Published Updated
Latest version 0.18.0, released 2026-10-28
vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-x64.msi · 112 MB
vectorcraft-0.18.0-macos-universal.dmg · 153 MB
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage · 128 MB
Windows
vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-arm64-portable.zip
SHA-256 3e5dbaf68273a1574bf0dd759c25c57696597659dbd40c4806183e2e0abeec63
vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-arm64.msi
SHA-256 f56b743afc03c6880865a8c58170681eb42d2aa996d57151f819d840fc342542
vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-x64-portable.zip
SHA-256 136f8615765414792df628b0e94d4c955d912d21d6848226930f7bb856a2e677
vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-x86-portable.zip
SHA-256 51e102d2c2f08723a3449f9f5ee3ff00383f974308f1e4cb81825911e0c3078b
vectorcraft-0.18.0-windows-x86.msi
SHA-256 4743c39fd6b9b11897e4a0cd8eadfb6844055a365478a696b98d3069ea343808
macOS
vectorcraft-cli-0.18.0-macos-universal.zip
SHA-256 694d216cc0ac8ff32dc1c32ffa318da9e5229d58bc821e378eef6f3739286744
Linux
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.AppImage
SHA-256 4312917dc0704d8967d1c3d37fc3854d5ae135631c17bb4ccb811ac1373ab2df
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.deb
SHA-256 165b5fe835fe5278d1ebdcbe3e01953d31217241ff83b56cbdb311b81311ebd7
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.flatpak
SHA-256 84cbc67122631e19ed2216240650bf14df1f13053d19b1b540dcd48d1125f14c
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.pkg.tar.zst
SHA-256 bf489b5cfe5acae35707b9168137b4a9b0416c1e362e1636c427c56b2c002f8d
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.rpm
SHA-256 13a7190d1c83c36136d7e3d68d78594880a72ebe71624e16a79ab821b6738875
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-aarch64.tar.gz
SHA-256 191358b946897249f4a51dd8171060eb2867eda07f7d2eaf1b63c5c099c0e87e
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-riscv64.deb
SHA-256 32180b19d510caf94bea78c6dbfa6ff2a0339eed9863553fe2ca17bf8b48bb9e
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-riscv64.rpm
SHA-256 faf418e2a7934b10b617bc53f0afc9340c02ff9f0175bb32ec17981f7680585b
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-riscv64.tar.gz
SHA-256 a767434e58b5d8a3e5105a35adff6dd4d6c960981803313e20c9afbdc1ca9662
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.deb
SHA-256 d3d449d0aeb5bf8b14e6951767d897b405b3469dbf2fc7801eca4bd5765ef072
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.flatpak
SHA-256 4581488b333e03be75a1ff0e68f2de9102e00b063a0d7db993f8ec2a94146dd6
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
SHA-256 269686ec20c9b79f91537a9e415a7530366aaf9c28cd67bdaa109f229a49708b
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.rpm
SHA-256 c31a8ee4cc1208d92c66f2efb6fc8d478f4933f862016311b5cc410444ee7cb0
vectorcraft-0.18.0-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
SHA-256 76948b50ef78dd482a6ece06f10b7047937bbc0c05f5cf6bc43d88b07f74d826
FreeBSD
vectorcraft-0.18.0-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz
SHA-256 6308a2981dfd90a7e45abb181e2c4296fd527495b821eeaabcaa8b6bc270261a
Web
vectorcraft-web-0.18.0.zip
SHA-256 3eec3f90593b900ea364837dc0fbb8b2c855e4de54452b75a6426121c98f9b9e
Every button downloads the official file from the project's GitHub release. GenGrades does not host or change it.
How to installAll versions and release notes on GitHubAll checksums (SHA256SUMS.txt)
In one or two sentences, before anything else.
VectorCraft is a free, open-source vector illustration app from the ArtCraft team that reimplements the Adobe Illustrator workflow from scratch in pure Rust. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD and in a web browser, and its README describes it as alpha software under active development.
What it can do, one sentence each, and whether we actually tested it.
Illustrator's layout, tools, menus, panels and shortcuts, including the Pen, Direct Selection, Pathfinder, Shape Builder, Smart Guides, Appearance, Swatches and Layers, with multiple artboards and a light or dark theme.
The README estimates that about 88% of Illustrator 2026's menu items, tools, effects and formats exist. The project scored this itself.
Curve booleans are computed exactly, so Pathfinder doesn't stop with "cannot perform operation"; undo is unlimited and file round trips are property-tested.
