| Feature | Arctic Launcher | TLauncher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no ads, no premium tier | Free |
| Works without a Microsoft account | Yes, with an offline account for singleplayer, LAN and offline-mode servers; a Microsoft account for servers that check accounts | Yes: you can play with just a username; a licensed account is optional |
| Open source | Yes (GPL-3.0) | No: the source code isn't published |
| Mods and modpacks | Fabric, Quilt, NeoForge and Forge with Modrinth mods and modpacks (.mrpack too), plus resource packs and shaders | Forge, Fabric and OptiFine in one click, plus a modpack system |
| Skins, capes and cosmetics | Free skins, capes (animated too), 3D cosmetics and emotes that other Arctic players see in game | Its own skin system with cloaks and HD skins, set on its website and shown to TLauncher users |
Checked October 2026 against each project’s own website and repository. Something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
Play Minecraft without a Microsoft account in Arctic
Why Arctic over TLauncher
- Open source under GPL-3.0, and a privacy page that lists everything it sends, so you can check what it does.
- Fabric, Quilt, NeoForge and Forge with Modrinth mods and modpacks, plus the performance mods built in.
- 3D cosmetics, emotes and animated capes on top of skins.
- A built-in client, replays, friends and voice chat.
- It brings your TLauncher instances over for you.
Switching takes a minute: Arctic imports your TLauncher instances and leaves the originals untouched.
Where TLauncher still fits: TLauncher is where many players start, and it installs OptiFine in one click.