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Compatibility with QModManager
BepInEx itself is fully compatible with QModManager. In fact, QModManager requires BepInEx.
However, mods made for QModManager (hereafter QMods) do not automatically work with BepInEx - you still need QModManager installed and working to use them. BepInEx loads QModManager, and then QModManager loads QMods. That's how it has always been since QModManager v4.0 released. The only thing that has changed is that QModManager has been deprecated and will no longer receive updates.
As QModManager still works on the latest version of Subnautica: Below Zero, it is currently possible to run all working QMods and BepInEx plugins side-by-side.
However, if an update is released for Subnautica: Below Zero which is incompatible with QModManager (for example the Living Large update for Subnautica which was released in December 2022), then QModManager and QMods will no longer function, and since QModManager has been deprecated, it will never be updated.
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QModManager ships with an old version of BepInEx. If you install QModManager after installing this BepInEx pack, you will be downgrading your version of BepInEx in the process, and some BepInEx plugins will stop working as they require a newer version of BepInEx. To remedy this, simply reinstall BepInEx after installing QModManager. Installing with Vortex Mod Manager should handle this for you.
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On macOS, QModManager will not work at all without this pack, but it can be a bit tricky to install correctly. Follow the Installing QModManager on macOS guide and you should be good to go.
What if they release an update to Subnautica: Below Zero which breaks compatibility with BepInEx? Won't we end up in the same situation?
The major difference between BepInEx and QModManager is that BepInEx itself does not interact with or depend on the game assemblies to function, while QModManager does. Because of QModManager's dependency on the game assemblies, it has been prone to breaking whenever the game updates.
Meanwhile, BepInEx only relies on the Unity game engine to function and is compatible with every version of Unity since Unity 3 (released in 2010), so it is far less likely to stop working if the game updates. We have not yet witnessed an update to Subnautica: Below Zero which has prevented BepInEx from working since we started using it to power QModManager in 2020.
Some BepInEx plugins might stop working when the game is updated if they rely on game code which has been changed by the update, but those which do not will be unaffected. BepInEx plugins which are affected will need to be updated - just as they would if they were QMods - but BepInEx itself and unaffected plugins should continue to function without any update required.
These factors are part of the reason why the community is moving away from QModManager, why it has been deprecated, and why we believe BepInEx is the right mod loader for the future of Subnautica: Below Zero.
The main thing that could throw a spanner in the works is if the devs decide to begin compiling the game with IL2CPP. This would require the community to migrate to BepInEx 6, which has support for modding Unity IL2CPP games but is currently in prerelease and not yet recommended for games which do not require it.