Live Blends, Gradient Mesh, Envelope Distort, live radial Repeat, a Perspective Grid, a Dimension tool and an initial live 3D Revolve.
3D beyond Revolve (Extrude & Bevel, Inflate, Rotate, materials) is listed as missing.
A documented native format (.vectorcraft, JSON); SVG, PDF and PDF-compatible .ai import and export; EPS, DXF and EMF/WMF; PNG, JPEG and WebP export and Export for Screens; PSD out, and PSD/PSB in as a merged image.
Illustrator's own .ai editing data isn't written, and reliable exchange of real .ai files is listed as missing.
Opens .af files from Affinity 3 and .afdesign, .afpub and .afphoto files with their layers, groups, artboards, curves, fills, gradients, strokes, masks, text and images.
Effects, adjustments, brushes and master pages don't come in and are listed in an import warning. VectorCraft doesn't save Affinity files.
Type with styles and threading, Hebrew and Arabic bidirectional layout, and initial vertical type.
CJK composition for vertical type is listed as missing.
The interface speaks English, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Spanish and twelve more languages.
The project's localization notes mark Simplified Chinese as partial and not reviewed by native speakers.
Every menu item, tool gesture, panel and dialog can be driven over a JSON control channel and an MCP server, and a command-line tool exports files without opening the window.
On macOS the command-line tool is a separate download.
The people it helps and the problems it solves, and where it ranks.
Built for
Problems it solves
What the project's documentation says you can do with it.
Case 1
Input
A logo saved as logo.svg that needs a new shape cut out of it
What the docs say
The README lists SVG and PDF as first-class import and export formats, exact curve booleans and PNG, JPEG and WebP export. Caveat: we have not checked how completely real-world files come in.
Case 2
Input
An illustration saved as poster.afdesign, with layers, artboards and text
What the docs say
The README says layers, groups, artboards, curves, fills, gradients, strokes, masks, text and images come in, and that whatever doesn't (effects, adjustments, brushes, master pages) is listed in an import warning. Caveat: VectorCraft can't save back to an Affinity file, and a file whose native data can't be read opens as its embedded preview.
Case 3
Input
claude mcp add vectorcraft -- /path/to/vectorcraft-cli mcp, then asking the agent for a synthwave poster
What the docs say
The README says every menu item, tool gesture, panel and dialog is reachable over MCP, and that the example artworks in the repository were built through the same command API. An agent can be kept to one project's folders with --automation-read-root and --automation-write-root.
What it does badly, with the evidence, and what we could not settle.
Weak
Alpha software: the project itself says it isn't finished.
Evidence: README, Status (2026-10-10): "alpha". The project estimates about 65% "ready for real work" for a mainstream illustrator, self-assessed from its code against Illustrator's public documentation.
Don't switch yet if you must hand .ai files back to Illustrator users.
Evidence: README, What's missing: reliable exchange of Illustrator's own .ai files; Illustrator's editing data isn't written. docs/gaps.md calls this the main-format gap that keeps the stage at alpha.
Missing features: 3D beyond Revolve, about half of the Photoshop-style raster effects and the Effect Gallery, scripting, vertical CJK composition and generative AI.
Evidence: README, What's missing (28 of 57 raster effects still missing).
On Linux with native Wayland, dragging files into the window doesn't work, and drawing tablet pens under KDE Plasma 6.3 or later aren't recognised yet.
Evidence: README, Quick start notes on Wayland and issue #491; both have an XWayland workaround.
The app fails to start on some machines.
Evidence: docs/gaps.md (G10): the app not starting or staying in the background on some Windows 11 machines, a slow pointer in a Linux AppImage, and paste from other apps on macOS are open problems.
Uncertain
How faithfully real-world SVG, PDF, .ai and Affinity files open.
Why unsure: We have not opened any files with it. The README's coverage numbers are the project's own, and docs/gaps.md says there is no corpus of real .ai files to test against.
How fast it is on your computer.
Why unsure: The README's figure (20,000 shapes in about 27 ms at retina resolution) is the project's own benchmark; we have not measured it.
How good the Chinese interface reads.
Why unsure: The project's localization notes mark Simplified Chinese as partial and not reviewed by native speakers.
