ArtCraft: free, open-source Adobe alternatives
ArtCraft is the team behind a set of free, open-source creative apps built as alternatives to Adobe’s: PhotoCraft for Photoshop, EffectCraft for After Effects, FilmCraft for Premiere Pro and more. The team calls them the Crafting Apps. Each one is written from scratch in Rust and works on its own. Here is the full list and where to get each.
Official home: getartcraft.com/apps. This site is unofficial and hosts no installers.
All the ArtCraft apps
| App | What it is for | Adobe app it stands in for | Official links |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhotoCraft | Image editing: layers, masks, type and real PSD files | Photoshop | Official page · GitHub |
| VectorCraft | Vector illustration | Illustrator | Official page · GitHub |
| FilmCraft | Video editing, colour and sound | Premiere Pro | Official page · GitHub |
| LightCraft | Photo library and raw development | Lightroom | Official page · GitHub |
| PdfCraft | Reading, organising and protecting PDFs | Acrobat | Official page · GitHub |
| EffectCraft | Motion graphics and visual effects | After Effects | Official page · GitHub |
| DesignCraft | Page layout and publishing | InDesign | Official page · GitHub |
The last-but-one column names the Adobe product whose workflow each app is compatible with. ArtCraft and its apps are independent and not affiliated with Adobe.
Is ArtCraft really a free Adobe alternative?
Free, yes: every app is open source under the MIT or Apache-2.0 licence, with no subscription and no account. A full replacement, not yet. The apps were first released between late September and early October 2026 and are still at version 0.x. They cover the core workflows and open Adobe’s file formats to varying degrees, but they are young and change every few days.
The fair summary is: worth trying today, especially on Linux where Adobe’s apps do not run, and too new to bet a deadline on. This wiki goes into detail for two of them: PhotoCraft and EffectCraft.
What the apps share
According to the project, the Crafting Apps follow the same conventions: clean-room and pure Rust, native on macOS, Windows and Linux, runnable in the browser through WebAssembly, and fully drivable by AI agents and scripts. “Clean-room” means built from public specifications and observed behaviour, with no Adobe code.
Which ArtCraft app do you need?
- Editing photos or layered images, or opening PSD files: PhotoCraft. See PhotoCraft download.
- Animated titles, motion graphics and compositing: EffectCraft.
- Logos, icons and illustrations: VectorCraft.
- Cutting video: FilmCraft.
- Sorting a photo library and developing RAW files: LightCraft.
- Reading, organising or protecting PDFs: PdfCraft.
- Brochures, magazines and books: DesignCraft.
For the apps this site has not covered, the official pages linked in the table are the place to start.
WordCraft, the newest addition
An eighth app, WordCraft, appeared in the same GitHub organisation on October 7, 2026. Its repository describes it as an open-source, clean-room reimplementation of Microsoft Word in pure Rust. It was not yet listed in the Crafting Apps table of the PhotoCraft repository when this page was last checked, so it is kept separate here. Source: storytold/wordcraft on GitHub.
ArtCraft, the team and the product
The name appears in two ways. The ArtCraft team makes all the Crafting Apps. ArtCraft is also the team’s own AI image and video studio, a separate product from the apps above. The team runs a Discord for artists and users.
Is ArtCraft safe to download?
The same points apply across the suite: the source is public, the project says Windows builds are code-signed and macOS builds are signed and notarized, and each release has a SHA256SUMS.txt file. Download only from getartcraft.com or the storytold organisation on GitHub. The checks are explained step by step in Is PhotoCraft safe?
ArtCraft questions
What is ArtCraft?
ArtCraft is the team behind the Crafting Apps, a suite of free, open-source alternatives to Adobe’s creative software. The team also makes a separate AI image and video studio under the same name.
What are the Crafting Apps?
Seven free, open-source creative apps from the ArtCraft team: PhotoCraft, VectorCraft, FilmCraft, LightCraft, PdfCraft, EffectCraft and DesignCraft. Each is written from scratch in Rust and works on its own.
Is ArtCraft free?
Yes. The project describes all the Crafting Apps as free and open source, under the MIT or Apache-2.0 licence, with no subscription.
Is ArtCraft made by Adobe?
No. ArtCraft is independent. Each project states that it is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Adobe.
Do I need all of them?
No. Each app stands on its own and is downloaded separately.
Is there a WordCraft?
Yes. WordCraft is a newer app in the same GitHub organisation, storytold/wordcraft, created on October 7, 2026 and described as an open-source, clean-room reimplementation of Microsoft Word in Rust. When this page was last checked it was not yet in the Crafting Apps table of the PhotoCraft repository.