Poly Mod Loader compared with Sinytra Connector and other bridges
There are two ways to get mods from different loaders into one game:
- A bridge on top of a loader. You install one loader, and a bridge mod makes it run another loader's mods. Sinytra Connector is one: it runs Fabric mods on NeoForge.
- A loader that hosts the others. Poly Mod Loader is a loader of its own. It owns the game, runs Fabric mods through its own Fabric support, and runs Forge mods on Forge and FML themselves.
Both are good answers to different questions. This page lists the facts so you can pick the one that fits. The facts about Sinytra Connector come from its README and FAQ; check them there, as they may change.
Side by side
| Sinytra Connector | Poly Mod Loader | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A translation and compatibility layer that runs Fabric mods on NeoForge | A mod loader that runs Fabric mods, Forge mods, and its own Poly Mods in one game |
| Loader underneath | NeoForge | Poly Mod Loader. Forge and FML run on top of it when Forge mods are installed |
| Mods it puts together | Fabric + NeoForge | Fabric + Forge (MinecraftForge). Fabric + NeoForge: not yet |
| What you install | NeoForge, Forgified Fabric API, Launchpad, and Connector (per its README) | The Poly Mod Loader installer. The first start with Forge mods downloads Forge's files |
| Fabric API | Forgified Fabric API | The regular Fabric API jar |
| Minecraft versions | 26.2.x and 26.1.x supported, 1.21.1 as LTS with some bug fixes, 1.20.1 end of life (per its README) | 26.1, 26.1.1, 26.1.2, 26.2 only |
| Stage | Beta (3.1.0-beta.3+26.2, checked 2026-10-19) | 0.2.0-beta.2, a beta |
| Where mixing breaks | Its FAQ names Fabric mixins aimed at methods NeoForge's patches changed, mods that keep separate code for each loader, and registries that NeoForge has already frozen when Fabric mods initialize | Fabric mixins aimed at code Forge's patches moved or removed: in the 26.2 mixed test set, 25 injection points do not run (POLY-COMPAT-138). A jar with both a Fabric and a Forge build runs as its Forge build (POLY-COMPAT-139) |
Both tools face the same core problem: a Fabric mod expects vanilla code, and the other loader has patched that code. Neither can make every Fabric mixin land on patched code.
When to use which
- You play on NeoForge and want some Fabric mods: Sinytra Connector is built for that. Poly Mod Loader does not run Fabric mods next to NeoForge mods yet (
POLY-COMPAT-216), and its NeoForge support is still an experiment that is off by default. - You want Fabric mods and Forge (MinecraftForge) mods together on 26.1 or 26.2: this is what Poly Mod Loader does. See Run Fabric and Forge mods together.
- You play on 1.21.1 or 1.20.1: Poly Mod Loader does not support those versions.
- You make mods: Poly Mod Loader also has its own Native API with no Minecraft types, for mods meant to keep working across game versions. See the introduction.
Sinytra Connector runs inside NeoForge, and Poly Mod Loader does not run NeoForge by default, so the two are not meant to be used together. That combination has not been tested.
What Poly Mod Loader has checked
Only what Poly Mod Loader's own tests show; nothing here was measured against Sinytra Connector.
| Loader | Status | What was checked |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | Verified | On 26.2, 140 mods load, join a saved world on the client, play 200 ticks, save, and quit (138 real mods plus 2 test mods); 100 start a real dedicated server. 26.1 passes the same checks |
| Forge | Verified | Forge 65.1.5 on 26.2: 40 Forge mods on the client; 35 of 41 start a real dedicated server. Also checked on 26.1 and 26.1.2 |
| Fabric + Forge | — | On 26.2, 33 of 39 Forge mods next to 90 Fabric mods create a world, pass GameTest, and save it on the game test server |
| NeoForge | Blocked | Experimental and off by default (-Dpoly.neoforge=on): checked on a 26.2 server only |
| Quilt | Experimental | 26.2 only. quilt.mod.json and the Quilt Loader API; mods that need QSL are left out (POLY-COMPAT-114 with 308). Checked with test scenarios and one real mod, the Quilt build of Simple Voice Chat, on the game test server |
Each mod's features were not checked one by one. Details: Supported versions and loaders and Compatibility.
Other bridges
Other projects bridge loaders in other directions. Poly Mod Loader has not tested them, so this page does not describe them.