Comparison of Minecraft Launchers

Being a popular name, Minecraft have billions of players around the world. However, the official launcher really sucks, so there exists a plethora of unofficial, third-party launchers that blews the official one miles away in terms of design and functionality. In this post, I try to compare the functionality of the most popular Minecraft launchers/clients. Due to my inability to use all of the launchers in depth and the inherent subjectivity of the topic, I will not compare the design (aesthetics) and performance of different launchers, only their offered functionality.

Launcher Selection

As of Nov 2024, I think there are ten most popular launchers out there: (italics is the one-line summary that exists on each launcher’s official website; these are not my words but theirs.)

1. Minecraft Official Launcher. Well, the one and only, officially supported, launcher. Even though its bad performance, poor functionality, and lack of customization is the root cause of these different third-party launchers’ existence, we still have to admit that this is the most used launcher, and the one that will be used by the beginners after buying the game.

   Mod/Modpack Distribution Website Officials:

2. Modrinth App. The Modrinth App is a unique, open source launcher that allows you to play your favorite mods, and keep them up to date, all in one neat little package. Being the official launcher for the newly popularized mod distribution website Modrinth, this launcher have the best builtin integration with Modrinth mods and modpacks, and is often recommended for modders.
3. CurseForge App. Despite recent controversy, CurseForge is still the oldest, most comprehensive mod distribution website, and its launcher has the best integration with CurseForge mod and modpacks, so this is still the go-to choice for many.

4. FTB App. Being the world’s largest modpack distributor, Feed The Best’s official launcher was, for a quite long time, the only launcher that can download FTB modpacks directly, and it remained a generally okay launcher even to this day with tight integration.

   Internationally Popular:

5. Prism Launcher. An Open Source Minecraft launcher with the ability to manage multiple instances, accounts and mods. Focused on user freedom and free redistributability. This is a fork of PolyMC after one of its main author committed several controversy actions, and PolyMC is a fork of ManyMC, who is a fork of MultiMC. MultiMC used to be the absolute best multi-instance launcher out there, but its development was abandoned in 2023, so multiple forks had emerged. In this post, for the entire MultiMC-series of launcher, I will just use Prism Launcher as a representative of all the MultiMC forks, since it is the most popular one.
6. ATLauncher. ATLauncher is a simple and easy to use Minecraft Launcher which contains 155 modpacks for you to choose from, as well as the ability to browse and install packs from other platforms including CurseForge, Modrinth and Technic. With built-in integration of many modpacks and download channels, this has become a recent favorite for many Minecraft modders.

7. GDLauncher. GDLauncher is a simple, yet powerful Minecraft custom launcher with a strong focus on the user experience. With automatic downloads of mods and modpacks from different channels and a builtin Java version manager, this is also a favorite for many people.

   Chinese Creation: (Due to Netease’s controversy takeover of Minecraft’s distribution in China, many talented developer in China had developed fantastic third-party launchers for the international version of Minecraft, many exceeding the design and functionality provided by these mentioned above. However, a weakness is that these often have not-perfect English support.)

8. HMCL (Hello Minecraft! Launcher). A Minecraft Launcher which is multi-functional, cross-platform and popular. Being one of the oldest launcher developed, it enjoyed unparalleled popularity in China, with many beginner’s tutorial directly recommending this launcher. During its early days, pirated play was a focus, but currently it supports official login pretty well.
9. PCL2 (Plain Craft Launcher 2). A recently-emerged launcher with convenient, sleek UI, and gained popularity very quickly.
10. BakaXL. BakaXL is distinctive in born. Breaking out the layer concept used by classical launchers, BakaXL is more than satisfying to use. You can use the powerful custom theme feature without any additional purchase, with parallax effect and live wallpaper working together, which is amazing! Originally designed as a client for a specific server, it has since emerged to one of the best-looking launchers out there, with blazing fast speed and modern design (written with Rust + Tauri).

What, Your Favorite Launcher Is Not Here?

This guide does not include launchers that

• Only support pirated play of Minecraft. Please buy an official version, it is not expensive.
• Have stopped maintaining.
• Is a fork of one of the above.
• That does not let you create custom instances (such as Technic’s official launcher).
• Have a limited user base.

