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MIT App Inventor
By MIT (Center for Mobile Learning, CSAIL). Visit MIT App Inventor
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A free, web-based block coding tool for building real phone and tablet apps. Kids design screens by dragging buttons and pictures, snap together code blocks, and test the app live on a phone using the free Companion app. They can add features that use the camera, sensors, and AI on images, sounds and text. Android apps can be packaged and shared; iPhone packaging is harder. Used widely in schools and app contests.
Our take: Great for curious kids about 10 and up who want to build a real phone app; younger children will do better with ScratchJr or Scratch first.
| Ages it suits | about 10 and up |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | No age stated in MIT's terms, but you must log in with a Google account, which falls under Google's rule: children under the age needed to manage their own Google Account need a parent's permission (a parent-managed account). (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free (Oct 2026); funded by grants and donations. |
| Works on | Web, Chromebook, Android, iPhone and iPad |
| Account | The child's own account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | Offers blocks and extensions that let kids add AI features (image, sound and text) to the apps they build. |
What's good
- Free and builds real apps for real phones
- Instant testing on a phone
- Big library of tutorials and teacher courses
- Can add AI features kids design themselves
Watch for
- Requires a Google account to log in
- Apps kids build may be shared publicly
- iPhone app packaging needs a paid Apple developer account
- Small MIT team; keep backups of projects
Data and privacy
MIT says it sees only your Google account email and tracks which pages you use, partly through cookies. The terms do not mention ads or AI training. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only: MIT reports over 24 million users and a 2025 user survey showing most users are students. No independent learning study reviewed.
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Where these facts come from
- https://appinventor.mit.edu/
- https://appinventor.mit.edu/about/termsofservice
- https://appinventor.mit.edu/FAQ
- https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en-US
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.