Is Minecraft free on iPhone? The short answer is no

No. As of November 2026, Minecraft costs $6.99 on the US App Store as a one-time purchase, and Mojang's free trial is not offered on iPhone. Below: what the price covers, what costs extra, and free block games you can play on an iPhone instead.

Where to play the original: Minecraft on the App Store minecraft.net. Roam is not affiliated with them.

Checked November 4, 2026.

What Minecraft costs on iPhone

The app is called Minecraft: Play with Friends! and is sold by Mojang. It runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 14 or later, and it is rated 9+ on the App Store.

The game. $6.99, paid once. Survival, Creative and community servers are in the app.
Marketplace. Add-ons, worlds and skins made by creators are in-app purchases. The listing shows store items from $1.99 to $9.99.
Realms. A private server Mojang hosts. $3.99 a month for you and 2 friends, or $7.99 a month for Realms Plus with up to 10 friends and 150+ Marketplace items. Both have a 30-day free trial.

Why there is no free Minecraft on iPhone

Mojang does run a free trial: about 100 minutes of in-game time in Survival mode. Its download page lists Bedrock Edition for Windows, PlayStation and Android, and Java Edition for Windows, Mac and Linux. iPhone is not on the list.

Mojang's free Minecraft Classic site needs a keyboard, so it is not a phone option. Minecraft Education is a separate app for schools and organizations, and it needs a license from a Microsoft 365 admin.

On the US App Store, Mojang sells only Minecraft, Minecraft Education and a sticker pack. A "free Minecraft" app from any other seller is not Mojang's game.

For the Mojang spin-offs and the minigames worth trying once you own it, see the best Minecraft games.

Free block games for iPhone

These are free to download on the US App Store, checked November 4, 2026. Most sell extras in the app.

Roblox. Free, rated 13+. Games made by players, including survival games and building tycoons.
LEGO Fortnite. Inside the free Fortnite app, rated 13+, back on the US App Store since May 2025. Build your own LEGO adventures.
bloxd.io. Free, rated 9+, with ads. Bedwars, Skyblock, OneBlock, minigames and survival worlds, all online.
Mini World: CREATA. Free, rated 9+. A sandbox with survival and creation modes, plus mini games made by its community.
Block Craft 3D. Free, rated 13+, with ads. Grow a village or build freely in an open world.
Terraria. Not free: $4.99 once, rated 13+. The 2D take on dig, build and fight, with up to 7 friends.

Minecraft, the free picks or Roam

Roam is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription. Optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation.

Pick Minecraft if. you want the real game, with Realms and servers to play with friends on other devices.
Pick a free block game if. you want to try block building at no cost first, and you are fine with ads or in-app offers.
Pick Roam if. you want voxel games with a clear goal, or you want to make your own block game by describing it. Roam is an iPhone app with no web or PC version.

Play it on Roam

Make your own block game with Roam

Describe the world, the night and the enemies in one sentence. Roam builds a playable game, and you change it by saying what you want. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.

Try: "voxel survival on a sky island, slimes come out at night, craft a pickaxe, last five nights"

Create it with Roam Pre-register on Android See Roam

Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.

Questions people ask

Can you play Minecraft for free on iPhone?

No. The App Store version costs $6.99, and Mojang's free trial covers Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation and Android, not iPhone.

Is Minecraft a one-time purchase on iPhone?

Yes. You pay $6.99 once. Marketplace items and Realms servers cost extra.

What is a free Minecraft alternative for iOS?

Roblox, LEGO Fortnite, bloxd.io, Mini World: CREATA and Block Craft 3D are free on the App Store. Roam has voxel survival games on iPhone, free to download and play.

Is Minecraft Education free on iPad?

The app is free to download, but you need a school or organization license to play.

Sources, checked November 4, 2026

Minecraft: Play with Friends! by Mojang: $6.99, 9+, iPhone and iPad, iOS 14+, Marketplace in-app items $1.99 to $9.99, Realms $3.99, Realms Plus $7.99, 30-day trial for Realms and Realms Plus, 150+ Marketplace items: apps.apple.com
Minecraft free trial: about 100 minutes of in-game time in Survival, Bedrock on Windows, PlayStation, Android; Java on Windows, Mac, Linux; no iOS: minecraft.net
Minecraft Classic needs a keyboard: classic.minecraft.net
Minecraft Education: for school and organizational use, licenses through a Microsoft 365 Admin Center account: apps.apple.com
Mojang's US App Store apps: Minecraft, Minecraft Education, Minecraft Sticker Pack: itunes.apple.com
Roblox: free with in-app purchases, rated 13+: apps.apple.com
Fortnite: free, rated 13+, LEGO Fortnite, US App Store release May 20, 2025: apps.apple.com
bloxd.io: free, 9+, contains advertising, Bedwars, Skyblock, OneBlock, minigames, survival worlds, all multiplayer: apps.apple.com
Mini World: CREATA: free, 9+, survival and creation modes, community mini games: apps.apple.com
Block Craft 3D: free, 13+, contains advertising, in-app purchases, grow a village or build freely in an open world: apps.apple.com
Terraria: $4.99, 13+, dig, fight, explore, build, up to 7 friends: apps.apple.com