Brandon Thomas, the software engineer behind the free Adobe alternative ArtCraft, has introduced open-source replications of Microsoft Office Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Thomas was identified as the creator of the project after previously being known publicly only by the Reddit handle u/ai_art_is_art. The disclosure followed the earlier popularity of ArtCraft, which drew criticism centered on vibecoded software and AI slop.
Thomas responded to those criticisms on his X account, stating that he does know how to code. In a post dated October 9, 2026, he cited building laser games on skyscrapers in college and cloning the luciferase-luciferin system into plants through agrobacterium-mediated transfection. He said AI models allow him to operate as an entire company and that he is performing four times better than Google's revenue per employee.
Microsoft, like Adobe, has drawn criticism for business practices that shifted one-time purchases to subscription packages containing tools many users do not need. Some of those tools have overlapping features and uses, reducing the value of the subscription. According to the report, Thomas is not only producing open-source alternatives but also mounting a targeted protest against those practices.
A central pain point for creative software is operating system compatibility. Adobe runs on MacOS and Windows, while Linux requires additional compatibility layers and Windows emulation. ArtCraft's selling point is running all its software across all three platforms with an identical user experience regardless of OS, part of the parity the project aims to achieve.
Google offers comparable tools free through Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides on all platforms via a browser, but the online-only model removes software ownership. The concern is that the tools could one day require a subscription with no user recourse. ArtCraft's Discord community is growing quickly and members frequently recommend additional software, with CADcraft commonly discussed among 3D printing and engineering enthusiasts who dislike Autodesk in the way others dislike Microsoft and Adobe.
The collection of tools arrives after a period of rampant vibecoding and numerous earlier free alternatives. Most of the apps remain far from what they intend to replace, so how deeply the message lands with large companies remains to be seen.
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