Kuro vs MapleRoyals vs MapleLegends: three classic servers compared

How Kuro, MapleRoyals and MapleLegends differ as of November 2026: game version, rates, browser and phone play, launcher, languages, donations and public activity figures, each with a date and a source. Written by the Kuro team.

At a glance, November 2026

MapleRoyals and MapleLegends were #1 and #2 on the main gtop100 list when we checked at 01:56 UTC on November 2, 2026, and both have been running for more than ten years. Kuro opened on July 18, 2026 and was #4 at the same moment. This page puts the three side by side.

  • Kuro: v83 with extra classes and custom content, 2x EXP until level 200 and 1x meso and drop, played in a browser on PC, Mac and phone, or with a Windows launcher.
  • MapleRoyals: v83, 3.2x EXP with increased meso and drop, a Windows download, and a gtop100 description that says it tries to keep the server as nostalgic as possible.
  • MapleLegends: v62, the 2008 era, 2x EXP and 1x meso, with a Windows client that its team says also runs on most macOS versions.

Who wrote this: This page is written by the Kuro team, so read our own entry with that in mind. Facts about MapleRoyals and MapleLegends come from their own websites and their gtop100 listings, all read on November 2, 2026 between 01:56 and 01:58 UTC, and the sources section links every page. Kuro did not accept payment from anyone for this page. When we could not find something, we say "not found in the sources checked" instead of guessing. If you run one of these servers and something is out of date, tell us on Discord and we will fix it.

Side by side

  • Feature | Kuro | MapleRoyals | MapleLegends
  • Version | v83 (pre-Big Bang) | v83 (its gtop100 listing is tagged both V83 and V62) | v62 (its site says "Version: 0.62"), the 2008 era
  • Running since | July 18, 2026 | Over 10 years, by its own account | April 1, 2015
  • EXP | 2x until level 200, then 1x; 3x quest EXP; 4x for characters below your account's highest level | 3.2x | 2x; 3x quest EXP
  • Meso and drop | 1x meso, 1x drop | "Increased drop and meso rates"; exact values not found in the sources checked | 1x meso; no drop rate on its homepage
  • Classes | Explorers (Pirates included), Cygnus Knights and Aran, plus Dual Blade, Pathfinder, Cannoneer, Shade, Phantom, Mercedes and Luminous | Warrior, Magician, Bowman, Thief and Pirate | The five Explorer branches, Pirates included
  • Play in a browser | Yes, at play.playkuro.com | Not found in the sources checked | Not found in the sources checked
  • Phone and tablet | Yes, in the browser with on-screen touch controls | Not found; its downloads page says the download wizard is not available on mobile devices | Not found in the sources checked
  • Windows client | Windows launcher, about 10 MB; it downloads about 10 GB of game files and keeps them up to date | Windows installer in two editions (WZ and IMG), four download mirrors each | Windows client from download mirrors
  • Mac | In the browser, nothing to install | Not found in the sources checked | "MAC compatible for MOST MacOS versions", with an installation guide on its forum
  • Languages | Game primarily in English, with Japanese text in some interfaces; guides in English and Japanese | English website; other languages not found in the sources checked | English website; other languages not found in the sources checked
  • Donations and pay-to-win | Free to play, optional donations, no pay-to-win; donation mounts move at the same speed as regular mounts | Donations through its site; its gtop100 listing is tagged NoPay2Win | Vote for Cash on its site; its gtop100 listing is tagged NoPay2Win and No Vote2win
  • gtop100, Nov 2, 01:56 UTC | #4, average population band 500 to 1,000 | #1, average population band 1,000 to 2,000 | #2, average population band 1,000 to 2,000

Kuro facts come from our features and rates guide and download page. Everything about the other two is as each server states it on the pages listed under sources, checked on November 2, 2026.

Version: v83 or v62

Kuro and MapleRoyals are both built on v83, the middle of the classic pre-Big Bang period. MapleLegends is built on v62, an earlier client, and describes itself as the 2008 era. If the version is new to you, see what pre-Big Bang and v83 mean.

