Wrye Bash vs Zephyr
Wrye Bash
wrye-bash.github.ioZephyr
zephyr.prismo-studios.devSide by side
| Figure | Wrye Bash | Zephyr |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Mod Managers | 8.3 (#17) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Spec score · Mod managers | 8.3 (#17) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Automatic updates | Yes | Yes |
| Deployment method | copy | copy |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Game support | Supported titles include Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas, Skyrim, Enderal, and Starfield; some titles are marked as early or partial support. | Zephyr supports about 200 games out of the box. |
| License | Wrye Bash is released under GNU General Public License version 3 or later. | Zephyr is open source and distributed under the GPL-3.0 license. |
| Mod profiles | Yes | Yes |
| Mod source access | manual import | built-in |
| Purpose | Wrye Bash is a mod management utility for games based on Bethesda's Creation Engine. | Zephyr is a desktop mod manager for browsing, installing, and switching game mod profiles. |
| Security | The documentation describes executable-distributed mods as a greater security risk and says BAIN cannot install mods distributed as executables. | The maker says app-to-backend communications use HTTPS and refresh tokens are hashed before database storage. |
| Support | The project directs questions to its AFK Mods forum topic or Wrye Bash Discord and asks bug reporters to provide a bug dump. | The documentation directs users to Discord for documentation issues and to GitHub Issues for app bugs. |
| Supported platforms | multi-platform | multi-platform |
Plans
In their own words
Wrye Bash
Wrye Bash is a free mod management utility for games based on Bethesda’s Creation Engine. Its BAIN installer handles mod packages in compressed archives or uncompressed project folders, with sources imported manually. It can create profiles, detect conflicts, and manage plugin load order; it can also repair an invalid load order when starting or refreshing. Its Bashed Patch feature automatically merges compatible mods to help lift the 255-plugin limit. Other tools manage INI and settings tweaks, screenshots, saves, and application launchers. Supported titles include Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas, Skyrim, Enderal, and Starfield, though some have early or partial support. Windows downloads are available through GitHub and NexusMods, with a Linux download through AUR. The project says it runs on WINE since version 306, with some hiccups. Running the latest development code requires a supported game and 64-bit Python 3.11; 32-bit operating systems are no longer supported. It is released under GNU General Public License version 3 or later.
Zephyr
Zephyr is a free desktop mod manager for browsing and installing mods, then switching between game mod profiles. It supports about 200 games out of the box and combines Thunderstore and CurseForge browsing in one search. Mods are deployed by copying them, and users can share a profile code or link so friends can reproduce a setup. Optional cloud sync requires signing in with Discord and enabling the feature. Zephyr also includes an Archipelago multiworld randomizer with Python bundled, a BepInEx configuration editor, and gamepad navigation throughout the interface. Customization includes seven themes, custom fonts and colors, and seven language options. The app is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is distributed under the GPL-3.0 license. The maker says that without sign-in, personal data stays on the device and mod metadata requests are anonymous. With cloud sync enabled, profile archives and metadata are stored with the maker's hosting provider in France. The Windows build is not code-signed and the macOS build is not notarized.