ArtCraft: 16 Free Apps That Want to Fire Your Adobe and Microsoft Bills

Raise your hand if you have ever opened your bank statement, spotted an Adobe or Microsoft 365 charge, and whispered, “I used that once in March.” Good news: a project called ArtCraft is building a whole shelf of free, open-source programs meant to do the same jobs. Better news: you can try every one of them without handing over a credit card. Honest news: most of them are still brand-new, so think “exciting test drive,” not “cancel everything tonight.”

What is ArtCraft?

ArtCraft is a team that makes “Craft Apps,” a suite of programs listed on its official Craft Apps page. The site currently says “Sixteen apps. One craft.” Each one is written from scratch in the Rust programming language, published on GitHub under permissive open-source licenses, and free to use. They are real desktop programs for Windows, Mac and Linux, and most of them can also run right inside a web browser tab.

The team says the apps use layouts, tools and keyboard shortcuts that people already know from the big-name programs, so if you have ever used Photoshop, the menus should feel like running into an old friend who got a haircut. Tech reviewers at Digital Trends and Envato found the same thing: familiar and promising, but not finished.

Every program in ArtCraft, explained in plain English

Here is the full lineup from the official ArtCraft site as of November 8, 2026, with the status label ArtCraft itself gives each app. The “similar to” column is the program it is meant to feel like, not a promise that it does everything that program does.

Bonus: the free ArtCraft Launcher is the “remote control” that installs and updates all of them. Its GitHub page also lists SolidCraft, a parametric 3D CAD app made by a separate group called Tangency Labs as a community add-on, so it is not one of ArtCraft’s own sixteen.

The Adobe side of the family

PhotoCraft is the headliner: layers, masks, text and real PSD files, the bread and butter of Photoshop. LightCraft organizes your photo library and develops raw camera files like Lightroom, and it runs on your own computer instead of a cloud account. VectorCraft handles logos and drawings that stay sharp at any size, like Illustrator. FilmCraft takes on Premiere Pro for video editing, EffectCraft does motion graphics like After Effects, DesignCraft lays out flyers and booklets like InDesign, PdfCraft combines, splits and secures PDFs like Acrobat, and SoundCraft records and mixes audio like Audition.

The Microsoft Office side

WordCraft is the Word stand-in for letters and documents, GridCraft is the spreadsheet app for budgets and lists like Excel, and DeckCraft builds slide shows like PowerPoint. That is the classic Office trio. There is no Outlook-style email app or OneDrive-style cloud storage in the lineup, so Microsoft 365 is not fully covered.

The “wait, they made that too?” apps

FigCraft is for designing app and website screens. TextureCraft and MaterialCraft are for people who paint and build surfaces for 3D models (video game folks, this is your corner). CADCraft does drafting and design drawings. And Craft Anything is the most unusual of the bunch: a tool to explore how software works and build your own version. Ambitious? Very. Fun to poke at? Absolutely.

Is it really free?

Yes, the Craft Apps are free and open source, with no subscription required. Here is the one thing to know so you don’t get confused: ArtCraft also makes a separate AI image and video app called ArtCraft Studio, and its pricing page lists optional paid credit plans (Basic, Pro, Max and Enterprise) for AI generations. ArtCraft says Studio can be used without paying too, if you bring your own compute or third-party subscriptions. Those plans are about AI credits, not about unlocking PhotoCraft or WordCraft. Reviewers have also noted AI features may arrive in the Craft Apps later and could use credits, so read the fine print before you click “buy” on anything.

The honest fine print (read this before canceling anything)

• They are early. ArtCraft labels every app “early alpha” or “in development.” Expect missing features and the occasional bug. Do not trust a brand-new app with your only copy of tax records or wedding photos.
• Your subscriptions do not cancel themselves. Installing ArtCraft does nothing to your Adobe or Microsoft account. If you decide to cancel, do it in that company’s account settings, and check for early-cancellation fees on annual Adobe plans first.
• Files may not round-trip perfectly. Reviewers found compatibility varies by app and file type. Digital Trends and Capture magazine noted gaps such as plugins, color management and opening existing Premiere Pro or After Effects projects.
• No company cloud. ArtCraft says everything runs locally on your own files. That is great for privacy, but it also means no automatic cloud backup. Keep your own backups.
• Pros should test first. If clients send you Office or Adobe files every day, run ArtCraft side by side for a while before switching.

Who should try ArtCraft right now?

• Students and hobbyists learning photo editing, design or video.
• Anyone who pays for Adobe or Microsoft 365 “just in case” and barely uses it.
• People who like trying new free software and don’t mind sending a bug report.
• Folks on older budgets who want to keep the monthly bills down, starting with simple projects.

How to get started in 3 steps

1. Go to the official getartcraft.com/apps page (avoid look-alike download sites).
2. Download the ArtCraft Launcher for Windows, Mac or Linux, or try a browser version of an app first.
3. Open a copy of a real file you work with and see how it handles your everyday tasks.

The bottom line

ArtCraft is one of the most fun “free software” stories of the year: sixteen apps, zero monthly fees, and a lineup that aims straight at Photoshop, Premiere, Acrobat, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It is not a complete replacement yet, but it is a fantastic free way to see whether you really need to keep paying. Worst case, you learned something. Best case, your bank statement gets a little quieter.

Helpful gear

A few related products worth knowing about. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

• Samsung T7 Portable SSD 1TB — Fast pocket drive for backups before you wipe or reinstall a PC.
• Blue Yeti USB microphone — A plug-and-play mic for clearer YouTube, X Spaces, or call recordings.
• SanDisk Ultra Fit 128GB USB flash drive — A tiny USB stick useful for installers, recovery media, and file swaps.

Sources: ArtCraft Craft Apps, ArtCraft pricing, ArtCraft Launcher on GitHub, Digital Trends, Envato, Capture magazine. App list and statuses checked November 8, 2026.