a 24-month cycle, not the price of a monthly cycle. Automatic renewal can be disabled from the client area; the cycle already paid for stays active until it ends.

The paid plans add SmartBackup, more storage, several servers depending on the tier, databases, a subdomain, web hosting and permanent availability. The terms state a monthly SLA of 99.9 % excluding scheduled maintenance, with compensation in credits under conditions.

Sources: official MyBox comparison, configurator and terms of service.

Refund policy on the paid plans

MineStrator grants a seven-day commercial guarantee on MyBox and MyBoxPerf:

full refund if the request is made within the first 24 hours;
pro-rata refund of unused days between the end of the first 24 hours and the seventh day;
request by ticket from the client area;
refund to the original payment method for card and PayPal;
internal credit for Paysafecard and Dedipass;
exclusions for credits, gift cards, promotional codes, MyBox Pro and payments where a Wheel of Fortune token was used.

Cycles of 12 or 24 months also benefit from the withdrawal regime described in the terms. Full conditions are in the refund policy.

When is MineStrator free enough?

Project	MyBoxFree	Why
Learning server administration	Suitable	Free, panel, files, Java or Bedrock
Playing occasionally with a few friends	Suitable	4 GB, manual restart acceptable
Small Paper server with a few plugins	Possible	Provided you watch RAM and storage
Testing a large modpack for a few hours	Prefer the 12 h trial	12 GB and newer hardware during the trial
Public server reachable at any hour	Poorly suited	Shutdown after 4 h of inactivity and manual restart
Large world or many files	Quick ceiling	8 GB of storage
Project needing automatic backups	No	SmartBackup excluded from MyBoxFree
Network of several servers	No	One free server per account

Our view on MineStrator

On published specifications alone, MyBoxFree is a serious and fairly generous free offer: 4 GB of RAM, a dedicated core, NVMe storage, no credit card and, currently, neither advertising nor a queue. It suits a small group better than a public community.

Its limitations are real, though: 8 GB of disk, monthly renewal, shutdown after four hours of inactivity, a single free server and no SmartBackup. These are not hidden flaws once you gather the official pages, but all of this information is not presented in one place.

For the company's general reputation, the MineStrator Trustpilot profile gives an external indicator, worth checking directly since the score changes over time. This kind of score remains a customer satisfaction signal, not proof of technical performance for a given server.

In summary:

yes, the free Minecraft server genuinely exists;
yes, it can be enough for playing occasionally with friends;
no, it should not be presented as an always-on server requiring no intervention;
no, SmartBackup is not included with MyBoxFree according to the dedicated page;
no, no precise player count and no performance figure can be guaranteed from the public pages.

The documentation inconsistencies we are flagging

A trustworthy article also has to say what it cannot settle. As of 29 August 2026, several official pages do not use exactly the same wording.

Topic	What the pages say	Wording used here
MyBoxFree backups	The FAQ mentions "backups", but the SmartBackup page explicitly excludes MyBoxFree	No automatic SmartBackup; manual copies advised
Anti-DDoS capacity	The anti-DDoS page and the configurator do not state the same capacity	Protection included according to MineStrator, without quoting a single figure
Free versions and mods	One section lists Vanilla, Paper and Spigot; the FAQ on the same page also lists Forge and Fabric	Plugins and mods supported, without guaranteeing every large modpack
Trial frequency	The terms state one use per customer per week; the FAQ presents the two ranges as independent	Apply the stricter contractual rule and check account eligibility
Locations	The general FAQ announces ten locations; the MyBoxFree page states France	France for MyBoxFree, without promising international choice

These gaps do not prove the service is faulty. They simply show why a claim should be tied to the most specific, dated page.

MineStrator free or OuiHeberg Start?

The choice is between a free occasional plan and a paid one designed to stay online. Here are the specifications published by both companies.

Specification	MineStrator MyBoxFree	OuiHeberg Minecraft Start
Price	Free	$2.28 incl. VAT/month
RAM	4 GB DDR4	4 GB DDR4 ECC
CPU	1 dedicated core + 1 FlexCore, Xeon Gold 6230R	2 vCPU
Storage	8 GB NVMe	20 GB NVMe
Available without restart after inactivity	No, shutdown after 4 h of inactivity	Yes
Manual monthly action	Yes, renewal every 30 days	No
Automatic backups	SmartBackup not included	Daily, 2 slots
Database	Not confirmed on the MyBoxFree page	1 included
Anti-DDoS	Included according to MineStrator	Anti-DDoS Game included
Servers included	1 free	1

MineStrator free is logically the better choice if the budget has to stay at zero and if restarting after inactivity is not a problem. OuiHeberg Minecraft Start becomes relevant for a permanent server, more storage and automatic backups.

OuiHeberg wrote this comparison. Our plan is therefore presented with the same methodological caveat: the figures above come from both companies' sales pages, not from a comparative measurement we carried out. For a wider view of the market, see our comparison of Minecraft hosts.

Frequently asked questions

Does MineStrator really offer a free Minecraft server for life?

Yes. MyBoxFree is free, requires no credit card and can be kept indefinitely. You do have to renew the service for free every 30 days from the client area.

Does the free MineStrator server run around the clock?

Not unconditionally. It shuts down automatically after four hours of inactivity. The owner can then restart it in one click, with no stated queue. This rule does not cap an active session at four hours.

What are the MyBoxFree specifications?

MineStrator states 4 GB of DDR4 RAM, one dedicated core with a FlexCore on an Intel Xeon Gold 6230R, 8 GB of SSD NVMe storage and hosting in France.

Can you install plugins and mods on the free MineStrator server?

Yes, the official page mentions Paper and Spigot plugins as well as mods, Forge and Fabric. MineStrator nonetheless recommends a paid plan for large modpacks, which need more RAM and storage.

How many players can join MyBoxFree?

No numerical cap specific to MyBoxFree is published. MineStrator recommends 4 GB for roughly 1 to 5 vanilla players, but the result depends on the version, plugins, mods, chunks and settings. This benchmark is neither a contractual limit nor a guarantee.

Are automatic backups included?

Not SmartBackup. The dedicated backup page explicitly excludes MyBoxFree servers, even though the general FAQ uses the word "backups" when describing the free panel. It is wise to download your world and files manually.

What is the difference between MyBoxFree and the 12-hour free trial?

MyBoxFree is lasting but limited to 4 GB of RAM and 8 GB of disk. The trial lends you a MyBox 12 or MyBoxPerf 12 for 12 hours, with 12 GB of RAM and the features of a paid plan. Nothing is charged automatically at the end.

How much does a paid MyBox cost?

The entry tier, MyBox 4, costs €6.99 incl. VAT on a one-month cycle. MineStrator advertises up to 50 % off on a 24-month cycle, an equivalent of €3.50/month for that plan. So the monthly price without a long commitment should be distinguished from the headline price tied to a 24-month cycle.

Is MineStrator a registered French company?

Yes. MineStrator is operated by OctoGency, a French company registered with the Castres trade register under SIREN 844 727 594. MyBoxFree servers are stated to be hosted in France.

Sources consulted

All sources were checked on 29 August 2026.

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