The last one is subjective, but I really think these ten is a good representation of the most popular launchers in 2024. If you have any suggestions, feel free to open an issue to add more launchers.

Comparison Table

This table only resembles the then-current functionality as of Nov 2024.

		Official	Distribution Official			International			Chinese
		Minecraft Launcher	Modrinth App	CurseForge App	FTB App	Prism Launcher	ATLauncher	GDLauncherThis table focuses on the Carbon version	HMCL	PCL2	BakaXL
										Regular CECommunity Edition	v3 v4Just announced, no snapshot binary available yet
		Development & Background
Developer		Microsoft	Modrinth	Curse LLC	Feed The Beast	CommunityA group of 11 maintainers	Community	GorillaDevs	IndividualMade by huangyuhui	IndividualMade by LTCat (龙腾猫跃) Community	IndividualMade by TT702
Initial release		2013The new launcher (v2.x, v3.x) was released in Jul 2019	2023	2022	2022	2022 (2014 for MultiMC)Prism Launcher's first forked version (v5.0) released in Oct 2022, before that it is under the name of PolyMC since Mar 2022, when it is itself forked from MultiMC	2016	2018	2015	2018 2024	2015
Open Source		No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Stable versions onlySource code repo is only updated after each stable release Yes	No
License		N/A	GPL-3.0	N/A	LGPL-2.1	GPL-3.0	GPL-3.0	CustomThe legacy version was GPL-3.0	GPL-3.0	Custom Custom	N/A
Development BuildsIncluding nightly, beta, ...		Yes	No	No	Yes	YesPer-commit build. Also available as -git packages	Yes	Yes	Yes	Paywalled Yes	YesAlready in LTS, no new feature planned NoInsider preview available for paid members
Core Language		C++	Rust	Unknown	TypeScript	C++	Java	RustThe old version was written in JavaScript	Java	VB.NET	JavaScript Rust
UI FrameworkMany also used Vue, which will not be listed		Chromium Embedded Framework	Tauri		Electron	Qt	Java Swing	SolidJSThe old version was written in Electron	JavaFX	WPF	Electron Tauri
		Platform Support
Windows	64-bit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	32-bitLatest Minecraft version that supports 32-bit OS is 1.20.4	No	No	No	No	NoMultiMC has 32-bit support	Should workJAR file provided	No	Yes	Yes32-bit support works, but no maintenance work is planned. Bugfix reports will be ignored No	Yes
	ARM 64-bitOfficially supported only after 1.19	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Should workJAR file provided	No	YesHMCL extended Minecraft ARM support to 1.8	No Yes	No Yes
macOS	64-bit	Yes	Yes	Universal	Yes	Universal	Universal JAR	Universal	Universal JARHMCL extended Minecraft ARM support to 1.8 using Rosetta 2	No	No Unknown
	ARM 64-bitOfficially supported only after 1.19	Rosetta 2	Yes		Yes						No Yes
Linux	64-bit	DEB+TAR	DEB+RPM	DEB only	DEB+RPM	TAR only	DEB+RPM	AppImage only	JAR		No Yes
	ARM 64-bitOfficially supported only after 1.19	No	No	No	DEB+RPM	Flatpak only	JAR	No	JAR		No Unknown
OtherNo official support		No	No	No	No	No	JAR may work	No	JARHMCL supports ARM32, MIPS64el, RISC-V 64, LoongArch64, and FreeBSD		No
		Distribution ChannelOnly Intel/AMD 64-bit distributions are considered
Portablei.e. no setup and no dependency executable		No	No	No	No	Yes	YesWindows only; other platform can use JAR	No	YesWindows only; other platform can use JAR	No	No
Windows	Microsoft Store	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
	WinGet	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
	Chocolatey	Unofficial	No	No	Unofficial	Unofficial	No	Unofficial	No	No	No
	Scoop	Yesgames/minecraft	Unofficial	Unofficial	No	Yesgames/prismlauncher[-git]	Unofficial	Unofficial	Unofficial	Unofficial No	No
macOS	Homebrew	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	NoThe legacy version is available	No	N/A	N/A
Linux Universal	Flathub	Unofficial	YesAlthough unverified, recommended by the official website	No	No	Yes	Yes	Unofficial	No	N/A	N/A
	AppImage	AppMan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	AppMan
	Snap	Unofficial	No	No	No	No	Abandoned	No	No
Linux Distros	Alpine	No	No	No	No	Community	No	No	No	N/A	N/A
	Archincl. Manjaro	AUROfficially recommended	AUR	AUR	AUR	Yes	AUR	AUR	AUR
	Fedoraincl. CentOS Stream/RHEL	Terra	No	No	No	COPR	No	No	No
	Debianincl. Ubuntu	MPR	No	No	No	MPR	No	No	No
	Pi OS	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
	Gentoo	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
	NixOS	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
	openSUSEincl. SLE	Games	No	No	No	OBS	No	No	OBS
	Slackware	No	No	No	No	SlackBuilds	No	No	No
	Void	No	No	No	No	YesPrismLauncher	No	No	No
		Basics
