The exaroton Alternative That's More Generous
If you already love pay-per-hour Minecraft hosting, you understand Alpenglow in one sentence: same fair 1-credit-per-GB-hour model, bulk packs up to ~23% cheaper, and a free trial 10x the size — 50 credits, no card required.
Credit where it's due
exaroton (built by the Aternos team) proved that pay-per-hour Minecraft hosting is the right model for casual groups: you buy credits, they burn only while the server runs, and nobody pays for an empty server. We think that's exactly how hosting should work — Alpenglow uses the same formula.
The differences are in the details that matter once you actually play: how much a credit costs as your group's playtime grows, how long your friends wait when the server wakes up, and who answers when something breaks.
exaroton vs. Alpenglow, side by side
exaroton details from its public pricing and documentation as of June 2026 — check exaroton.com for current terms. exaroton is a trademark of Aternos GmbH. Alpenglow Hosting is not affiliated with or endorsed by Aternos GmbH.
The math for a real friend group
A 4 GB server, 6 hours of group play a week ≈ 104 credits/month. At exaroton's flat rate that's ~€1.04 — at Alpenglow's €25 pack it's ~€0.80. Small numbers either way; the bigger difference is starting with 50 free credits instead of 5.
Claim 50 Free CreditsUp to 25 hours of play · No card required
Common questions
Is Alpenglow actually cheaper than exaroton?
At the smallest top-up, the price is identical: €0.01 per credit (1 GB-hour). The difference is volume — exaroton charges the same flat rate no matter how much you buy, while Alpenglow's packs add bonus credits: +10% at €5, +20% at €10, +30% at €25. At the €25 pack you pay about €0.0077 per GB-hour, roughly 23% less.
What's the difference when my server is asleep and someone joins?
On both services your server stops burning credits when it's empty. On exaroton, joining players sit in an offline waiting lobby while the actual server goes through a full restart. On Alpenglow the server wakes automatically and is typically back online in 30–60 seconds — your first join attempt may time out; just reconnect once it's up.
Why would I switch for a small price difference?
If exaroton works well for your group, it's a solid service — the model itself is fair on both sides. Groups that switch usually do it for the 10x bigger free trial, the bulk-pack savings as their playtime grows, and founder-level support. The 50 free credits mean you can test the difference on a real SMP evening without spending anything.
Coming from a free host instead? See how Alpenglow compares to Aternos.