Modrinth App vs GDLauncher

Modrinth App7.7Visit GDLauncher7.4Visit

Higher score Modrinth App #3 in Minecraft Modpack Builders 7.7/10 Free · optional Modrinth Plus Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Get Modrinth App

vs

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

• Modrinth App fits best

  Creators who publish packs on Modrinth

• GDLauncher fits best

  Friend groups sharing one custom pack

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Side by side

Feature	Modrinth App 7.7/10 Visit ↗	GDLauncher 7.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.7	7.4
Ranking	#3 in Minecraft Modpack Builders	#4 in Minecraft Modpack Builders
Best for	Creators who publish packs on Modrinth	Friend groups sharing one custom pack
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	Not published	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Features Modrinth App 2/4 · GDLauncher 2/4
Built-in publishing	✓ (best)	—
Server tools	Not published	✓ (best)
Share by code	Not published	✓ (best)
Open source	✓ (best)	Not published
Specs
Runs on	Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Mod & pack sources	Modrinth	CurseForge, Modrinth
Export formats	Modrinth .mrpack	CurseForge .zip, Modrinth .mrpack, GDLauncher .gdlpack
Our review
Pros	Exports any instance as a Modrinth .mrpack from its Mods tab One-click install, update and removal of mods from Modrinth Open source under GPL-3.0, for Windows, macOS and Linux	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
Cons	Still labelled a beta release Modrinth warns its Linux builds can be unstable on some systems Its content browser covers Modrinth-hosted projects only	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
Our verdict	Modrinth App is the desktop launcher from Rinth, Inc., the company behind the Modrinth mod platform, and it is open source under the GPL-3.0 with builds for Windows, macOS and Linux. It installs, updates and removes mods from the Modrinth… Read the review →	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 →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Modrinth App — where it wins

  • Exports any instance as a Modrinth .mrpack from its Mods tab
  • One-click install, update and removal of mods from Modrinth
  • Open source under GPL-3.0, for Windows, macOS and Linux

  Where it doesn't

  • Still labelled a beta release
  • Modrinth warns its Linux builds can be unstable on some systems
  • Its content browser covers Modrinth-hosted projects only

• 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

• Modrinth App7.7/10 · Free · optional Modrinth Plus

  Modrinth's own open-source launcher, which installs and updates mods and exports packs as .mrpack files.

  Get Modrinth AppFull verdict →
• 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 →