Best Recipe Mods for Minecraft – JEI vs REI Comparison

When you’re playing modded Minecraft, finding and remembering crafting recipes can become a real hassle. Two of the most popular solutions are Just Enough Items (JEI) and Roughly Enough Items (REI). Both mods add an easy-to-use recipe viewer to your game, but each has its own strengths. Here’s a clear, side-by-side comparison to help you decide which one fits your setup best.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	JEI (Just Enough Items)	REI (Roughly Enough Items)
Supported Platforms	Forge, Fabric, NeoForge (1.21 ready)	Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, Quilt (1.21 ready)
Performance	Very stable and well-optimized	Lightweight, responsive, ideal for Fabric players
Customization	Colorful item list, configurable search filters	Clean UI, advanced search (mod names, tooltips, regex), favorites
Recipe Features	Crafting, usage view with shortcuts (R/U), Cheat mode	Crafting and use recipes, recipe exporting, cheat mode
Plugin Support	Supports many JEI plugins for modpacks	Compatible with JEI plugins; server component available

Pros & Cons

JEI – Just Enough Items

Advantages:

Rock-solid stability and minimal bugs.
Highly customizable with search filters, mod grouping, and integrations.
Broad plugin ecosystem for modpacks.

Considerations:

Slightly heavier on resources, especially in large modpacks.
May feel overwhelming for casual players seeking simplicity.

REI – Roughly Enough Items

Advantages:

Lightweight and fast, ideal for Fabric users.
Clean, intuitive interface with advanced search options.
Features like recipe exporting and favoriting.

Considerations:

Plugin ecosystem is smaller than JEI’s.
Minor compatibility quirks, like requiring the correct mod loader version.

Recommended Add‑ons

For JEI:
- Just Enough Professions (JEP) – it lets users see worktables needed for each villager profession
- Just Enough Effect Descriptions (JEED) – supplies data regarding status effects.
- Just Enough Resources (JER) – complete info on drops, items, and more, fully compatible!
For REI:
- Just Enough Effect Descriptions (JEED) – supplies data regarding status effects.
- Roughly Enough Professions (REP) – it lets users see worktables needed for each villager profession

Images

User interface comparison.

Conclusion

Both JEI and REI offer essential recipe-lookup tools in Minecraft—but each shines in different setups:

Choose JEI if you’re running a Forge modpack and want maximum stability and plugin support. It’s trusted, feature-rich, and the go-to for many modpacks.
Opt for REI if you prefer a lightweight, clean UI—especially on Fabric or NeoForge. It includes advanced search options, exporting tools, and favoriting features.