Loader comparison
Forge, NeoForge, Fabric and Quilt side by side, and how to choose.
| Aspect | NeoForge | Forge | Fabric | Quilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A community fork of Forge created in 2023 by most of the Forge team. | The original large mod loader, used since the early days of modding. | A lightweight, modular loader first released in 2018. | A fork of Fabric with its own tools, aiming to stay compatible with most Fabric mods. |
| Best known for | Where most large content mods moved for 1.20.2 and newer. | Huge mod catalogue on older versions such as 1.12.2 and 1.20.1. | Fast updates to new Minecraft versions and performance mods. | Running Fabric mods with extra Quilt-specific features. |
| Shared API | Built into NeoForge. | Built into Forge. | Fabric API, installed as a separate mod. | Quilted Fabric API (QFAPI). |
| Runs mods from | NeoForge; some 1.20.1 Forge mods also load. | Forge only. | Fabric only. | Quilt and most Fabric mods. |
| Performance mods | Sodium (recent versions), FerriteCore, ModernFix. | FerriteCore, ModernFix and community ports. | Sodium, Lithium, FerriteCore and more. | Most Fabric performance mods. |
| Mods in our library | 16 of 18 | 15 of 18 | 12 of 18 | 6 of 18 |
Which loader should I use?
- Playing a modpack? Use whatever loader the pack is built on. You cannot change it.
- Want a specific mod? Check which loaders it supports for your Minecraft version on its page, then pick the loader that covers all the mods you want. The mod list builder does this for you.
- Big content mods on modern versions (Create, Mekanism, AE2)? NeoForge is the usual choice for 1.20.2 and newer.
- Vanilla-plus with better performance? Fabric with Sodium and Lithium.
- Classic packs on 1.12.2 or 1.7.10? Forge, with Java 8.
To install any of them, follow how to install mod loaders.