How PineconeMC Compares to Freesm Launcher, Fjord Launcher, and Other Prism Forks

Updated

PineconeMC (formerly ElyPrismLauncher) is a Prism Launcher fork that adds integrated Ely.by account support and offline play without a Microsoft account. Compared with Freesm Launcher, Fjord Launcher, Shattered Prism, and PolyMC, it is the only one in the comparison table that combines offline mode, Ely.by accounts, secure OAuth2 for both MSA and Ely.by, and improved garbage collection. Pick it if you want Ely.by login built in and skins working outside singleplayer; pick a different fork if you only need offline mode or prefer a launcher with a longer release history.

Comparison table

Feature PineconeMC Freesm Launcher Fjord Launcher Shattered Prism PolyMC
Offline mode without a Microsoft account Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Ely.by accounts Yes Yes Custom accounts Custom accounts Custom accounts
Skins support Everywhere using official patches Everywhere using official patches Singleplayer & LAN only Singleplayer & LAN only Singleplayer & LAN only
Secure OAuth2 authentication MSA + Ely.by MSA + Ely.by MSA only MSA only MSA only
Improved GC Yes No No No No
Based on Prism Launcher Prism Launcher Prism Launcher Fjord Launcher MultiMC

What each difference means in practice

Offline mode without a Microsoft account

PineconeMC, Freesm Launcher, Shattered Prism, and PolyMC all let you launch without signing into a Microsoft account. Fjord Launcher does not. If avoiding MSA is your only requirement, four of the five options qualify.

Ely.by account support

PineconeMC and Freesm Launcher both list Ely.by as a supported account type. The other three list "Custom accounts," meaning Ely.by works only through a custom account setup rather than as a first-class option. PineconeMC's stated goal is to go beyond "a login-password prompt and authlib-injector download," so the integration is deeper than a bare credential form.

Skin support

This is the sharpest dividing line. PineconeMC and Freesm Launcher apply official patches so skins render everywhere. Fjord Launcher, Shattered Prism, and PolyMC limit skins to singleplayer and LAN. If you play on multiplayer servers and care about your skin showing, the first two are the relevant choices.

Authentication

PineconeMC and Freesm Launcher use secure OAuth2 for both MSA and Ely.by. Fjord Launcher, Shattered Prism, and PolyMC support OAuth2 for MSA only. Note that Ely.by does not support capes — the official Minecraft system does — so cape users need mods regardless of launcher.

Garbage collection

PineconeMC is the only fork in the table marked with improved GC. The others are all "No." This matters if you have seen memory pressure or stutter in long sessions, though the table does not quantify the improvement.

Choosing between them

  • Want Ely.by as a built-in account type, skins everywhere, and improved GC: PineconeMC.
  • Want Ely.by and skins everywhere but do not need improved GC: Freesm Launcher.
  • Only need offline mode and are fine with singleplayer/LAN skins: Shattered Prism or PolyMC.
  • Need offline mode but not Ely.by: any of PineconeMC, Freesm Launcher, Shattered Prism, or PolyMC — not Fjord Launcher.

Practical notes before you install

  • Download only from official sources: pineconemc.ru, elyprismlauncher.github.io, or the ElyPrismLauncher/Launcher repository. You can also review and build the source yourself.
  • Demo version on first launch: create a new account — either Ely.by or offline.
  • Downloads stuck at a random percentage: your country or ISP may block the needed download servers; a VPN is the suggested workaround.
  • Moving the launcher to another disk: use portable builds, which bundle dependencies and instances in one movable folder.
  • Servers you can join with an Ely.by or offline account: only servers with online-mode=false.
  • Minimum Windows version: Windows 10. On anything lower, consider Legacy Launcher instead.
  • Do not ask PineconeMC questions in the official Prism Launcher GitHub or Discord. Use the PineconeMC Discord instead; questions posted in the wrong place will be ignored.