The facts, each with its source and the date we checked it.
| Spec | Value | Note and source |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 0 USD | Free and open source Source: github.comchecked |
| License | MIT or Apache-2.0 | Dual-licensed, at your option; GitHub's license detection shows Apache-2.0 Source: github.comchecked |
| Written in | Rust | Source: github.comchecked |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, web browser | Each release ships builds for all five Source: github.comchecked |
| Windows builds | x64, ARM64 and 32-bit x86, each as an .msi installer or a portable zip | Source: github.comchecked |
| Code signing | Windows installers and executables code-signed; macOS app signed and notarized | Source: github.comchecked |
| Linux packages | AppImage, Flatpak, .deb, .rpm and tarball, for x86_64 and ARM64 | Needs glibc 2.35 or newer: Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Fedora 36+, RHEL 10 Source: github.comchecked |
| File formats | .vectorcraft (native), SVG, PDF, PDF-compatible .ai, EPS, DXF, EMF/WMF, PNG, JPEG, WebP | Also opens Affinity files and PSD/PSB (as a merged image), but doesn't save Affinity files Source: github.comchecked |
| AI agents | MCP server and JSON control channel, plus a command-line tool | Source: github.comchecked |
| Interface languages | 20, including Simplified and Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese is marked partial; Chinese input methods (IME) are supported when typing Source: github.comchecked |
Answer first, then why, an example, the limits and what to do next.
Yes, VectorCraft is free and open source, licensed under MIT or Apache-2.0 at your choice. The README mentions no paid edition, and the full source code is on GitHub.
Limits
The ArtCraft name and logos are trademarks and are not covered by the open-source license.
The official VectorCraft builds are signed: the README says the Windows installers and programs are code-signed and the macOS app is signed and notarized.
Why
The download buttons on this page link straight to the files on the project's GitHub releases, and every release includes SHA256SUMS.txt with a checksum for each file.
Limits
We have not audited the code or the builds ourselves.
Next step
Download only from this page or from github.com/storytold/vectorcraft, not from re-upload sites.
VectorCraft opens PDF-compatible .ai files and legacy version 7 .ai files, but its README lists reliable exchange of Illustrator's own .ai files as missing.
Why
Illustrator's editing data is undocumented. VectorCraft reads parts of it, such as pattern fills, global colours and linked files, but writing it is out of the project's scope.
Limits
docs/gaps.md reports wrong layer structure in some real files (109 layers instead of 14 in one report), and a PDF-compatible .ai saved by VectorCraft opens in Illustrator 2018 without its layers and groups. Saving as legacy version 7 keeps layers but drops transparency and live effects.
Next step
If you must send files back to Illustrator users, keep working in Illustrator for now, or exchange SVG or PDF and check the result.
VectorCraft runs on macOS, Windows, Linux and FreeBSD, and a web build runs in a modern browser.
Why
The Mac build is one universal app for Apple silicon and Intel. Linux gets AppImage, Flatpak, .deb, .rpm and tarball builds for x86_64 and ARM64.
Limits
The Linux builds need glibc 2.35 or newer (Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 36, RHEL 10 or later). Windows 7 is not supported.
Download the newer version from this page and install it the same way as the first time.
Why
On Windows, the installer remembers your install folder for upgrades. On Linux, the AppImage can update itself with AppImageUpdate, which fetches only the changed parts.
Limits
The README doesn't describe an update check inside the app.
VectorCraft copies Illustrator's layout, tools and shortcuts, but by its own estimate it is an alpha that is about 65% ready for real work for a mainstream illustrator.
Why
Everyday drawing, Pathfinder and Shape Builder, gradients, type and SVG/PDF files are described as close to usable.
Limits
Reliable .ai exchange, most 3D, about half of the raster effects, scripting and generative AI are missing. The percentages are self-assessed and we have not checked them.
Step by step for each system, plus the fixes the project documents for common problems.
