Craft Apps GuideUnofficial guide. Not affiliated with ArtCraft / Storytold, Adobe or Microsoft. Facts from the official READMEs as of 2026-10-12.
Last updated: · Data snapshot: 2026-10-12
Twelve apps. Open source. Pure Rust.
Craft Apps: free, open-source Adobe & Office alternatives
Find the right Craft app for your files—and know what is still unfinished. This independent guide brings together official download sources, documented features and the limits of these early builds.
What are the Crafting Apps?
The ArtCraft team publishes twelve creative and productivity apps in the storytold GitHub organization. The official apps listing describes free, open-source tools written from scratch in Rust, with native desktop builds. Their READMEs describe clean-room implementations of familiar workflows.
If you searched for “artcraft apps,” “storytold apps,” “Adobe clones” or an “open source Adobe suite,” this is the lineup those names point to. Each app stands on its own; ArtCraft Launcher handles installation and updates across the suite.
Early software, with real gaps. PhotoCraft and PdfCraft are labeled Early alpha; the other ten apps are In development. Read each app's limits before trying it on important work. This guide summarizes documentation and has not tested the apps.
The repositories provide permissive licenses. The table and individual guides keep license metadata and README terms separate where needed; bundled assets and branding have their own notices.
All Craft apps at a glance
Versions, release dates and stars are a snapshot, not live counts. Platform labels come from the official listing; the download pages show the packages actually present in releases.
| App | For | README alternative to | Official status | Platforms | Latest release | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhotoCraft | Image editing | Adobe Photoshop | Early alpha | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.7.0 | 49,563 |
| VectorCraft | Vector illustration | Adobe Illustrator | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.9.0 | 7,334 |
| FilmCraft | Video editing | Adobe Premiere Pro | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux | v0.6.0 | 10,557 |
| LightCraft | Photo library and raw development | Adobe Lightroom | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.6.0 | 10,488 |
| PdfCraft | PDF reading and organization | Adobe Acrobat | Early alpha | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.6.0 | 10,111 |
| EffectCraft | Motion graphics and visual effects | Adobe After Effects | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.8.0 | 5,332 |
| DesignCraft | Page layout and publishing | Adobe InDesign | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.6.0 | 3,124 |
| WordCraft | Word processing | Microsoft Word | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.5.0 | 7,012 |
| SoundCraft | Audio recording, editing and mixing | Avid Pro Tools | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.5.0 | 1,942 |
| DeckCraft | Presentations and slide shows | Microsoft PowerPoint | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.5.0 | 2,164 |
| CADCraft | Computer-aided design and drafting | Autodesk AutoCAD | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.5.0 | 2,901 |
| GridCraft | Spreadsheets and data analysis | Microsoft Excel | In development | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | v0.5.0 | 3,207 |
| ArtCraft Launcher | Installing and updating the Craft apps | — | Early alpha | macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Web | v0.3.2 | 1,408 |
Which app do I need?
- Image editingPhotoCraft →
- Vector illustrationVectorCraft →
- Video editingFilmCraft →
- Photo library and raw developmentLightCraft →
- PDF reading and organizationPdfCraft →
- Motion graphics and visual effectsEffectCraft →
- Page layout and publishingDesignCraft →
- Word processingWordCraft →
- Audio recording, editing and mixingSoundCraft →
- Presentations and slide showsDeckCraft →
- Computer-aided design and draftingCADCraft →
- Spreadsheets and data analysisGridCraft →
- Installing and updating the Craft appsArtCraft Launcher →
Editing PSD files? Start with PhotoCraft. Developing RAW photos? Check LightCraft. For DOCX and XLSX, read the format limits in WordCraft and GridCraft.
How to install the Craft apps
ArtCraft Launcher picks an official package for your OS and processor, checks its published SHA-256 checksum and keeps installed apps up to date. You can also install an app separately from its own official page or GitHub Releases.
- Pick your app and check its documented status and file support.
- Open its official website or Releases page.
- Choose your operating system, processor architecture and package format.
- Verify the checksum and follow that app's README instructions.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Craft apps really free?
The official apps listing says they are free and open source. License terms belong to each repository; several READMEs offer MIT OR Apache-2.0 even where GitHub records one license.
Who makes the Crafting Apps?
They come from the ArtCraft team and community. The source repositories are published under the storytold GitHub organization.
Are they safe, and where should I download them?
Use getartcraft.com or the official storytold GitHub Releases pages. Check SHA256SUMS.txt against your downloaded file. This guide has not audited the binaries, and the early builds have documented bugs.
Do they open PSD, DOCX and XLSX files?
PhotoCraft documents PSD and PSB support; WordCraft documents .docx read/write; GridCraft uses XLSX as its native format. Those apps also document fidelity limits, so check their individual guides and keep your originals.
Do Craft apps run in a browser?
The official listing labels Web support for eleven apps, with FilmCraft labeled macOS, Windows and Linux. FilmCraft’s README also documents a WebAssembly build. Browser packages and desktop capabilities can differ.
Are the Craft apps finished?
No. The official listing says Early alpha for PhotoCraft and PdfCraft and In development for the other ten. Several READMEs describe alpha builds; SoundCraft says pre-alpha. Broad feature lists do not guarantee finished workflows.
What is the relationship to ArtCraft?
The Crafting Apps are free tools from the ArtCraft team. The READMEs separately describe ArtCraft itself as an AI image and video studio. This research does not establish its pricing, so this guide does not quote a paid plan.