BepInEx vs RED4ext
BepInEx
github.comRED4ext
docs.red4ext.comSide by side
| Figure | BepInEx | RED4ext |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Mod Loaders | 9.0 (#1) | 8.1 (#5) |
| Configuration | BepInEx includes a built-in configuration system for the framework and plugins. | The configuration file is red4ext/config.ini in the game directory and is automatically created with default values when the game starts if missing. |
| Installation | BepInEx is installed manually by downloading the correct build and placing its contents in the game's root folder. | Installation involves downloading the latest ZIP, extracting it into the game directory, and launching the game. |
| License | The project is open source under the LGPL-2.1 license. | The GitHub repository lists the project under the MIT license. |
| Logging | BepInEx provides built-in logging for framework and plugin messages. | Configuration supports global log levels, log flushing, a maximum number of rotated files, and a maximum log file size. |
| Purpose | BepInEx is a plugin and modding framework for Unity Mono, Unity IL2CPP, and .NET Framework games, including XNA, FNA, and MonoGame. | RED4ext is a script extender for Cyberpunk 2077 that lets modders interact with or extend the game's scripting system. |
Plans
In their own words
BepInEx
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.
RED4ext
RED4ext is a free Windows script extender and plugin manager for Cyberpunk 2077. It gives modders access to the game's scripting system so plugins can add features, alter behavior, add scripting functions, or call existing game functions. RED4ext loads plugins only for supported game runtime versions, while also allowing plugins aimed at the latest defined runtime or independent of runtime versions. RED4ext.SDK exposes the scripting virtual machine, native classes and functions, and reversed game structures. Developers can use any toolchain that produces x86-64 output with the __fastcall calling convention, including CMake, Premake, or Visual Studio. Plugins can attach custom game states around game-system availability and are placed in red4ext/plugins. Each plugin receives a logger, with named logs under red4ext/logs. Configuration is TOML stored in red4ext/config.ini, where plugin loading and individual plugins can be disabled. The MIT-licensed project lists v1.30.0 as its latest release.