Minecraft Versions	Releases	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Snapshots	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	BetasDec 2010 (b1.0) - Sep 2011 (b1.8.1)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	AlphasMay 2009 (rd-132211) - Dec 2010 (a1.2.6)	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Experimentse.g. 1.14-16 combat experiment, 1.18-19 experiment snapshot	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
	Demo	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
Version Release Notes		Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Java	Bundled	YesBundled with Microsoft-built OpenJDK	No	DelegatedUsed the official launcher's Java	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
	Auto Detect	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Auto Download	No	Yes	No	YesAutomatically downloads Adoptium JDK at startup, regardless of whether you have Java installed	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Auto MatchIn general, it is recommended to use Java 8 for 1.16-, Java 17 for 1.17-1.20.4, and Java 21 for 1.20.5+	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		Accounts
Singleplayer	Microsoft	Yes	Yes	Yes	YesRequires connection code	Yes	Yes	YesRequires connection code	YesRequires connection code	YesRequires connection code	YesRequires connection code
	Offline	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Piratedi.e. offline without valid account	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	In ChinaOutside mainland China, the launcher will require a valid account before allowing offline play	In ChinaOutside mainland China, the launcher will require a valid account before allowing offline play	In ChinaOutside mainland China, the launcher will require a valid account before allowing offline play
Quick PlayOnly available for 1.20+		Yes	No	SomewhatSupport a beta "quick launch" mode that skips the official launcher, but cannot directly join worlds	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Skin Management		Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
		Modding
Mod Loader Auto Install	Forge	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	NeoForgeFork of Forge, only available for 1.20.1+	No	YesCrash/hang when unsupported version selected	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	FabricOnly available for 1.14+	No	YesCrash/hang when unsupported version selected	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Legacy FabricFork of Fabric that supports version prior to 1.14	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
	QuiltOnly available for 1.14+	No	YesCrash/hang when unsupported version selected	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
	LiteLoaderDiscontinued. Only available for 1.6.2-1.12.2	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	NoListed as "unsupported yet"
	OptiFineNot a mod loader, but essential for some shaders	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mod Download	Modrinth	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	CurseForge	No	No	Yes	Yes	YesUse website opening to bypass blocked mods	YesUse website opening to bypass blocked mods	YesBypass granted by CurseForge	Yes	Yes	Yes
Resource Pack Download	Modrinth	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No Yes	No
	CurseForge	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No Yes	No
Shader Pack Download	Modrinth	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No Yes	No
	CurseForge	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No Yes	No
Mod Version Auto-Match		N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Mod Dependency			Install onlyDisable mods will not warn about dependency	Yes	No	Install onlyDisable mods will not warn about dependency	Install onlyDisable mods will not warn about dependency	Install onlyDisable mods will not warn about dependency	Install onlyDisable mods will not warn about dependency	Install onlyDisable mods will not warn about dependency	Install onlyDisable mods will not warn about dependency
Datapack Download	Modrinth	No	Yes	No	No	YesComing in v10.0.0	No	No	No	No	No
	CurseForge	No	No	Yes	No	YesComing in v10.0.0	No	No	No	No	No
CurseForge World Download		No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Modpack Download	Modrinth	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	CurseForge	No	No	Yes	Yes	YesURL / Select	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	FTB	No	No	No	Yes	NoSlowpoke had requested removal of FTB modpack downloading feature. Only imports from FTB App is available	YesFTB modpack downloading was restored in Nov 2024	No	No	No	No
	Technic	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
	ATLauncher	No	No	No	No	Experimental	YesURL / ID / Select	No	No	No	No
Auto Update	Mod(pack)	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Mod only	No
	Resource/Shader		NoUpdater ignores non-mods	Yes	N/A	YesComing in v10.0.0	No	N/A	No	N/A No	N/A
