| Litematica | WorldEdit | Schematica | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Client-side Fabric mod | Server plugin or singleplayer mod | Client-side mod (legacy) |
| How you build | By hand, block by block, with a ghost overlay | Pastes the whole build instantly | Ghost overlay (older) |
| Best for | Survival building | Creative, servers, fast pasting | Older versions (mostly replaced) |
| File format | .litematic | .schem | .schematic |
| Actively maintained | Yes | Yes | No |
Litematica: build by hand in survival
A client-side Fabric mod that overlays a ghost of the schematic in your world so you place each block yourself. It is the standard choice for survival players who want to build a design legitimately, and it uses the .litematic format. It also shows a live material list and can highlight the exact blocks that are missing or misplaced as you go. See how to install Litematica.
WorldEdit: paste instantly in creative or on a server
A plugin on servers, or a mod in singleplayer, that edits and pastes entire builds in one command. Best when you have operator access or you are in creative and want a build placed instantly, and it is the go-to for large terraforming and region edits. It uses the .schem format.
Schematica: the original, now legacy
The mod that popularised schematics. It has largely been superseded by Litematica on modern versions and is no longer the recommended choice, though you may still see .schematic files from its era. It uses the older .schematic format.
Can you use them together?
Yes, and many players do. A common workflow is to build in survival with Litematica, then use WorldEdit on a creative test world or server to paste, mirror or scale a design quickly. Because each tool has its own format, the practical glue is a converter: turn a .schem you downloaded into a .litematic to build by hand, or export a .litematic to .schem to paste on a server.
Which should you use?
- Building in survival, block by block: Litematica.
- Pasting a build instantly in creative or on a server: WorldEdit.
- On a very old version with an existing workflow: Schematica.
Frequently asked questions
Can Litematica open a .schem file?
Not directly. Convert the .schem to .litematic first, which you can do in your browser, then load it in Litematica.
Is Litematica better than WorldEdit?
They do different jobs. Litematica is for building a design by hand in survival with a ghost overlay. WorldEdit is for pasting or editing whole builds instantly in creative or on a server.
Do I need both Litematica and WorldEdit?
Many players use Litematica for survival building and WorldEdit for creative worlds or servers. They complement each other rather than compete.
Is Schematica still worth using?
On modern versions, no. Schematica popularised schematics but is largely superseded by Litematica and is no longer actively maintained for current releases.