Hi, it's Ivo. A team called ArtCraft has put 13 open-source desktop apps on GitHub since September 30, 2026. Each one is modeled on a paid app people already know: Photoshop, Premiere, Word, Excel and more. Claude is listed as a co-author on many of the code changes (38 of the last 100 in WordCraft), and the PhotoCraft roadmap counts the work left in "Opus 5.5 agent-hours".
Star counts tell you how many people are curious. The readiness numbers below come from each project's own README or roadmap, and they tell you what you can actually use. The two don't match, so here they are side by side.
How to read the map
- Stars: GitHub stars on October 19, 2026. They change every day.
- How ready it is: the project's own estimate of how close it is to replacing the paid app for real work. Each project measures a bit differently, so treat these as rough.
- Stage: alpha or pre-alpha, in the project's own words. None of them is a finished product yet.
- "-style": the paid app the twin is modeled on. These are independent, clean-room apps (written from scratch, not copied). No Adobe or Microsoft code is inside, and they are not made by Adobe or Microsoft.
Try these first (around 60% ready)
- VectorCraft, Illustrator-style vector illustration. 9.9K stars. About 62% ready across everything it tracks, about 65% for a mainstream illustrator (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/vectorcraft
- LightCraft, Lightroom-style photo library and raw developer. 13.8K stars. About 61% ready as a day-to-day tool, about 65% for casual use (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/lightcraft
- WordCraft, Microsoft Word-style word processor. 14.5K stars. About 60% ready for real work, about 63% for everyday essentials; opens and saves .docx (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/wordcraft
Fine for a test on a copy (45 to 56% ready)
- FilmCraft, Premiere Pro-style video editor. 14.9K stars. About 56% ready for real projects (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft
- DeckCraft, PowerPoint-style presentations. 3.8K stars. About 55% ready for real work; opens and saves .pptx (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/deckcraft
- GridCraft, Excel-style spreadsheets. 5.8K stars. About 50% ready for real work; 513 of Excel's 523 worksheet functions (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/gridcraft
- PdfCraft, Acrobat-style PDF reader and editor. 16.1K stars. About 49% ready across all pro workflows, about 66% if you only need the essentials (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/pdfcraft
- FigCraft, Figma-style interface design. 2.7K stars. About 49% of the way, by its own estimate (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/figcraft
- PhotoCraft, Photoshop-style image editor. 67.9K stars, the most of all 13. About 45% ready for real work (alpha). Its README says it is not yet a Photoshop replacement for daily professional work. https://github.com/storytold/photocraft
- EffectCraft, After Effects-style motion graphics. 7.4K stars. About 45% of the way for professional work (alpha). https://github.com/storytold/effectcraft
Wait a few weeks (pre-alpha or early)
- DesignCraft, InDesign-style page layout. 4.4K stars. About 47% ready, but the roadmap still calls it pre-alpha. https://github.com/storytold/designcraft
- SoundCraft, Pro Tools-style audio workstation. 3.3K stars. About 40% of the way (pre-alpha). https://github.com/storytold/soundcraft
- CADCraft, AutoCAD-style 2D drafting. 5.9K stars. No percentage yet; the README says "early, fast development". https://github.com/storytold/cadcraft
Where to download
- All 13 in one go: the ArtCraft Launcher on https://getartcraft.com/apps installs every app and keeps them up to date.
- One app: each app has its own installers on its page, and on the Releases page of its GitHub repo.
- Systems: macOS, Windows and Linux for all 13; most also run in the browser.
How I'd try one
- Pick one app from "Try these first".
- Install it from https://getartcraft.com/apps.
- Open a copy of a real file you don't mind losing: a photo, a .docx, a short clip.
- Do the one task you do most often in the paid app. Note what's missing.
The honest limit
- All 13 are alpha or pre-alpha, and the oldest is about three weeks old. Things break. Every README asks you to file issues.
- Save a copy before you open a real file. File formats (.psd, .docx, .xlsx) don't always round-trip yet.
- If a paid app runs your client work, keep it for that. Test the free twin on the side.
- These are not Adobe or Microsoft products. "-style" means modeled on, nothing more.
- Stars and percentages change fast. This is how it looks on October 19, 2026.
Sources: the GitHub API and each repo's README (github.com/storytold, read October 19, 2026); the PhotoCraft parity doc (docs/target-app-parity.md, updated October 18, 2026); the DesignCraft roadmap (ROADMAP.md); getartcraft.com/apps (read October 19, 2026).