How to Make Money From Minecraft Mods Within the Rules

How to make money from Minecraft mods

You make money from Minecraft mods mainly through the platform that hosts them: CurseForge pays authors reward points from an ad-funded pool, and Modrinth shares its ad revenue with creators based on page views and app downloads. On top of that, many authors take donations through Patreon, Ko-fi or GitHub Sponsors while the mod stays free for everyone. What you cannot do is sell the mod itself, because the Minecraft EULA says you may not sell mods for money or try to make money from them.

Below: both host programs, the Mojang rules that limit everything else, and where an offerwall can and cannot fit. All program details and rules were checked on October 29, 2026.

What Mojang’s EULA and Usage Guidelines say about mods

Two documents apply. The Minecraft EULA is the legal agreement, and the Minecraft Usage Guidelines are extra permissions Mojang gives the community and can withdraw at any time.

The EULA: mods are yours, but not for sale

The EULA’s “Using mods” section defines a mod as something original that does not contain a substantial part of Mojang’s code or content. It says mods you create for Java Edition from scratch belong to you and you can do whatever you want with them, “as long as you don’t sell them for money / try to make money from them” and as long as you do not distribute modded versions of the game. Mods are fine to share; a patched game client or server jar is not.

The Usage Guidelines: three conditions for any mod

The “Extended functionality and modifications” section says you may create, use or distribute a mod if:

• You distribute the mod only, not a modded version of Minecraft.
• The mod does not create a play-to-earn function where players earn real-world or out-of-game currency, or in-game currency that can be cashed out.
• The mod cannot be used to check, directly or indirectly, whether a player owns or has access to out-of-game content, products or services that affect in-game features. Mojang’s own example is a mod that checks for an NFT to unlock skins.

The general rules apply too: nothing that looks official, Minecraft only as a secondary part of your mod’s name, and a disclaimer such as “NOT AN OFFICIAL MINECRAFT PRODUCT. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG OR MICROSOFT” on your listing and website.

Where that leaves host rewards and donations

Read literally, “try to make money from them” is broad, and Mojang does not say how it applies to host rewards programs or donations. The Usage Guidelines also say Mojang cannot advise on whether a specific project complies and suggest speaking to an attorney. What is certain: selling the mod, in any form, is out. Host rewards and voluntary donations, where every player gets the same free mod, are how the large hosts operate, and CurseForge’s moderation policies say it follows game developers’ EULAs. That is how the community works, not written permission from Mojang.

Ways mod authors earn, compared

“Not addressed” below means the rules are silent, not that the route is approved.

The Marketplace is the official place to sell Minecraft content. Mojang’s Partner Program page describes partners selling skin packs, maps, textures and add-ons there and points newcomers to its official publishing partners first.

The CurseForge rewards program

CurseForge, run by Overwolf, pays authors in Author Reward Points. According to its Reward Program FAQ:

• The pool: each month, points go into a pool based on a percentage of the previous month’s revenue, and part of it is handed out every day, so the total changes month to month.
• How your share is set: by your project’s popularity in the CurseForge app and on the website. There is no fixed “X downloads = Y points” rate.
• The threshold: a project must pass an internal popularity threshold before it earns anything, and you cannot see where you rank.
• Value: one point is worth $0.05, and points stay valid for three years after they are earned.
• Catches: if the project owner is not enrolled, the project earns no points, and authors who do not log in for over 60 days stop earning until they log in again.
• Tax: no tax form is needed, and CurseForge supplies no tax documents, so keep your own records.

To join, you switch the program on under Rewards Program Settings in your profile and accept its terms. CurseForge’s join and redeem guide says redeeming needs two-factor authentication, which currently works through a Twitch login, and lists Tremendous (options depend on the region you pick, base currency USD) and Payoneer (orders fulfilled in the first week of each month).

Modrinth monetization and payouts

Modrinth, run by Rinth, Inc., calls its program the Rewards Program. Its Rewards Program information page (last modified February 20, 2025) explains the model:

• The split: ad revenue from the whole website and app is split 75% to creators and 25% to Modrinth.
• Your share: each project page view and each in-app download by a logged-in user counts as a point, and money is distributed daily by each author’s points. Downloads that come as part of a modpack count the same as direct ones.
• No sign-up to accrue: every creator who uploads earns automatically; you add payment details only when you want to withdraw.
• Withdrawals: PayPal, Venmo or gift cards, with withdrawal fees shown in your dashboard.
• Timing: Modrinth is paid by its ad providers on a NET 60 basis, so revenue becomes available 60 days after the end of the month it was earned in.
• Bots: Modrinth removes botted views and downloads and permanently bans users caught botting.

