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Head-to-head · Minecraft Mod Development Tools

Minecraft Development vs ForgeGradle

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Minecraft Development #2 in Minecraft Mod Development Tools 9.2/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Minecraft Dev
ForgeGradle #4 in Minecraft Mod Development Tools 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit MinecraftForge

Minecraft Development leads on 0 checks, ForgeGradle on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreMinecraft Development · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly ForgeGradle
  • Most featuresForgeGradle · 2 of 4

Minecraft Development scores higher on our rubric for minecraft mod development tools: 9.2 against 9.0 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #4.

Minecraft Development is the better fit for multi-loader IntelliJ projects. ForgeGradle is the better fit for forge mod development.

  • Minecraft Development fits best

    Multi-loader IntelliJ projects

  • ForgeGradle fits best

    Forge mod development

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Side by side

Feature Minecraft Development 9.2/10 Visit ↗ ForgeGradle 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 9.0
Ranking #2 in Minecraft Mod Development Tools #4 in Minecraft Mod Development Tools
Best for Multi-loader IntelliJ projects Forge mod development
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Open source Free plan
Free plan Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Support Community, Docs Docs
Built for Solo, Small business Solo, Small business
Features Minecraft Development 0/4 · ForgeGradle 2/4
Visual editor Not checked yet Not checked yet
Code debugging Not checked yet Not checked yet
Dependency management Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Artifact packaging Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Specs
Supported loaders Spigot, Paper, Sponge, Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, Architectury, Mixins, BungeeCord, Waterfall, Velocity Forge, FML
Minecraft versions Not checked yet 1.12, 1.13, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.18, 1.19, 1.19.4
Supported platforms Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports templates for Forge, Fabric, Paper, Spigot, and other loaders
  • Covers Java, Kotlin, Gradle, Maven, Mixins, and mappings
  • Offers custom local, remote, and archive project templates
  • Configures Minecraft and Forge dependencies with mappings and reobfuscation
  • Generates client, server, and data-generation run tasks
  • Builds distributable JARs and supports access transformers
Cons
  • Requires IntelliJ IDEA rather than operating as a standalone tool
  • Project generation and IDE support are its primary focus
  • Minecraft version support is not defined in the published details
  • Focused on Forge and FML rather than broader loader coverage
  • Requires a Gradle-based development workflow
  • Version support is centered on listed Minecraft releases
Our verdict

Minecraft Development is an open-source IntelliJ IDEA plugin for Java Minecraft mod and plugin projects. It supports IntelliJ IDEA Community and Ultimate editions, helping developers create projects for a wide range of server, modding, and…

Read the review →

ForgeGradle is a Gradle plugin and development framework for building Minecraft Forge mods. It is designed for developers working within the Forge ecosystem who need project configuration, dependency handling, development run tasks, IDE…

Read the review →
  1. Minecraft DevelopmentMinecraft Mod Development Tools 9.2Open source
  2. ForgeGradleMinecraft Mod Development Tools 9.0Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Minecraft Development — where it wins

    • Supports templates for Forge, Fabric, Paper, Spigot, and other loaders
    • Covers Java, Kotlin, Gradle, Maven, Mixins, and mappings
    • Offers custom local, remote, and archive project templates

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires IntelliJ IDEA rather than operating as a standalone tool
    • Project generation and IDE support are its primary focus
    • Minecraft version support is not defined in the published details

  • ForgeGradle — where it wins

    • Configures Minecraft and Forge dependencies with mappings and reobfuscation
    • Generates client, server, and data-generation run tasks
    • Builds distributable JARs and supports access transformers

    Where it doesn't

    • Focused on Forge and FML rather than broader loader coverage
    • Requires a Gradle-based development workflow
    • Version support is centered on listed Minecraft releases

More comparisons

All minecraft mod development tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update