Lodehost
Why recent modpacks run on NeoForge
In July 2023 most of the Forge team started NeoForge as a fork. On 1.20.1 mods for the two stayed largely compatible. From 1.20.2 on they went separate ways, and every mod author had to pick one. Many of the biggest picked NeoForge, and the packs followed their mods.
| You want to play | Run |
|---|---|
| A tech or magic pack for 1.21.1 built around Create, Mekanism or Applied Energistics 2 | NeoForge |
| A pack for 1.20.1 or older | Forge |
| Server performance mods on a near vanilla world | Fabric, or NeoForge: the guide lists mods for both |
| Plugins such as claims, ranks and shops | Paper |
The loader follows the mods, not the other way round. Fabric vs Forge vs NeoForge explains the split in more detail.
Versions you can run NeoForge on
NeoForge is for Minecraft 1.20.2 and newer. From the Version list on the order page that means 26.2, 26.1.2, 26.1.1, 1.21.11, 1.21.8, 1.21.4, 1.21.1, 1.20.6 and 1.20.4, or Latest. Since 26.1 a NeoForge version starts with the Minecraft version it belongs to, so NeoForge 26.1.x is for Minecraft 26.1, which makes a mismatch easy to spot.
| Minecraft version | Java the server runs on |
|---|---|
| 26.1 and newer | Java 25 |
| 1.20.5 up to 1.21.x | Java 21 |
| 1.20.2 up to 1.20.4 | Java 17 |
You never pick Java yourself; the panel takes it from the Minecraft version.
Putting a NeoForge pack on your server
- Take a backup if the server already has a world, or lock last night's copy on the Backups tab.
- Open the Mods tab and search the pack on CurseForge, Feed The Beast or Modrinth.
- Choose the pack version that your players have in their launcher.
- Install. The NeoForge build comes from the pack, the server fetches the files itself, and your previous mods folder is kept under a dated name.
- Start the server and give the first boot of a big pack the extra time it takes to build its caches.
Single NeoForge mods install from the same tab: mods on Modrinth with a NeoForge build for your exact version, together with what they require. One click modpack installs has the details of each source.
One Fabric mod you cannot live without?
Sinytra Connector can load many Fabric mods on NeoForge. It does not work for every mod, so test it on a copy before you build a server around it.
Which size a NeoForge server needs
| Your NeoForge server | Players | Start with |
|---|---|---|
| Performance mods, or a light pack | 5 to 10 | 8 GB, from €10.95 |
| A large 1.21.1 pack with a few hundred mods | 5 to 10 | 12 GB, from €14.95 |
| A heavy tech pack with automation, or more players | 10 or more | 24 GB, from €20.95 |
Per month on a 24 month term, on the Standard line. Automation packs keep machines running in loaded chunks, and that costs processor time: if a pack lags while memory is free, the Performance line is the fix, not a bigger plan. Find lag with spark.
Moving a server to NeoForge
On the Settings tab, choose NeoForge. The panel stops the server, takes a backup, waits until it has finished and converts; your world and files stay. Coming from Forge, mods built for Forge do not load on NeoForge from 1.20.2 up, so install the NeoForge version of your pack instead. Coming from Paper, your plugins stay on disk but stop loading. Changing version and server type.
Written and checked against the panel by the Lodehost team, last reviewed on 17 September 2026.
