Cactus MC Launcher vs Prism Launcher

Cactus MC Launcher is a free desktop launcher for managing Minecraft instances, modpacks, and dedicated servers on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports separate instances, Java runtime management, automatic updates, and a built-in modpack catalog. The launcher works with mods, resource packs, shaders, and modpacks from Modrinth and CurseForge. Available loaders include Vanilla, Fabric, Quilt, Forge, and NeoForge. Instances can be grouped by version and loader, with custom icons and cover art. Server tools include a live console, world management, ops and whitelist controls, and one-command sharing. The interface can be customized with backgrounds, gradients, decor, a movable dock, and toggleable click sounds. Cactus MC Launcher is built with Tauri and Rust, contains no ads, and does not track users. It is made by Ladvace and released under AGPL-3.0; the download page lists version 1.5.1. The project provides a GitHub link and a Discord community link. It is not an official Minecraft product and is not associated with Mojang or Microsoft.

Prism Launcher is a free, open-source Minecraft launcher for creating and managing multiple installations on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Separate instances can keep their own settings, mods, and resource packs. It installs modpacks from CurseForge, Modrinth, Technic, FTB, and FTB Legacy, and can update them. Individual mods from CurseForge and Modrinth can be installed with loader and game-version matching. Forge, Fabric, Quilt, and LiteLoader support one-click installation. Prism includes a built-in modpack catalog, Java runtime management, game log access, menu customization, and themes. On Windows, macOS, and Linux, version 9.0+ can detect and download an appropriate Java version, though availability varies by package. The macOS build requires Monterey or later; older versions are unsupported. Flathub is the primary Linux distribution method, and official AppImage builds are listed for x86_64 and ARM64. Prism is licensed under GPL-3 and supports free redistribution; the project states that it is not affiliated with Mojang or Microsoft.