Prism Launcher vs Refract

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.

Refract is a free launcher for organizing Minecraft modpacks on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports modpacks from Modrinth, CurseForge, and FTB, with a built-in catalog for finding compatible content. Multiple mod loaders are supported, and modpack import is available through both listed methods. Each pack runs in a separate instance, with its mods, resource packs, worlds, settings, and launch options kept apart. The launcher can install dependencies, update individual mods in place, manage Java runtimes, and apply automatic updates; worlds are preserved during updates. Existing libraries can be imported without mixing files or damaging saves. Users can choose themes, accent colors, sidebar layouts, Java versions, memory limits, and launch behavior. Refract is licensed under GNU GPL v3.0, and its application and website are developed in public. The project uses Tauri and Rust for its native shell. Discord supports player help and project discussions, while GitHub is used for bug reports, change proposals, and code contributions.