Best Minecraft Launchers in 2026
Updated
In short: Prism Launcher is ranked #1 of 74 as of 9 October 2026, ahead of Refract and LabyMod. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Refract. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Thendrask Launcher at $3/mo.
Minecraft launchers help you manage game setups, updates, and modded play. Compared on automatic updates, built-in modpack catalog, Java runtime management, mod loader support, and separate instances, the entries show different ways to organize how you play. Modpack import, desktop OS support, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing add further points to compare. Prism Launcher and Refract are among the options, as are GDLauncher and ATLauncher. Consider how you install and manage Minecraft versions and packs, then weigh the listed capabilities against your setup.
74 Minecraft launchers ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
21 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prism LauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 8.2 | |
| 2 | RefractWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 8.1 | |
| 3 | LabyModWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 8.1 | |
| 4 | X Minecraft LauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 8.0 | |
| 5 | GDLauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.9 | |
| 6 | ATLauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.9 | |
| 7 | Thendrask LauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $3/mo | 7.9 | |
| 8 | Cactus MC LauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.9 | |
| 9 | FTB AppWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.7 | |
| 10 | Onyx LauncherWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 7.6 | |
| 11 | VermeilWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 7.6 | |
| 12 | Fjord LauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.6 | |
| 13 | Plain Craft Launcher 2Windows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.2 | |
| 14 | DawnWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 7.1 | |
| 15 | ModrinthWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $4.99/mo | 7.1 | |
| 16 | Minecraft LauncherWindows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | Free | 7.1 | |
| 17 | HistolauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 7.0 |
| 18 | Proxima LauncherWindows · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 7.0 | |
| 19 | Spectra LauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 6.9 |
| 20 | Numek LauncherWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.9 | |
| 21 | Extreme LauncherWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.9 | |
| 22 | CurseForgeWeb | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.9 | |
| 23 | MultiMCWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 6.8 |
| 24 | Cubion LauncherWindows | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 25 | OpenJar LauncherWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 6.7 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Desktop OS support | Separate instances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prism Launcher | 8.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, MacOS, and Linux | Yes |
| 2 | Refract | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 3 | LabyMod | 8.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 4 | X Minecraft Launcher | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 5 | GDLauncher | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 6 | ATLauncher | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 7 | Thendrask Launcher | 7.9 | Free plan | $3/mo | Yes | $3one-time | Windows; macOS and Linux public beta | Yes |
| 8 | Cactus MC Launcher | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Windows, macOS, and Linux | Yes |
| 9 | FTB App | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 10 | Onyx Launcher | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 11 | Vermeil | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 12 | Fjord Launcher | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 13 | Plain Craft Launcher 2 | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 14 | Dawn | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 15 | Modrinth | 7.1 | Free plan | $4.99/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 16 | Minecraft Launcher | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 17 | Histolauncher | 7.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 18 | Proxima Launcher | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 19 | Spectra Launcher | 6.9 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
| 20 | Numek Launcher | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | windows | Yes |
| 21 | Extreme Launcher | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | windows | Yes |
| 22 | CurseForge | 6.9 | Free plan | — | Yes | $2.50one-time | Web and desktop | — |
| 23 | MultiMC | 6.8 | No | — | Yes | — | Windows, macOS 10.13+, and Linux | Yes |
| 24 | Cubion Launcher | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | windows | Yes |
| 25 | OpenJar Launcher | 6.7 | No | — | Yes | — | — | Yes |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which Minecraft launcher is ranked first on Freedom251?
Prism Launcher is ranked #1 of 74 with a score of 8.2. Refract is second and LabyMod third.
How many of these have a free plan?
21 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Thendrask Launcher has the lowest first paid tier we found: $3/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.