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Third-Party Launchers

Due to the size and popularity of the modded Minecraft community, several third-party launchers for NeoForge (and other mod loaders) have established themselves in the community. Each of them comes with a slightly different set of features, and in many regards, the choice of launcher comes down to personal preference (there is no "best" launcher). This article aims to give an overview over the most popular choices, in alphabetical order.

One big denominator all of these launchers share is their ability to distribute modpacks. A modpack is a pre-configured set of mods and configuration files that are made to be played together. Different launchers use different formats for distributing modpacks, the interoperability of which varies greatly.

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Disclaimer: None of these launchers are affiliated with NeoForge in any way.

ATLauncher​

One of the oldest launchers. Has some exclusive modpacks, and allows installing mods and modpacks from other sources such as CurseForge, FTB, Modrinth and Technic. Also allows creating servers from inside the app. This launcher is free open-source software.

CurseForge App​

A launcher made by the same people that maintain the CurseForge website, featuring a similar design to the website. A previous iteration of this launcher was integrated in the now-defunct Twitch app. Also allows to download some CurseForge mods that have been set to disallow third-party programs, i.e., that require more hassle to install in other launchers.

FTB App​

A launcher made by the same people that create the FTB series of modpacks. Has some exclusive modpacks, and also allows installing mods and modpacks from CurseForge.

GDLauncher​

A launcher that can not only import from, but also export to the modpack formats for CurseForge, FTB, Modrinth, Technic and others. Also allows creating servers from inside the app. This launcher is free open-source software.

Modrinth App​

A launcher made by the same people that maintain the Modrinth website, featuring a similar design to the website. Allows following projects from within the launcher.

Prism Launcher​

A fork of PolyMC, which in turn is a fork of the old MultiMC launcher. Allows installing mods from both CurseForge and Modrinth. This launcher is free open-source software.

Technic Launcher​

One of the oldest launchers. Has some exclusive modpacks, and has an integrated server hosting service.