vectorcraft-<version>-windows-x64.msi, which fits most Windows PCs with an Intel or AMD processor..msi file. A setup wizard opens: choose the install folder, keep or untick Create a desktop shortcut, and click through to Finish. Leave Launch VectorCraft ticked to start it right away.vectorcraft.vectorcraft-<version>-windows-arm64.msi or vectorcraft-<version>-windows-x86.msi from Other downloads instead.vectorcraft-<version>-windows-x64-portable.zip) from Other downloads, unzip it and start vectorcraft.exe from the folder.If something goes wrong
vectorcraft-<version>-macos-universal.dmg, one build for both Apple silicon and Intel Macs..dmg file and drag VectorCraft onto the Applications link in the window that appears.vectorcraft-cli-<version>-macos-universal.zip under Other downloads, is a separate download. You only need it for scripts or for connecting AI agents over MCP.If something goes wrong
vectorcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.AppImage, which runs without installing. ARM64 computers use the aarch64 AppImage from Other downloads.chmod +x vectorcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.AppImage, then ./vectorcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.AppImage..deb from Other downloads instead: sudo apt install ./vectorcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.deb..rpm: sudo dnf install ./vectorcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.rpm.flatpak install --user vectorcraft-<version>-linux-x86_64.flatpak.If something goes wrong
WAYLAND_DISPLAY= vectorcraft.WAYLAND_DISPLAY= vectorcraft.WGPU_POWER_PREF=high (or low), or with WGPU_ADAPTER_NAME=nvidia (any part of the processor's name).vectorcraft-<version>-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz. There is an x86_64 build only./usr/local: tar -xzf vectorcraft-<version>-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz --strip-components 1 -C /usr/local.vectorcraft.vectorcraft-web-<version>.zip. This is a static website you host yourself, not a ready-made online editor..wasm files as application/wasm.VectorCraft's README describes the project as alpha software under active development, in a status dated 2026-10-10. It says everyday vector illustration is close to usable: drawing and path tools, Pathfinder and Shape Builder, paint, gradients, appearance and transparency, type with styles and threading, and Hebrew and Arabic bidirectional layout. For files it lists SVG, PDF and PDF-compatible .ai with PDF/X, legacy version 7 .ai, EPS, DXF, EMF/WMF, raster formats, PSD export and PSD/PSB import as a merged image, plus Print and Package. Affinity documents open with their layers, artboards, text and images, and anything that doesn't come in is listed in an import warning.
The README is just as direct about what is missing: reliable exchange of Illustrator's own .ai files, a pass over every tool's modifiers and small behaviours, 3D beyond the initial Revolve, about half of the Photoshop-style raster effects and the Effect Gallery, vertical CJK composition, scripting and generative AI features.
VectorCraft copies Illustrator's layout, tools, menus, panels and shortcuts, so the project says someone who knows Illustrator already knows how to use it. By the project's own estimate, about 88% of Illustrator 2026's menu items, tools, effects and formats exist, feature depth is around 75%, and the app is about 65% "ready for real work" for a mainstream illustrator. The README says these scores are self-assessed from the code against Illustrator's public documentation. We have not checked them.
The project points to a few things Illustrator users may notice: exact curve booleans, unlimited undo, a documented JSON file format, and rendering that the README times at about 27 ms for 20,000 shapes while the interface stays at 120 fps. VectorCraft is an independent project and is not affiliated with Adobe.
Every menu item, tool gesture, panel and dialog can be driven over a JSON control channel and an MCP server, so Claude and other agents can draw, edit and export the way a person does. The example artworks in the repository were built through that same command API. A command-line tool also exports files in batches without opening the window.
VectorCraft is one of the Crafting Apps from the ArtCraft team: free, open-source creative tools, each written from scratch in Rust and each usable on its own. The others include PhotoCraft for image editing, FilmCraft for video, LightCraft for photo libraries, PdfCraft for PDFs, EffectCraft for motion graphics and DesignCraft for page layout. The code is dual-licensed under MIT or Apache-2.0.
Sources
Changelog
Photo editor
PhotoCraft is a free, open-source Photoshop clone from the ArtCraft team (storytold): a clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Photoshop, written from scratch in pure Rust with help from Anthropic's AI model Claude Opus 5.5. It opens and saves layered PSD files and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser, but the project calls it early alpha.
Latest version 0.17.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0
Photo editing and organizing
LightCraft is a free, open-source photo library and raw developer from the ArtCraft team (storytold), written in pure Rust as a clean-room reimplementation of Adobe Lightroom. It organizes and edits photos non-destructively on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser; the project says it is still in alpha.
Latest version 0.15.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0
Interface design
FigCraft is a free, open-source interface design app from the ArtCraft team (storytold on GitHub) that rebuilds the Figma workflow in pure Rust: frames, auto layout, components, variables and prototypes in a native app that works offline. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser, and is still in alpha.
Latest version 0.12.1, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0
Page layout
DesignCraft is a free, open-source page layout and publishing app from the ArtCraft team that reimplements the Adobe InDesign workflow from scratch in Rust. It has builds for Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD plus a web version, and the project gives its stage as pre-alpha.
Latest version 0.14.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0
Word processor
WordCraft is a free, open-source word processor from the ArtCraft team that rebuilds the Microsoft Word workflow from scratch in pure Rust. It opens and saves .docx files and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser.
Latest version 0.12.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0
Audio editor
SoundCraft is a free, open-source digital audio workstation (DAW) from the ArtCraft team: a clean-room rewrite of Avid Pro Tools in pure Rust for recording, editing and mixing audio. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and FreeBSD, and in a web browser.
Latest version 0.14.0, released 2026-10-28Apache-2.0