Best Minecraft Mod Development Tools in 2026
Updated
In short: Blockbench is ranked #1 of 31 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Quilt Loom and Visual Studio Code. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Quilt Loom. The lowest first paid tier on this page is IntelliJ IDEA at $8.33/mo.
Developing a Minecraft mod may involve code, dependencies, loaders, and packaging, with different tools covering different parts of that work. Compare Minecraft versions, supported loaders, and platforms to see how each aligns with your project setup. Dependency management and artifact packaging are also listed, along with code debugging and visual editor support. Blockbench, Visual Studio Code, and Architectury Loom are among the options, as are Fabric and Gradle. Check free-plan availability and paid-from pricing alongside the development capabilities. Your target game version, preferred workflow, and need for visual editing or debugging can help you decide which published details deserve the closest look.
31 Minecraft mod development tools ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 Blockbench iPhone + Android RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.7Free
- 2 Quilt Loom No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4Free Supported loaders: Quilt
- 3 Visual Studio Code No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4Free
- 4 Architectury Loom No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free Supported loaders: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt
- 5 Fabric No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free
- 6 Gradle No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free
- 7 ModDevGradle No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.3Free Supported loaders: NeoForge; Minecraft ForgeVisual editor: NoCode debugging: Yes
- 8 Eclipse IDE No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free
- 9 ForgeGradle No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported loaders: Forge, FML
- 10 IntelliJ IDEA No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2$8.33/mo
- 11 Minecraft Forge No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free
- 12 Parchment No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported loaders: Forge, Fabric, Quilt
- 13 SpongePowered Mixin No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free Supported loaders: Forge, ModLauncher, LegacyLauncherCode debugging: Yes
- 14 ForgeFlower No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.1Free
- 15 MCreator No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.1Free
- 16 Minecraft Development No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.1Free Supported loaders: Spigot, Paper, Sponge, Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, Architectury, Mixins, BungeeCord, Waterfall, Velocity
- 17 Retrom No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.8
- 18 Recaf No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 Code debugging: Yes
- 19 Minotaur No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.6 Supported loaders: Fabric, Forge
- 20 CurseForgeGradle No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Supported loaders: Forge, Fabric, Quilt, NeoForge, Rift
- 21 Ravel Remapper No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Visual editor: No
- 22 Vineflower No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 Visual editor: No
- 23 CurseForge Gradle Publish Plugin No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3 Supported loaders: Fabric, NeoForge
- 24 mc-publish No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3 Supported loaders: Fabric, Forge, Quilt, Rift, NeoForge, ModLoaderVisual editor: NoCode debugging: No
- 25 McDeob No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.3 Visual editor: NoCode debugging: No
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Supported loaders | Visual editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blockbench | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | Quilt Loom | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Quilt | — |
| 3 | Visual Studio Code | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 4 | Architectury Loom | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Quilt | — |
| 5 | Fabric | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | Gradle | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 7 | ModDevGradle | 6.3 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | NeoForge; Minecraft Forge | No |
| 8 | Eclipse IDE | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 9 | ForgeGradle | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Forge, FML | — |
| 10 | IntelliJ IDEA | 6.2 | Free plan | $8.33/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 11 | Minecraft Forge | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 12 | Parchment | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Forge, Fabric, Quilt | — |
| 13 | SpongePowered Mixin | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Forge, ModLauncher, LegacyLauncher | — |
| 14 | ForgeFlower | 6.1 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 15 | MCreator | 6.1 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 16 | Minecraft Development | 6.1 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Spigot, Paper, Sponge, Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, Architectury, Mixins, BungeeCord, Waterfall, Velocity | — |
| 17 | Retrom | 5.8 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 18 | Recaf | 5.7 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 19 | Minotaur | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | Fabric, Forge | — |
| 20 | CurseForgeGradle | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | Forge, Fabric, Quilt, NeoForge, Rift | — |
| 21 | Ravel Remapper | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | — | No |
| 22 | Vineflower | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | — | No |
| 23 | CurseForge Gradle Publish Plugin | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Fabric, NeoForge | — |
| 24 | mc-publish | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | Fabric, Forge, Quilt, Rift, NeoForge, ModLoader | No |
| 25 | McDeob | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | No |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which Minecraft mod development tool is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
Blockbench is ranked #1 of 31 with a score of 7.7. Quilt Loom is second and Visual Studio Code third.
How many of these have a free plan?
16 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, IntelliJ IDEA has the lowest first paid tier we found: $8.33/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.