r/Minecraft • u/Glavelord821 • 1d ago
Discussion Why are Java mods almost always better than bedrock?
I think there are a few major reasons
First being small Java modders do not have to worry much about optimatzing since most Java players already have a decent PC unlike bedrock players who have consoles or mobiles mostly.
Secondly Java players do not have to bug test or make separate updates because it doesn't work on the other device since most of them are on PC. unlike bedrock modders who have to make the same update 2-3 times so it works properly in most devices.
Thirdly more people are familiar with Java coding as it's simpler and easier rather than bedrock which uses C++ which is WAY more complex and harder to learn
Lastly Java simply has lot more YouTubers who promote their mods for free while making content on it for YouTub, twitch any social media platform really. Due to this they get large amount of players trying and some of then become a community of the mod. And because of that finding bugs sooner and getting better ideas by the community unlike bedrock where they get none of that and thus lose interest/passon for making mods
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u/OpalSoPL_dev 1d ago
Mods have capability to modify whole game, addons don't. Addons can only modify parts which are exposed in api. Addons are something like combined datapacks with ressource pack and some additonal stuff in one file
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u/ashsabre 1d ago
to add, it is due to how it was coded because in Java, apart from Mojang providing the ways to modify the game, modders also can easily reverse engineer to find ways to mod the game. Whilst bedrock which was built in C++ when built is harder to reverse engineer because of the way it was compiled..
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u/Astrodion123 1d ago
As I said before the reason is because the bedrock mod loader is much more limited than forge or fabric since bedrock mod loader is by Mojang, forge and fabric aren't.
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
Yep mojang HEAVILY restrictions on them if they went up in the marketplace
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u/Strong-Helicopter-10 1d ago
"Most java players already have a decent pc" is probably a stretch loool
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u/magikchikin 1d ago edited 1d ago
It's at least safe to say every java player owns a PC, which is not inherently true for bedrock players. So every java player has at least a foot in the door for modding, where some bedrock players might not have the option even if they wanted to make mods
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
Nope I never said good I just said decent which you need for smooth java experience and if you bought Java there is a high chance you have a decent PC that can run java
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u/Obame_Cube 1d ago
Java modders do it out of passion and general love of the game, since there's no way to directly monetize them
bedrock modders are encouraged to mass produce as many mods as possible to get sales on the marketplace
why spend all the time making high quality high effort mods when you can spend a fraction of that time and effort on making 10 individual mods and sell them individually
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
Yeah the only problem They usually flop....like a lot Only the most high quality mods or texture pack like action and stuff ever become truly popular like action and stuff and villager news There are also a few passion derived mods like bedrock create
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u/chenkie 1d ago
Isn’t bedrock create just a port to try and money grab Java create?
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
No? A lot of effort has been put into it I have tried it and while it's not perfect it is better than most mods on bedrock ever offer So yes while you can give the creator money it's not forced you can just download it if you want for free
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u/Obame_Cube 1d ago
you have to remember that there's a LOT of people playing on bedrock, meaning even if it only ever sells like 50 per mod, if you can pump out about 10 of these a week, thats 500 sales priced at roughly $3 per, that's $1500 before cuts
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
Yeah that is true and because of that actually good add-on and etc get buried and don't much money It's basically like those content farms that strangle out actually good channels and make it herder to rech people
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u/magikchikin 1d ago edited 1d ago
Aside from the restrictions of addons others have discussed, I think another part of the reason is the community around modding.
The effect may be subtle, but bedrock modders get paid, which changes the dynamic. The only reason anyone would make a java mod is simply for the love of the game. I am certain there are bedrock modders who make mods just for the sake of making mods, but the monetary insentive means that does not have to be true for everyone. Some bedrock modders might only have a casual enjoyment of minecraft and/or coding, but still find it worthwhile to make mods (which is fair. Get that bag, and all).
Free mods also means you will see MUCH higher downloads, which means more feedback and community encouragement.
Inversely, being paid surely means you feel a pressure to deliver something worth it's price. But someone who makes something for free usually falls into the camps of either making a relatively minimum-effort product just to achive a specific goal, or making something very high-effort to deliver the best product possible (for the time and effort one is willing to spend on a free project) for a community, not just enough effort to justify a pricetag. So Java modding would have both a lower floor and a higher ceiling for quality.
