Prism Launcher vs Spectra Launcher

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.

Spectra Launcher is a free desktop launcher for starting Minecraft and keeping multiple installations separate. Each instance has its own Minecraft version, mods and worlds, and supports Vanilla, Fabric, Quilt, Forge and NeoForge. The launcher can browse and install mods, shaders, resource packs and modpacks from Modrinth and CurseForge, including their required dependencies. Players can sign in with Microsoft/Xbox or offline accounts; Spectra finds and installs the required Java version automatically. It also imports instances from Prism, CurseForge and the Modrinth app, and exports them as .mrpack or .zip files. Shared views collect worlds and screenshots, alongside 3D skin previews, saved skins and cape switching. Other tools include Quick Play for Minecraft 1.20+, server status with player counts and ping, live logs, crash-report sharing, optional Discord status and playtime tracking. Downloads are listed for Windows, macOS and Linux. Spectra says accounts, settings and instances stay on the user's computer, and Microsoft/Xbox passwords are not seen by the launcher.