BepInEx vs Hollow Knight Modding API

BepInEx is a plugin and modding framework for Unity Mono and IL2CPP games, as well as .NET Framework games such as those built with XNA, FNA, and MonoGame. It provides configuration and logging, runtime method patching, and in-memory assembly patching. Runtime patching uses Harmony, including HarmonyX and MonoMod; in-memory patching uses Mono.Cecil with UnityDoorstop. The installation guide lists Windows, Linux, and macOS, though supported operating system versions and architectures depend on the build and game. Setup is manual: download the appropriate build and put its contents in the game’s root folder. Official binaries are available as stable and bleeding edge builds; the documentation recommends stable in most cases and notes that bleeding edge builds tend to be buggier. The project is open source under LGPL-2.1 and links to guides for users and developers. Compatibility has limits: stable releases are available only for Unity Mono, BepInEx 6 documentation remains a work in progress, and BepInEx 5 plugins do not yet work with the 6.0.0 pre-release.

Hollow Knight Modding API is a free, open-source API and loader for Hollow Knight modifications. Its primary purpose is helping mods work together; it does little independently, but several mods require it to run. Loading uses injection, and the project provides load-order control. The implementation uses MonoMod. The repository includes examples for mod developers and links to API documentation on a DocFX site. Users can obtain a release or installer, then copy release ZIP contents into the Hollow Knight game folder or install through Scarab. The latest listed release is ModdingAPI v77 for Hollow Knight 1.5.78.11833, with checksums for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The supported game is Hollow Knight, and supported operating systems are Windows, Linux, and macOS. The project is distributed under the MIT license, which supplies the software as-is and disclaims warranties and liability. Steam and GOG users are instructed to verify or repair the game installation when removing it. There are no paid tiers or usage limits stated.