MelonLoader vs Ultimate ASI Loader

MelonLoader is a free mod loader for Unity games using Mono or Il2Cpp. It injects mods and supports plugins, load-order control, and dependency handling. Mods and plugins are placed in separate folders in the game installation directory, and game logs are written to a MelonLoader/Logs folder. The project provides an installer guide and manual installation instructions for a release archive. For Il2Cpp games, the listed requirement is the.NET 6.0 Desktop Runtime; the repository says it is installed automatically on Windows. Windows startup loading uses a proxy DLL, a method the project identifies as Windows-only. Linux instructions cover WINE, Steam Proton, and native use, while Android and Oculus Quest support is marked as work in progress. Debug mode is intended for work on the loader, plugins, and mods. Configuration also includes a Mono debug server, and the Il2Cpp Assembly Generator can be set to run without contacting its remote API. MelonLoader is licensed under Apache License, Version 2.0 and listed at free.

Ultimate ASI Loader is a free Windows proxy DLL that loads custom .asi libraries into a game process. It supports games using Win32 or Win64 libraries such as Direct3D, DirectInput, audio, and XInput. Installation usually means placing the DLL in the game directory as dinput8.dll, or renaming it to another supported DLL name. ASI files can be stored in the game root, scripts, plugins, or update folder. When needed, global.ini belongs in scripts or plugins, and the selected DLL name can also serve as the INI filename. The update folder can hold replacement game files while originals remain untouched; removing that folder reverses the change. The loader can forward many original DLLs after renaming them Hooked.dll, and d3d8to9 support is available when it is named d3d8.dll. Crash minidumps and logs are created when a CrashDumps folder exists beside the loader. Win32 and Win64 builds are available, including smaller NoPDB archives. The repository lists an MIT license.