The three take different paths from there. MapleRoyals says on its gtop100 listing that it tries to keep the server as nostalgic as possible while adding custom content such as hairstyles, faces and NX items, and its homepage lists imported areas including Temple of Time, Ulu City, Shaolin Temple, Neo Tokyo, Ellin Forest and Lionheart Castle, with 20 channels. The gtop100 description of MapleLegends promises the old gameplay with modern quality-of-life tweaks and strong moderation against cheaters. Kuro keeps the pre-Big Bang classes, party quests and Free Market, and adds later classes, a level cap of 300 for every class, Ironman, Hardcore and Group Ironman modes, custom bosses and quality-of-life changes, so it is a modernized classic server rather than a pure recreation.

Rates and pace

  • Kuro: 2x EXP until level 200, then 1x; 1x meso, 1x drop and 3x quest EXP. Characters below your account's highest level get 4x EXP, so alts catch up faster. The level cap is 300 for every class.
  • MapleRoyals: 3.2x EXP and "increased drop and meso rates", per its homepage. Hunting in a party gives extra EXP to all active party members.
  • MapleLegends: 2x EXP, 1x meso and 3x quest EXP, per its homepage, with 6 channels. Its homepage lists no drop rate; when we checked its features thread on October 8, 2026, it described drops as close to the original 1x with custom item changes.

Of the three, MapleRoyals has the highest published EXP rate. Kuro and MapleLegends both start at 2x EXP and keep meso at 1x.

Browser, phone, Mac and launcher

Kuro runs in an up-to-date browser at play.playkuro.com on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, phones and tablets, with on-screen touch controls on touch screens. On Windows you can also use the launcher from the download page, about 10 MB, which downloads about 10 GB of game files and keeps them up to date. Both use the same server and characters. See play in your browser and play on a Mac.

MapleRoyals offers a Windows installer on its downloads page, in WZ and IMG editions with four mirrors each. The page tells phone visitors that the download wizard is not available on mobile devices. We did not find a browser, phone or Mac version in the sources checked.

MapleLegends offers its client for download from mirrors. Its download page says it is "MAC compatible for MOST MacOS versions" and links an installation guide and compatibility list on its forum. We did not find a browser or phone version in the sources checked.

Languages

Kuro's game is primarily in English, with Japanese text in some interfaces, and this website has guides in English and Japanese. Daily resets happen at 00:00 Japan time. MapleRoyals and MapleLegends both have English websites; we did not find other languages in the sources checked.

Donations and pay-to-win

Kuro is free to play, with optional donations that support the server, and its rule is no pay-to-win: levels, gear and boss clears come from playing. Donation mounts move at the same speed as the regular mounts every player can get, and there is no paid early access. Every player earns Reward Credits for the Cash Shop by voting. The full list of what a donation does and does not give is in pre-Big Bang and pay-to-win.

For the other two, we only report what they say. MapleRoyals takes donations through its site, and its gtop100 listing is tagged NoPay2Win. MapleLegends has a Vote for Cash page, and its gtop100 listing is tagged NoPay2Win and No Vote2win, with a title that says "ZERO Pay2Win". For any server, read its donation or shop page before you invest a lot of time.

Population signals, November 2, 2026

There is no independent, comparable player count for these servers. These are the public signals we found, all read on November 2, 2026. They measure different things in different units, so we list them and do not add them up or rank the servers by them.

  • gtop100 at 01:56 UTC: MapleRoyals #1, MapleLegends #2 and Kuro #4. gtop100 ranks servers by player votes, so a higher rank means more voting, not more players online. The average population band on each listing was 1,000 to 2,000 for MapleRoyals and MapleLegends and 500 to 1,000 for Kuro; gtop100 does not explain how the band is set.
  • Kuro: 479 concurrent characters on its server status feed at 01:57:50 UTC.
  • MapleLegends: "Players Online: 910 (444 unique)" on legends.ml between 01:56 and 01:57 UTC. The same panel showed "Monthly: 17873 (6472 unique)".
  • MapleRoyals: its homepage says it has the highest number of concurrent players and lists 20 channels. We did not find a live number on the pages checked.

