GDLauncher vs FTB App

GDLauncher7.4Visit FTB App6.8Visit

Higher score GDLauncher #4 in Minecraft Modpack Builders 7.4/10 Free · no premium tier Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Get GDLauncher

vs

FTB App #7 in Minecraft Modpack Builders 6.8/10 Free Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Get the FTB App

• GDLauncher fits best

  Friend groups sharing one custom pack

• FTB App fits best

  Players of Feed The Beast's own modpacks

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	GDLauncher 7.4/10 Visit ↗	FTB App 6.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.4	6.8
Ranking	#4 in Minecraft Modpack Builders	#7 in Minecraft Modpack Builders
Best for	Friend groups sharing one custom pack	Players of Feed The Beast's own modpacks
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Features GDLauncher 2/4 · FTB App 1/4
Built-in publishing	—	Not published
Server tools	✓	✓
Share by code	✓ (best)	Not published
Open source	Not published	Not published
Specs
Runs on	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Mod & pack sources	CurseForge, Modrinth	FTB, CurseForge
Export formats	CurseForge .zip, Modrinth .mrpack, GDLauncher .gdlpack	Not published
Our review
Pros	Reads and writes CurseForge .zip, Modrinth .mrpack and its own .gdlpack Cloud Instance Sharing recreates an exact setup from one code Creates and manages Vanilla, Forge, Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt servers	The officially supported place to get FTB's own modpacks Adds mods from the full CurseForge catalogue to any pack Server installer sets up any FTB pack in a few clicks or one command
Cons	Share codes need an optional GDL account on top of the Microsoft login Not extremely lightweight, by the developer's own comparison Publishing a pack still means uploading it to a platform yourself	On Windows it runs through Overwolf unless you pick the standalone build Its page lists instance creation tools as still coming soon The CurseForge modpack catalogue is still marked as beta
Our verdict	GDLauncher is a free launcher built around CurseForge and Modrinth, with no overlay and, in the developer's words, no premium tier. It searches both platforms at once, installs mods and modpacks with one click, downloads files in parallel… Read the review →	The FTB App is Feed The Beast's official desktop launcher and the only officially supported way to get the team's own modpacks, which it lets players search, install in several versions, update and manage. It also browses the CurseForge… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• GDLauncher — where it wins

  • Reads and writes CurseForge .zip, Modrinth .mrpack and its own .gdlpack
  • Cloud Instance Sharing recreates an exact setup from one code
  • Creates and manages Vanilla, Forge, Fabric, NeoForge and Quilt servers

  Where it doesn't

  • Share codes need an optional GDL account on top of the Microsoft login
  • Not extremely lightweight, by the developer's own comparison
  • Publishing a pack still means uploading it to a platform yourself

• FTB App — where it wins

  • The officially supported place to get FTB's own modpacks
  • Adds mods from the full CurseForge catalogue to any pack
  • Server installer sets up any FTB pack in a few clicks or one command

  Where it doesn't

  • On Windows it runs through Overwolf unless you pick the standalone build
  • Its page lists instance creation tools as still coming soon
  • The CurseForge modpack catalogue is still marked as beta

• GDLauncher7.4/10 · Free · no premium tier

  Searches CurseForge and Modrinth at once, shares whole instances by code and runs local servers, all free.

  Get GDLauncherFull verdict →
• FTB App6.8/10 · Free

  The only official home of FTB's own packs, with CurseForge packs, extra mods and fast server installs.

  Get the FTB AppFull verdict →