To play modded Minecraft, four launchers dominate the ecosystem: the official Minecraft launcher (basic, no native mod management), Prism Launcher (open source, advanced multi-instance management), CurseForge (the largest mod catalog, one-click install), and Modrinth App (open source, fast-growing catalog, focused on performance and privacy). The main choice criterion depends on your profile: maximum simplicity for a beginner installing a single modpack, or fine-grained management of multiple instances for a player who regularly switches between several mods or versions.
Comparison table
| Launcher | Free | Open source | Multi-instance management | Modpack compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official Minecraft launcher | Yes (included with the game) | No | Limited | No native mod installation |
| Prism Launcher | Yes | Yes | Advanced | Fabric, Forge, Quilt, NeoForge |
| CurseForge | Yes | No | Yes | Very large catalog, one-click install |
| Modrinth App | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fast-growing catalog, performance-focused |
The official Minecraft launcher
The launcher bundled with the game by default doesn’t natively handle mod installation: it can launch a Fabric or Forge profile once those loaders are installed separately, but it has no built-in mod catalog or multi-instance management. Fine for a player who only plays vanilla Minecraft or manually installs a single mod setup at a time.
Prism Launcher
A fully open-source launcher, an active community fork descended from the MultiMC lineage, with advanced instance management: every mod configuration (Minecraft version, loader, mod list) stays isolated in its own instance, letting several different setups coexist installed in parallel without conflict. The go-to for a player who wants fine control and full transparency over what’s running on their machine.
CurseForge
The largest and oldest mod and modpack catalog in the Minecraft ecosystem, with one-click installation for the vast majority of published modpacks, including community Cobblemon modpacks. The launcher itself isn’t open source, unlike Prism or Modrinth, but it remains the simplest option for a beginner who wants to quickly install an existing modpack with no manual configuration.
Modrinth App
A newer, open-source launcher built on the Modrinth platform, whose mod catalog is growing fast and which emphasizes performance and privacy (less telemetry than proprietary alternatives). Multi-instance management comparable to Prism Launcher, with an interface designed to stay lightweight.
The launcher matters most for full modpacks
Launcher choice has the biggest impact when installing a full modpack rather than a single standalone mod, since that’s where managing dependencies, versions, and multiple instances actually becomes useful. That’s the typical case for joining a community Cobblemon server like The Tower: the Fabric configuration and required mod list are fixed and must match exactly what the server uses, which makes a launcher with solid instance management especially useful to avoid conflicts with other Minecraft installs already on the machine. The full Fabric install walkthrough for joining The Tower is on the access guide page.
For a focused decision, read the Prism vs Modrinth vs CurseForge comparison.
FAQ
Which launcher should I choose for playing with Minecraft mods? For a beginner installing a single modpack, CurseForge remains the simplest thanks to its one-click install. For a player managing several mod configurations in parallel or who prefers open source, Prism Launcher or Modrinth App offer better control.
CurseForge or Modrinth, which one should I use? CurseForge has the largest and oldest catalog, making it more reliable for finding a specific or older modpack. Modrinth App is open source, lighter, with less telemetry, and its catalog is quickly catching up on recent mods.
Does the official Minecraft launcher support installing modpacks? Not natively: it can launch a Fabric or Forge profile once those loaders are installed separately, but it has no built-in mod catalog and no automatic dependency management for a modpack, unlike CurseForge, Prism Launcher, or Modrinth App.