		Functionality
Ads		No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Multi-Language Support		Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	WIPAvailable in development builds	Yes
In-Game Overlay		No	No	Yesvia Overwolf	Yesvia Overwolf	Linux onlyvia MangoHUD	No	No	No	No	No
Instance Separation		ManualPossible by manually selecting different directories	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Instance Grouping		No	YesVia setting categories	No	YesVia setting categories	Yes	No	No	No	YesVia bookmark	No
Instance Backup		No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
One-Click Instance Launch		No	No	No	No	YesCan create shortcut for instances on desktop	Yes	No	No	No	No
Directory OpenerEasy/one-click access to mods, shareds, ... folders		No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
World Managemente.g. Rename without launch the game, MCEdit, ...		No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No Yes	Yes
Screenshot Management		No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No Yes	No
Proxy		No	No	No	Beta	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
Customized Font		Size only	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No Yes	No
Themes		No	PresetHave preset light / dark / OLED themes, no custom theme support	PaywalledClassic / Light is free, other themes need premium	No	Yes	Yes	PresetHave 4 presets, no custom theme support	Yes	Paywalled Yes	Yes
Background		No	No	No	No	Have Cat	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
UtilitiesNetwork Checker, ...		No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
		Advanced
Instance Import / Export	Modrinthmrpack	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Import only	Import only	Import only
	CurseForgeZIP	No	Import onlyCan only import from CurseForge App	Yes	Import only	YesZIP / URL	YesZIP / URL	YesZIP / URL	Import only	Import only	Import only
	FTBshare code	No	No	No	Yes	Import onlyCan only import from FTB App	No	No	No	No	No
	TechnicZIP	No	No	No	No	Import only	No	No	No	No	No
	MultiMCZIP	No	Import onlyCan import instance from MultiMC / GDLauncher / ATLauncher	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Export only	No	Import only
	ATLauncherZIP	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
	MCBBSv2, ZIP	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Command Line Interface		Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
JVM Param / Memory Limit		YesNo memory limit support, possible by passing -Xmx/-Xms	Yes	YesBuilt-in memory limit support but no parameter support, possible through official launcher	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Environmental Variables		No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
APIPastebin, Modrinth/CurseForge API key, ...		No	No	No	YesMineTogether	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
Log Console		No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	StaticLogs shown only on error
Log Analyze		No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Window Settingsprocess priority, window title, ...		No	PartialSupports fullscreen and width / height spec	PartialSupports fullscreen and width / height spec	No	PartialSupports fullscreen and width / height spec	No	No	Yes	Yes	PartialSupports fullscreen and width/height spec
NBT Analyze		No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
		Summary
Total ScoreYes = 1, Almost = 0.8, Mixed = 0.5, Not really = 0.2, No = 0; Maximum Score: 100		32.7	42.2	30.7	39.2	75.7	60.9	35.9	55.6	37.9 45.8	34.5 37.5

Notes:

• This table does not consider multiplayer/server-related functionalities (server opening/management, hosting, …) due to me being unfamiliar with servers. An equally comprehensive comparison table here can be used for that.
• The BakaXL column contains only the information for v3 for now (except the announced mutli-platform support). After v4 released I will update this column.

Screenshots

Several screenshots, mostly from official websites, to give a sense on what the UI for each launcher looks like.

Official Launcher

Modrinth App v0.8.9

CurseForge App v1.265.0

FTB App v1.26.3

Prism Launcher v9.1

ATLauncher v3.4.38.0

GDLauncher v2.0.20

HMCL v3.2.134

PCL v2.8.9

BakaXL v3.5.1.0

Star History Charts

Here is the GitHub star history graph for some of the launchers above:

Notes:

• PCL2 and BakaXL are not fully open-sourced, so their star counts are not representative.
• GDLauncher’s star count is for the legacy version, the Carbon version is too new to get a representative count.
• MultiMC has stopped development after 2023, hence the difference in trend.
• Modrinth’s repo contains both the code for the app and the entire website.

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