CurseForge vs GameBanana

CurseForge is a catalog for finding and downloading Minecraft mods and modpacks. Its Minecraft browse page lists Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, and Quilt, and displays more than 10,000 projects. Users can filter by game version and see dependency information, download tracking, and mod collections. The free web catalog provides access to Minecraft mods and modpacks, which the page describes as free. Premium access is available on the web and desktop client. Premium removes ads across CurseForge platforms and the desktop client, enables direct downloads without waiting delays, and includes custom themes and layout customization in the desktop experience. The monthly subscription is $2.99 per month. The annual subscription is $30.00 billed annually, listed from $35.88 with a 16% saving. Subscribers can cancel at any time and retain access through the billing cycle. Refunds are generally not offered, although exceptions may be considered individually. After Premium access ends, an account returns to free membership. CurseForge says mod authors receive 70% of subscription income.

GameBanana is a free web-based game modding community, with a Minecraft: Java Edition hub for mods and related resources. The hub includes tutorials, threads, works in progress, sounds, questions, requests, scripts and tools, plus featured items, discussions, collections and an exchange. Filters cover game versions and loaders such as Fabric Loader, Forge and NeoForge. GameBanana says it does not sell mods or use paywalls, and ordinary downloads do not require membership; signup is required for NSFW mods. One-click downloading integrates with more than 50 community-developed mod installers. The site documents an API authenticated with an API password, app ID and user ID, and a query parameter that can return JSON for a page module. Its guidance warns that data can change and responses may be large, so caching is needed. RSS feeds for new submissions can be filtered by game or item type. The Minecraft page requires JavaScript. Advertising covers the site’s monthly bills, while contributing members get zero ads. GameBanana describes itself as free and independent since 2001 and provides a support-ticket page.