free · switching from radmin vpn
A Radmin VPN alternative where friends install nothing
Radmin VPN picked up much of the audience Hamachi left behind, and for the same reason: it is free, it is simple, and it makes a handful of machines behave like they share a LAN so that LAN-aware games work over the internet.
It also inherits the same two constraints. Everyone who wants to play installs it first, and the client is Windows-only, so a friend on a Mac or a Linux box is simply out. Self Hostd approaches the problem from the server's side instead: your machine gets a public address, and the people connecting to it use nothing but Minecraft.
Where Radmin VPN is strong
- Completely free, with no adverts and no paid tier, funded by the separate commercial Radmin product.
- No cap on the number of players in a network, which is more generous than Tailscale's six-user free plan or ZeroTier's ten-device one.
- Simple to set up: create a network, share the name and password, and people appear in a list.
- Purpose-built for LAN gaming, so older titles that only support local multiplayer work through it.
- Nothing is exposed to the public internet, so there is no address for anyone outside the network to reach.
What changes when the server has its own address
Nothing for players to install
No client, no network name and password to circulate, no walking someone through an installer over voice chat before you can start playing.
Your friends are not all on Windows
Radmin VPN lists support for Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7, with no macOS or Linux client. A public address works from any Minecraft client on any operating system, which is usually the deciding factor the moment one person has a Mac.
No virtual network adapter
Adapter-based tools can conflict with other VPNs, corporate software and occasionally with the game's own network discovery. Nothing is installed on the player side, so there is nothing to conflict.
It knows what a Minecraft server is
Radmin moves LAN traffic and does not care what it carries. Our launcher sizes RAM, applies sensible Java flags, restarts a crashed server and explains the crash in plain English.
The rest of the toolkit
Live console in the browser, control from Discord, and off-site backups twice a week, all free.
Side by side
| Radmin VPN | Self Hostd (free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Players install software | Yes, every one | No |
| Player operating systems | Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7 only | Any |
| Joining process | Install, join network, enter password | Type the address into Minecraft |
| Virtual network adapter | Yes, on every machine | None |
| Public server possible | No | Yes |
| Minecraft awareness | None | RAM guidance, Java flags, crash diagnosis, auto-restart |
| Backups | Not applicable | Twice-weekly, off-site, one-click restore |
Based on each product's published free tier as of 11 August 2026. If something here has changed, tell us and we will correct it.
Moving off a Radmin network
- 1Keep the server folderYour world, mods and settings stay exactly as they are. Only the way people reach the server changes.
- 2Create a server and pairMake a free account, press Create your server, copy the 6-digit pairing code, put the Self Hostd launcher in the folder, open it, paste the code and press Start.
- 3Share the address and stand down the networkSend friends the new address. Once everyone is on it, the Radmin network has nothing left to do and they can uninstall the client.
Full step-by-step instructions, including the modpack path, live in the Self Hostd setup guide.
Questions you'd be right to ask
Why is my Radmin VPN Minecraft server not working?
The usual causes are that a player is not connected to the same network, a firewall is blocking Java on the host, or the virtual adapter is conflicting with another VPN. Connecting to the host's Radmin address directly rather than relying on LAN discovery rules out one of the three quickly.
Is Radmin VPN safe to use?
It is a legitimate product from an established company. The consideration is not safety so much as scope: it installs a network adapter on every player's machine and puts them on a shared virtual network, which is more access than someone needs in order to play Minecraft with you.
Does Radmin VPN work on Mac?
No. Radmin VPN lists Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7 only, with no macOS or Linux client, which is the most common reason groups move away from it. A server reached by a public address works from any Minecraft client regardless of operating system.
Do my friends need to install anything with Self Hostd?
No. The launcher runs on the machine hosting the server. Everyone else opens Minecraft, adds your address and plays, exactly as they would with any other server.
One address, any operating system
Coming from somewhere else?