Step two: At least one player needs to subscribe to Minecraft Realms Minecraft Realms Plus is the official subscription-based server host for Bedrock Minecraft, whereas Minecraft Realms: Java ...

However, Mojang also provides beta access in the form of Java snapshots and Bedrock previews. The latest entry in both has implemented something exciting for the Realms multiplayer feature.

To play with friends, you'll need Minecraft Realms, which (like Java hosting) one person will have to pay for, and others can then join for free.