Counter definitions differ and have not been independently audited, and readings change with the time of day. 01:56 UTC is evening in the Americas and morning in East Asia. For seven servers side by side, including October figures, see our server comparison.

Which one fits you? Our opinion

This part is opinion: The suggestions below are the Kuro team's opinion, based on the facts above. Kuro is one of the servers being compared.

  • A long-running v83 server with a large community: MapleRoyals.
  • The 2008 era on v62 at low rates: MapleLegends.
  • Playing in a browser or on a phone with nothing to install: Kuro, the only one of the three where we found a browser client.
  • A Mac: Kuro in the browser with no setup, or MapleLegends with its macOS installation guide.
  • More classes and content past the classic cap: Kuro, with Cygnus Knights, Aran, Shade, Phantom, Mercedes and Luminous and a level cap of 300.
  • Ironman runs: Kuro, with Ironman, Hardcore and Group Ironman modes.

Trying two servers for a weekend is a good way to choose. If Kuro sounds right, create a free account, open play.playkuro.com on your PC or phone, and follow the getting started guide for your first hour.

Frequently asked questions

Which is bigger, MapleRoyals or MapleLegends?

It depends on the metric, and neither publishes an independently verified player count. On November 2, 2026 at 01:56 UTC, MapleRoyals was #1 and MapleLegends #2 on the gtop100 vote ranking, and both listings showed the 1,000 to 2,000 average population band. MapleLegends' own site showed "Players Online: 910 (444 unique)" at the same time; we did not find a live number for MapleRoyals.

Is MapleLegends v83 like MapleRoyals and Kuro?

No. MapleLegends runs v62 (its site says "Version: 0.62") and describes itself as the 2008 era. MapleRoyals and Kuro both run v83.

Can I play any of them in a browser or on my phone?

Kuro, at play.playkuro.com, with on-screen touch controls on phones and tablets. For MapleRoyals and MapleLegends we did not find a browser or phone version in the sources checked, and MapleRoyals' downloads page says its download wizard is not available on mobile devices.

Which has the lowest rates?

MapleLegends and Kuro both start at 2x EXP and 1x meso. MapleLegends adds 3x quest EXP; Kuro drops to 1x EXP after level 200, keeps drop at 1x and gives 3x quest EXP. MapleRoyals has 3.2x EXP with increased meso and drop.

Are they pay to win?

Kuro is free to play with optional donations, and its rule is no pay-to-win; donation mounts move at the same speed as regular mounts. For the other two we report what they say: both gtop100 listings are tagged NoPay2Win, and MapleLegends' is also tagged No Vote2win.

Which one works on a Mac?

Kuro runs in an up-to-date browser on macOS with nothing to install; see play on a Mac. MapleLegends says its client is compatible with most macOS versions and links an installation guide. For MapleRoyals, Mac support was not found in the sources checked.

Sources

All pages below were read on November 2, 2026 between 01:56 and 01:58 UTC, unless marked otherwise. Both gtop100 listings link royals.ms and legends.ml as their current websites.

  • gtop100 main list, read at 01:56 UTC: ranks and average population bands.
  • gtop100 listings for MapleRoyals, MapleLegends and Kuro: version and type tags, average population bands and descriptions.
  • royals.ms and its downloads page (download data last changed September 21, 2026): rates, classes, areas, channels, years running and Windows downloads.
  • legends.ml and its download page: version, release date, rates, channels, online counter and Mac compatibility, plus its macOS installation guide.
  • MapleLegends features thread, checked on October 8, 2026: drop rate note and classes.
  • Kuro: features and rates, download page and server status feed, read at 01:57:50 UTC.

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