What Is PineconeMC?

Updated

PineconeMC is a fork of Prism Launcher that adds built-in support for Ely.by accounts, so you can launch Minecraft without a Microsoft account. It is not an official Prism Launcher project, and its own site asks users not to post questions about it in the official Prism Launcher GitHub or Discord.

The launcher was formerly called ElyPrismLauncher, which is why the site lives at elyprismlauncher.github.io. It is based on Prism Launcher, which in turn is based on MultiMC.

What it actually adds

The site's own framing is that this fork "goes beyond simply adding a login-password prompt and authlib-injector download." Concretely, that means:

  • Ely.by accounts — sign in with an Ely.by account instead of a Microsoft one.
  • Offline mode without a Microsoft account — you can play without any Microsoft login.
  • Skins support — described as working "everywhere using official patches," rather than only in singleplayer and LAN.
  • Secure OAuth2 authentication for both MSA and Ely.by.
  • Improved GC (garbage collection), which the comparison table lists as unique to this fork among the ones compared.

How it compares to similar forks

The site publishes a comparison table across MultiMC-based launchers. The relevant columns:

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

If your only requirement is offline mode, several of these work. If you specifically want Ely.by accounts plus skins outside singleplayer, PineconeMC and Freesm Launcher are the two that match on those rows.

Things to know before you install

It is not free in the sense of "no account needed." The FAQ addresses "Why it launches demo version?" with: you have to create a new account, either Ely.by or offline. So a fresh install without an account will behave like a demo until you add one.

Download only from official sources. The site lists pineconemc.ru, elyprismlauncher.github.io, and the ElyPrismLauncher/Launcher repository. It also notes you can review and build the source yourself.

Minimum Windows version is Windows 10. For anything lower, the site suggests considering Legacy Launcher instead.

Server compatibility: with an Ely.by or offline account you can join servers running with online-mode=false.

Ely.by is not a full Microsoft replacement. The FAQ states it does not support capes, unlike the official system — for capes you need mods.

Common issues

  • Game download stuck at some percentage — your country or ISP may be blocking the needed download servers; the suggested fix is a VPN.
  • Moving the launcher to another disk — use the portable build, which bundles dependencies and instances in one folder you can move.

Where to get it

The download link is on elyprismlauncher.github.io. For questions, use the project's own Discord — not the official Prism Launcher channels, where the site says such questions will be ignored.