Which Minecraft mod loader should you pick?

A mod loader is the server software that loads mods. A mod is built for a loader and a Minecraft version (Quilt also runs most Fabric mods), and your players need the same loader on their own game. So the loader is the first choice for a modded server, and it is easier to make before you install anything. This guide compares the four loaders our panel can run: Forge, NeoForge, Fabric and Quilt. Quilt is shown only where it is switched on for your account.

Checked against Fabric Loader 0.19.5, Forge 66.1.0, NeoForge 26.3.0.95 and Quilt Loader 0.31.0-beta.4, which are the newest builds for Minecraft 26.3, October 2026.

The short version

Choose the loader your mods need. Pick the mods or the modpack you want first, look at which loader each is made for on its Modrinth or CurseForge page, and use that one. Where you have a free choice, the table helps.

Fabric

Fabric describes itself as a modular, lightweight mod loader. The loader on its own is the minimum, and many mods list Fabric API as a requirement. It goes in the mods folder like any other mod. Fabric covers Minecraft 1.14 through to 26.3.

Forge

Forge is the oldest of the four: its download list starts at Minecraft 1.1 and runs to 26.3, though our JAR Manager offers only builds from Minecraft 1.6 up. Use Forge for Minecraft 1.20.1. NeoForge's team says it neglected 1.20.1 and that effort there is better spent on Forge, and our NeoForge list starts at 1.20.2.

NeoForge

NeoForge began as a fork of Forge. Its own 2023 write-up says it was announced on 12 July 2023, with almost all of the Forge team joining it. On our panel NeoForge starts at Minecraft 1.20.2. Its 1.20.1 builds are not offered, and the same write-up says work on 1.20.1 is better spent on Forge. The JAR Manager describes it as the modern Forge fork for newer modpacks.

Quilt

Quilt Loader is built on Fabric's technology and runs most Fabric mods, but it cannot load Forge or NeoForge mods. A mod made for Quilt will not work on Fabric. Quilt's own pages say its loader has been in beta since April 2022, and that its Quilt Standard Libraries were discontinued in December 2025. That makes the Fabric API question worth checking on a current version: Install Quilt on your Minecraft server goes through it. Quilt is hidden in the Server software list until our updated Minecraft installer is switched on for your account.

Can I mix them?

Not on one server. A Fabric mod in a Forge server's mods folder is not loaded, and the server starts as if it were not there. Can Fabric mods run on Forge? We tested it shows what happens and covers the bridging mods.

On our panel

• Switch loader. Open JAR Manager under More, choose Server software and Minecraft version, then press Apply change. Your world is kept, but configuration files may be reset, so take the backup the window offers. Change your Minecraft version or mod loader has the steps.
• Add mods. The tab is named Mods on all four loaders. It searches Modrinth and CurseForge, and filters to your server's loader. On Quilt it shows Quilt and Fabric builds together.
• Modpacks. The Modpacks tab installs a pack for the loader it was made for, so you do not choose one yourself.
• Java. The panel picks the version of Java from your Minecraft version.
• Memory. Mods use more than plain Minecraft. How much RAM does my Minecraft server need? has the figures.

If you want plugins instead of mods, the answer is Paper, not one of these. Minecraft plugins vs mods: which to run compares the two, and Install Modrinth mods on your server starts the install.