Pick Fabulously Optimized if you want OptiFine-style extras such as shader support, zoom and connected textures alongside speed. Pick Simply Optimized & Up to Date or Essentially Optimized if you want performance mods and nothing else. All three are Fabric modpacks for Java, with no content mods.
Facts below come from each modpack's Modrinth listing and its own page, read on 24 October 2026. We read these pages. We did not play, benchmark or test any of the three.
The three modpacks side by side
| Fact | Fabulously Optimized | Simply Optimized & Up to Date | Essentially Optimized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loader | Fabric | Fabric | Fabric |
| Java releases with a Fabric file | 1.16.5 to 26.3 | 1.16.5 to 26.3 | 1.21 to 26.1.2 |
| Newest file | 15.0.0-beta.2, beta, 20 October 2026 | 26.3-2.0.0, release, 24 October 2026 | 1.0.0, release, 3 May 2026 |
| Creator | Fabulously Optimized organisation | clouds, a continuation of HyperSoop's Simply Optimized | Shulkercraft |
| Licence | BSD-3-Clause, licence file in its GitHub repository | LicenseRef-NPUL label on Modrinth, no source repository, no licence file found | MIT label on Modrinth, no source repository, no licence file found |
| Side on Modrinth | Client required, server unsupported | Client optional, server optional | Client required, server unsupported |
| Modrinth downloads | 19,339,048 | 67,096 | 157,257 |
| First published on Modrinth | 10 February 2022 | 11 February 2026 | 10 November 2025 |
What each modpack is
Fabulously Optimized
Fabulously Optimized
Modpack by robotkoer
The oldest of the three and the broadest. Its page describes a simple modpack for performance and graphics, and says it supports most OptiFine features, including shaders, connected textures and zoom. It also lists controller support and a larger advancements window as familiar features. It has its own wiki at wiki.download.fo covering install, update, adding and disabling mods.
Simply Optimized & Up to Date
Simply Optimized & Up to Date
Modpack by theoclouds
A continuation. Its page says the original Simply Optimized by HyperSoop was discontinued, and that theoclouds forked it to keep the same minimal, performance-first approach on current Minecraft. The page says it carries little to no quality-of-life, visual or gameplay changes.
Essentially Optimized
Essentially Optimized
Modpack by Shulkercraft
The newest of the three, by Shulkercraft. Its page calls it a client-side modpack for pure optimization, with no quality-of-life mods, visual enhancements or content additions. For a wider shelf, see our lightweight modpacks roundup.
What each one bundles
The performance core overlaps. Simply Optimized & Up to Date names Sodium, Lithium, FerriteCore, Entity Culling and Starlight, then says "and more". Essentially Optimized credits Sodium, Sodium Extra, Reese's Sodium Options, Lithium, FerriteCore, Entity Culling, More Culling, ImmediatelyFast, Iris, C2ME, ScalableLux, Very Many Players, ModernFix-mVUS, BadOptimizations, Fast IP Ping, Mod Menu, Fabric API and Cloth Config API.
Fabulously Optimized goes further than speed. Its older 1.19 files list Iris Shaders, Sodium Extra, Zoomify, Capes, Mod Menu, Dynamic FPS, LambDynamicLights and No Chat Reports among their dependencies, and its page links a full included-mods list. That is the real split: Fabulously Optimized adds features, the other two add only speed.
Versions and update pace
Fabulously Optimized and Simply Optimized & Up to Date both reach 26.3 and go back to 1.16.5, so they suit older worlds. Fabulously Optimized's newest file is a beta, so a stable-only reader should check its channel. Simply Optimized & Up to Date's Modrinth summary says it supports up to 26.1.3, yet its newest file is for 26.3.
Essentially Optimized starts at 1.21 and stops at 26.1.2. Its FAQ says there are no plans to backport it to older versions, though it might happen if demand is high.
Licences and where to get them
Only Fabulously Optimized links source code. Its repository holds a LICENSE.md under BSD-3-Clause, with copyright held by the Fabulously Optimized Authors. Simply Optimized & Up to Date and Essentially Optimized link no source code, so we found no licence file for either. Modrinth lists LicenseRef-NPUL for the first and MIT for the second, and those are labels only.
All three are listed on Modrinth, and Fabulously Optimized also points to CurseForge. Each installs through a launcher that reads Modrinth packs, see how to install a modpack and the launchers compared.
When the choice is already made
Your Minecraft version often decides it. On 1.20 or older, Essentially Optimized is out. If you want the OptiFine-style features, Fabulously Optimized's page states that it supports them. On a server, the Fabulously Optimized and Essentially Optimized pages both say the pack is not needed there, and Modrinth lists Simply Optimized & Up to Date as client optional, server optional. See client-side vs server-side mods.
Trade-offs
- Fabulously Optimized carries the most mods and a beta as its newest file, and the creator page asks you to accept disclaimers.
- Simply Optimized & Up to Date is a one-person fork with a custom licence label, no source repository and a small following (22 followers on Modrinth).
- Essentially Optimized has the narrowest version range and no source link. Its page reports 704 average FPS against 152 for vanilla at 32 chunks. That is the creators' own table, we did not verify it, and we give no performance ranking.
Which one suits which player
- Want shaders, zoom and a familiar feel with Fabric speed mods: Fabulously Optimized.
- Want a bare base for your own mod list on 1.16.5 to 26.3: Simply Optimized & Up to Date.
- Playing 1.21 or newer and want the most stripped-down set: Essentially Optimized.
If frames are still low after any of them, check how much RAM you allocate. Essentially Optimized's page itself suggests at least 4 GB.
