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CurseForge and Modrinth have both solidified themselves as staples in the Minecraft modding community, and both offer the same sorts of services. There are key differences between them still though that help set them apart to guide your decision on which to use!
Regardless of what choice you make, you will always be able to install modpacks from CurseForge using the Modrinth launcher on your computer, and vice versa. So you won't be trapped out of modpacks or mods that are only listed on the other platform!
Modpack Offerings
Although in the past, CurseForge had an unparalleled number of modpacks hosted on its platform, over recent years, creators have begun to shift focus to Modrinth. More and more mods and modpacks are being added onto Modrinth every day, inching it closer to parity with CurseForge.
As of now, though, CurseForge definitely has the lead in modpacks and mods by number. However, as mod developers begin to increasingly shift away from less desirable modloaders like Forge and look towards other options such as Fabric or NeoForge, Modrinth has also been seeing more attention for those updated modloaders.
The majority of popular modpacks on Modrinth make use of those newer modloaders thanks to better community support, performance, and general favorability towards the developers that work on those projects. Although this makes it a great investment into the future of Minecraft modding, CurseForge's raw count of how many mods and modpacks are hosted on its platform is undeniable.
Performance
One of the most recurring complaints for CurseForge by users is its reliance on a separate program installed on your computer called Overwolf. This was a dependency created after CurseForge was originally acquired by the Overwolf team, which caused a lot of uproar in the modding community due to considerations of Overwolf feeling slower, or like 'bloatware' on their computer which they didn't want.
After so much opposition to the change, eventually, CurseForge began to offer Standalone downloads on its website so people can install it without Overwolf. A lot of trust was lost from the modding community, however, and users began to shift to more independent options like Modrinth which debuted with promises to be more committed to players and less 'corporate' in their practices.
Although the standalone option is now offered, which many feel brings the performance back for CurseForge, the common consensus seems to be that Modrinth still performs better and offers a more intuitive experience for them. This is also thanks to Modrinth currently being committed to Minecraft modding specifically, while CurseForge attempts to be an all-in-one tool for all sorts of games.
Developers & Monetization
Modrinth was originally created by a team of developers that were unsatisfied with the direction that other platforms like CurseForge were taking, and set out with the goal of creating something new and "better" than what was seen before. It's a much more independent platform than CurseForge, and frequently does community fundraisers for various charities and marginalized communities to do good with their platform.
CurseForge's main developer support from its community comes in the form of its monetization. Although Modrinth also pays developers based on their own creator program and revenue sharing, CurseForge is a much larger platform and is able to pay creators based on downloads and ad revenue directly.
CurseForge also hosts frequent events and mod creation contests with cash/money prizes thanks to their dominant position in the market to be able to afford those larger promotions. This makes it a much more competitive and thriving mod marketplace!
Where CurseForge falls short here, though, is with certain practices that the community has found disagreeable over recent years. Most notably, this has been driven by the company's social media presence, as well as an increased use of certain assets (such as Generative AI badges, images, and content) on their platform. Provided that Modrinth has capitalized on this with promises to avoid those practices, players who find them disagreeable and been shifting to Modrinth more often thanks to its more community focused approach instead.
Recap & Alternatives
At the end of the day, both of these platforms have solidified themselves as reliable options for Minecraft modpack launchers! Although there are smaller differences between them, such as design, both allow you to install modpacks, mods, and other resources between them even if you're on the other launcher.
Although Modrinth constantly makes strides to try to better itself compared to its competition, CurseForge is so impactful in the modding community that it is also seen as the "ol' reliable" or "default" service to use when modding. You can't go wrong with either service from a functionality standpoint.
Alternatively, you can look towards other third party launchers that let you directly import and install content from either of the platforms, such as ATLauncher or GDLauncher!
