ArtCraft has released free, open-source alternatives to Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Developer Brandon Thomas announced the three apps, named GridCraft, DeckCraft, and WordCraft, respectively. Each is available to download on ArtCraft’s website.
Futurism’s assessment of the accompanying screenshots is that these are close to one-to-one copies of Microsoft’s apps, not just programs with comparable functions. According to the report, buying the original versions directly from Microsoft costs $19.99 to $199.99 a year.
ArtCraft’s Word clone appears in the accompanying screenshot. Image credit: ArtCraft / Futurism. https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/creator-free-adobe-suite-microsoft-office.jpg?quality=85&w=1152
Earlier this month, ArtCraft applied this approach to Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite. Using Anthropic’s Claude AI model, engineers reverse-engineered Photoshop, Lightroom, and Premiere and released their versions as free, open-source software. In covering that release, Futurism connected it to the continuing debate about AI and copyright infringement. The publication argued that the project demonstrated how rapidly established software could be replicated and shared for free.
In Futurism’s earlier coverage, co-founder Michael Caffrey explained that the team’s testing led to the release: “We were shocked by how well they actually worked internally, so decided to open source them.” His judgment of Adobe and the team’s copies was blunt: “Adobe has been notoriously scummy in the past, and when using it we were shocked that this wasn’t an alternative, it was better.”
Futurism sees reasons for the apps’ appeal beyond a free download. In its assessment, Adobe and Microsoft have done little to respond to dissatisfied users. Prices have risen sharply over the years, while subscription restrictions have increased, requiring sign-ins, license activations, and active internet connections. It also reports that both companies face criticism for charging too much for features that most users didn’t ask for, with generative AI among them.
There is an optional AI purchase from ArtCraft: the company sells credits to generate images and video using Google’s Nano Banana Pro.
The ability to work offline sets the apps apart, too. Tom’s Hardware compares ArtCraft’s standalone programs with Google’s free Sheets, Docs, and Slides in its coverage of the Office copies. The ArtCraft apps don’t need an internet connection. The publication also argues that their users aren’t exposed to a tech giant’s sudden decision to introduce subscription charges.
How long ArtCraft can continue remains an open question. Futurism assumes cease-and-desist letters will eventually arrive, if they haven’t already, although no receipt has been confirmed. Despite that uncertainty, the publication considers the release a satisfying victory for those who have reluctantly paid Microsoft and Adobe, year after year, sums it describes as extortionate.
For the project’s creators, it’s also a victory for open source following years of substantial monthly charges for creatives. Caffrey linked that position to the industry’s reliance on shared code. “The tech industry has relied on the open source community for decades to keep their companies running,” he told Futurism. “Now models are being trained on open source code. So it’s kinda cosmic karma that open source bites back.”