The program terms treat you as an independent contractor responsible for your own taxes, and Modrinth’s Content Rules require an honest description and external links that lead to public, relevant resources.

CurseForge vs Modrinth at a glance

You can upload the same mod to both hosts and earn from each, as long as every project page follows that host’s rules.

Patreon, Ko-fi and donations without a paywall

Both hosts let you link donation pages. Modrinth’s project settings accept links for Patreon, Ko-fi, Buy Me a Coffee, PayPal, GitHub Sponsors and other sites. CurseForge has a donation field on the project, and its moderation policies say personal donation links such as Ko-fi and Patreon, personal websites and server hosting affiliate banners must sit at the bottom of the page, after the description, at a reasonable size. Its project page guide also asks you to avoid advertising paywalled features for donors.

On fees, Patreon’s pricing page lists a 10% platform fee on what you earn, plus payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees and applicable taxes. Ko-fi’s fees depend on the plan and the type of payment, so read its current pricing before you choose.

Because the mod must be the same for everyone, tiers should pay for your time and community: devlogs, roadmap polls, a Discord supporter role, and thanks on your website or README. Leave out anything that touches the build: no supporter-only versions, no early downloads, no in-game capes or items the mod grants after checking a membership.

Where an offerwall fits, and where it never does

An offerwall lets users earn a site’s own points by completing advertiser offers, such as trying an app, and pays the publisher per completed offer (what is an offerwall?). For a mod author, most places are off limits.

Never inside the mod

No offerwall, earn link, in-game browser or reward screen in your mod. The Usage Guidelines rule out mods that create a play-to-earn function and mods that check out-of-game status to change in-game features, so points earned on a website must never unlock anything in the game through your mod, not even a cosmetic.

Never in front of a download

Making people complete an offer to download a mod, a config pack or a “mirror” is a content locker, which is not allowed with Sharklio. It also charges for the mod, which the EULA rules out, and CurseForge does not allow external download links for files. Content lockers vs offerwalls explains the line.

Possibly on your own website or Discord

If you run a website with accounts or a Discord community around your mods, supporters who would rather not donate could earn points there by completing offers and spend them on perks you control outside the game: a Discord role or color, a badge on your forum, their name on your website’s supporter page, or an extra vote in a roadmap poll.

Whether Mojang would accept this is unclear. Its rules do not mention offerwalls, the EULA’s “try to make money from them” wording is broad, and the Usage Guidelines say that anything they do not cover probably needs written permission from Mojang. We cannot tell you it is fine. If you go ahead, the conservative version looks like this:

• Perks live only on your website or Discord, never in Minecraft.
• Points never cash out and never buy a build, an early download or a feature.
• No Minecraft logos, textures or screenshots on the earn page, and no Minecraft name in the earn page’s domain, since the guidelines do not allow domains with their name to be used principally to make money, including through affiliate services.
• Users are 16 or older, with parental permission under 18. If most of your audience is younger, an offerwall is the wrong tool.
• No points for downloads, follows, ratings, comments or Discord joins. Modrinth bans botting, and Discord’s platform manipulation policy prohibits paying for or encouraging server joins and invite rewards.
• Your project pages link to your website or Discord in the bottom section, not to an “earn rewards” page.

Promoting your offerwall: allowed and prohibited ways covers wording and audience, and if your community also plays on a server you run, How to monetize a Minecraft server covers the separate rules for server currencies and stores.

Grow the mod first

Every route above scales with how many people find and keep your mod, so clear descriptions, real screenshots, changelogs and quick updates for new Minecraft versions matter most. CurseForge’s fair play rules forbid re-uploads or trivial updates made only to look active, so ship real changes. If you also run a server for your modpack, How to get more players on your Minecraft server shows how to grow it, and How to get more Discord members covers the community side without breaking Discord’s rules.

How to add Sharklio to your mod community’s website

If you decide the website or Discord route fits your audience, the setup keeps the wall entirely outside Minecraft.

1. Apply as a publisher at sharklio.com. Every application is reviewed by hand, and once you are approved, apps you add are live right away.
2. Add your website in the dashboard and set your point name, icon, conversion rate and wall design. Pick a name that has nothing to do with Minecoins or Minecraft.
3. Put the wall on an earn page behind your site’s sign-in and age check, as a link or iframe your server signs for the user’s site account, as the Offerwall link docs show. On Discord, follow How to add an offerwall to a Discord bot: the bot hands a private link built from the member’s site account, never their Discord ID.
4. Credit points only from the signed postback on your server, remove them on a reversal, and sync Discord roles from that balance.
5. Check the flow with Test your app before launch before you announce it in your Discord or on your website.

Frequently asked questions