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Head-to-head · Minecraft Mod Development Tools

Architectury Loom vs NeoForge

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Architectury Loom #1 in Minecraft Mod Development Tools 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Architectury
NeoForge #8 in Minecraft Mod Development Tools 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit NeoForge

Architectury Loom leads on 0 checks, NeoForge on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreArchitectury Loom · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresArchitectury Loom · 2 of 4

Architectury Loom scores higher on our rubric for minecraft mod development tools: 9.4 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #8.

Architectury Loom is the better fit for cross-loader mod teams. NeoForge is the better fit for neoForge mod developers.

  • Architectury Loom fits best

    Cross-loader mod teams

  • NeoForge fits best

    NeoForge mod developers

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Side by side

Feature Architectury Loom 9.4/10 Visit ↗ NeoForge 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.6
Ranking #1 in Minecraft Mod Development Tools #8 in Minecraft Mod Development Tools
Best for Cross-loader mod teams NeoForge mod developers
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market Solo, Small business
Features Architectury Loom 2/4 · NeoForge 0/4
Visual editor Not checked yet Not checked yet
Code debugging Not checked yet Not checked yet
Dependency management ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Artifact packaging ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Supported loaders Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt Not checked yet
Minecraft versions 1.14.4+ Not checked yet
Supported platforms Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, and Quilt toolchains
  • Handles mappings, decompilation, dependencies, and remapping
  • Free, open-source tooling with production packaging support
  • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Supports client, dedicated-server, and modpack installation
  • Includes mod development APIs and a Gradle-based toolchain
Cons
  • Documentation describes the project as experimental
  • IDE support is limited
  • Primarily suited to Gradle-based build workflows
  • Focused on Minecraft: Java Edition
  • Development centers on APIs and Gradle tooling
  • Requires separate client or server installation workflows
Our verdict

Architectury Loom is an open-source Gradle plugin for creating deobfuscated Minecraft development environments. It is aimed at Minecraft mod authors and teams building projects across Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, and Quilt. The tool covers…

Read the review →

NeoForge is a free, open-source modding API and server platform for Minecraft: Java Edition. It is designed for mod developers, server administrators, and players who need a supported way to install and load mods or modpacks. Client…

Read the review →
  1. Architectury LoomMinecraft Mod Development Tools 9.4Free plan
  2. NeoForgeMinecraft Mod Development Tools 8.6Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Architectury Loom — where it wins

    • Supports Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, and Quilt toolchains
    • Handles mappings, decompilation, dependencies, and remapping
    • Free, open-source tooling with production packaging support

    Where it doesn't

    • Documentation describes the project as experimental
    • IDE support is limited
    • Primarily suited to Gradle-based build workflows

  • NeoForge — where it wins

    • Free and open source across Windows, macOS, and Linux
    • Supports client, dedicated-server, and modpack installation
    • Includes mod development APIs and a Gradle-based toolchain

    Where it doesn't

    • Focused on Minecraft: Java Edition
    • Development centers on APIs and Gradle tooling
    • Requires separate client or server installation workflows

More comparisons

All minecraft mod development tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update