Factorio Mods vs ModWorkshop

Factorio Mods is the Mod Portal and in-game system for finding and managing mods for Factorio. The portal lets users search by title, internal name, summary, or username, then narrow results by categories and tags. Authors can upload mods, while users can access previous versions and discussion threads. In Factorio, the Mods menu handles downloading, installing, checking for updates, and enabling or disabling mods; it also obtains required dependencies.

When joining a modded multiplayer game, Factorio can download and enable the server's mods at their exact versions. Mods can change gameplay, for example by adding machines or informative GUIs. They are written in a modified version of Lua 5.2 and follow a required structure. The Mod Portal API supports browsing and downloading available mods, with basic endpoints that do not require authentication. Factorio runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and mods are distributed through the in-game manager. The listed plan is free. Uploading requires a licensed Factorio copy and a Factorio.com account; portal functionality requires a verified purchase.

ModWorkshop is a free community platform for sharing and downloading game modifications, with listings for 65 games. Its catalog includes PAYDAY 2, PAYDAY: The Heist, Noita, and Crime Boss. Visitors can browse game pages, news, forums, Discord links, and community comments, while dependency tracking helps relate required components. Downloading does not require an account, and the site says it does not artificially throttle download speeds. The API is available to anyone and currently supports GET requests only. Open-source, community-maintained mod managers, update tools, and downloaders may integrate through it; official integration into games or developers’ first-party tools is forbidden. Uploaded submissions must be open source, with repository links or source code required for compiled or obfuscated code. ModWorkshop began as The Team Mystery in 2012 and adopted its current name in 2016. It runs on the web and offers an API.