JustLauncher vs Legacy Launcher

    Skins in Legacy Launcher live in a separate service, Ely.by, while ours sit in the launcher account. In return Legacy has a Chrome OS build and we do not. Our macOS version runs on Apple Silicon only.

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    Feature by feature

    Your skin lives in someone else's service

    Legacy Launcher takes skins from Ely.by, so you need an account on that free service. In JustLauncher skins and capes live in the same account you sign in to the launcher with.

    SkinsJustLauncherIn your launcher accountLegacy LauncherThrough Ely.by, needs an account there
    CapesJustLauncherYes, PNG up to 512 KBLegacy LauncherNot documented
    Installing NeoForgeJustLauncherInside the launcherLegacy LauncherWith the installer from the NeoForge site, needs Legacy Launcher 161.0 or newer
    Import instances from other launchersJustLauncherFrom ten launchers, Legacy Launcher includedLegacy LauncherNot documented
    Playing togetherJustLauncherLobby by code, no server setupLegacy LauncherNot documented
    Rolling back a modpack updateJustLauncherSnapshot before the update, restore if it breaksLegacy LauncherNot documented
    macOSJustLauncherAvailable, Apple Silicon onlyLegacy LauncherAvailable
    Chrome OSJustLauncherNoLegacy LauncherYes

    The same in both: Free with no paid features, playing without a Mojang licence, Windows and Linux, Forge, Fabric and NeoForge.

    “Not documented” means the feature is not described on that launcher's own site. That is not the same as it being absent.

    Skins: Ely.by or built in

    Legacy Launcher hands skins off to a third party: they live in Ely.by, a separate free service, and you need an Ely.by account for them. The arrangement works and has done for years. But your skin is kept outside the launcher.

    In JustLauncher skins are built in. The ones you upload are saved to your launcher account, you can switch between them, and capes sit in the same place: PNG files up to 512 KB.

    Where we lose

    Legacy Launcher covers more systems. Alongside Windows and Linux it has builds for macOS and Chrome OS, and on Linux it ships both through Flathub and as a .deb. Playing on a Chromebook? Then it wins: JustLauncher has no Chrome OS build. Our macOS version is out, but for Apple Silicon only.

    One caveat Legacy Launcher states itself: the Flathub build requires a paid Minecraft account. On the other platforms that restriction does not apply.

    What moves across when you switch

    Legacy Launcher is one of the launchers JustLauncher detects automatically. What travels is not a list of versions but your finished installs, contents and all.

    • Whole instances, along with the game version and the mod loader
    • Mods, resource packs and shaders
    • Worlds from the saves folder
    • Mod configs, game settings and your server list

    How to move your instances

    Legacy Launcher and Ely.by are trademarks of their respective owners and JustLauncher is not affiliated with them. This comparison was put together from Legacy Launcher's own site, September 2026.