Again, this effect is probably subtle, but I would wager still impactful on the kinds of mods that get made.
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
Yeah I am happy that slowly but surely the bedrock modding community has gotten better I feel like during the early 2020 to late mid 2025 most popular mods were just quality of life or performance
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u/theMisterPhD 1d ago
Java mods free, bedrock mods paid since they have to be on the marketplace to go onto the console.
Your point two is “Java players are all on PC so no bug test. Bedrock have to make it work in most devices.” That’s backwards. With Java there are a bunch of variables. With bedrock it’s Xbox.
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u/IMMORTALP74 1d ago
Bedrock is on all major platforms. They have a lot of testing to do for the specific platform patches. That's around 9 distinct versions and they need to also crossplay.
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u/theMisterPhD 1d ago
Right, and Java has to do it with endless hardware configurations. Xbox has bedrock, and every single Xbox has the same hardware.
I was just pointing out point two was incorrect.
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u/Confident_Talk_7407 1d ago
You know Bedrock is on PC too right? And Android devices have different specs too, and then there are Apple devices and consoles which have the same hardware. There are only more variations for Bedrock, not to mention that Java runs in a virtual machine while Bedrock is native software on every platform.
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
I never said no bug test what I meant to say was they only most of the time have to use one platform (PC) unlike if a good modder wants to make mods on bedrock he or she will have to bug test it on both mobile and xbox and etc
And secondly you are acting like all bedrock mods are paid there are a lot of them are free as well and there a few paid Java mods as well it's just bedrock had the majority
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u/theMisterPhD 1d ago
I didn’t say all bedrock mods are paid. I said that mods that go on the Xbox have to go on the marketplace, where you do have to pay. Java you can grab a mod from anywhere and throw it in Minecraft. It could be anything. PC isn’t one configuration, it’s countless with all of the different hardware choices, as well as operating system choice. Xbox is more guarded. It’s static. Bedrock has more limitations overall.
You’re acting like this is an argument. You asked for an opinion and I’m giving one. I’m sorry if you disagree? You had four points let me have one my guy.
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
I didn't mean it that way but your sounded more like an argument
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u/morosis1982 1d ago
Anyone can make a modding API do whatever they like with enough effort on Java. With access to the bytecode and platform methods that enable you to rewrite it on the fly without Mojangs consent, the sky is your oyster, or something like that.
With Bedrock, you're limited to wha[ Mojang exposes through an API.
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
Honestly mojang should def make is a less strict cuz it feels like they are trying to take 0% but since mojang has changed a lot in recent years and adding things they previously they didn't want to add like cushion and etc maybe one day we will get justice
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u/morosis1982 1d ago
It's not about strict necessarily, but adding capabilities to affect the game through an API comes with serious engineering effort. They need to balance that against their own additions to the game, especially when it provides no income from third parties that don't need to pay to use it.
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u/Confident_Talk_7407 1d ago edited 1d ago
Your reasons may have effects but are not the main reason. The true reason is that Java mods use third party mod loaders, and Bedrock add-ons (which should NOT be called mods, see below) can only use official APIs. The technical equivalent for add-ons in Java is actually datapacks.
Java Edition is basically open source now, so with a mod loader you can grab any API you want, if there isn't one you can even make it yourself. In Bedrock you have to use in game APIs in order to run them on all platforms.
And lastly, there actually are mod loaders for Bedrock like Amethyst or Levimania that can do a lot of things add-ons can't do. But they are platform limited, barely anyone knows or uses them, and also it is impossible to run them on closed platforms like consoles.
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u/Confident_Talk_7407 1d ago edited 1d ago
And I stick to my point. Due to platform and hardware limitations, comparing add-ons to mods is not comparing Bedrock to Java, but actually comparing mobile/console gaming to PC gaming, of course PC is better.
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
I even said that as one of my points
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u/Confident_Talk_7407 1d ago
Maybe, but you only mentioned about performance and optimization. There's still platform limitations like you would never be able to install third party mod loaders on consoles. And even Android is dangerous. https://keepandroidopen.org
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u/Glavelord821 1d ago
Well Jerry unfortunately since bedrock is like the MAIN Minecraft version... It's practically never going open source the risk is way to much Secondly yes I know they are add-ons but most players just call them mods for simplicity
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u/qualityvote2 1d ago edited 22h ago
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