Open-source clones of Microsoft Office released

GridCraft, DeckCraft, and WordCraft are three open-source applications created in October 2026 by software engineer Brandon Thomas through his studio ArtCraft. These applications are designed as direct replicas of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, respectively.

Project continuation of Adobe clones

This project continues the direct continuation of a first breakthrough by the same developer, who launched several days earlier seven clones of Adobe's creative suite (such as PhotoCraft for Photoshop). The primary ambition of Brandon Thomas is to offer a completely free, open-source, and no-subscription alternative to very expensive proprietary software.

Free and compatible tools

The tools are entirely free, hosted on the GitHub organization storytold, and distributed under dual MIT and Apache 2.0 licenses. Unlike other free alternatives that impose new habits, these clones faithfully reproduce the familiar Microsoft Office interface (ribbon system, tabs, styles, formula bars).

Cross-platform compatibility

They also ensure native compatibility for reading and writing proprietary files .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx. One of the main problems with the Microsoft Office suite is compatibility with operating systems: it works under macOS and Windows while its use under Linux requires additional compatibility layers and Windows emulation to function.

Advantages over online tools

One of the main advantages of ArtCraft is allowing the execution of all software on these three platforms while offering the same user experience regardless of the operating system. Although Google offers these tools for free via Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides, accessible on all platforms from a browser, this exclusively online model deprives users of ownership of the software.

Lightweight and fast performance

Finally, the absence of heavy frameworks (like Electron) offers extreme fluidity. As an example, the ArtCraft team states that WordCraft only takes 1.4 milliseconds to fully recalculate a 188-page document.

Development through vibecoding

GridCraft, DeckCraft, and WordCraft result from a controversial practice in software engineering called "Vibe Coding." The development of these applications is based on a modern technical approach combining human intervention and artificial intelligence.

Rust-based and AI-assisted

The entire code is written in the Rust language, ensuring excellent memory management, security, and hardware performance. Brandon Thomas developed these applications at a lightning-fast speed using the Claude 5.5 / Claude Opus model from Anthropic.

Legal and technical approach

To ensure the legality of the project, the proprietary code of Microsoft has never been analyzed or reverse-engineered. The AI and developer base themselves solely on the observation of the actual software's behavior and on the public specifications of file formats to rebuild the application from scratch.

Multi-platform support

The Rust code is shared to design both desktop versions (Windows, Mac, Linux) and web versions executable in the browser through WebAssembly.

Controversial reception

GridCraft, DeckCraft, and WordCraft fuel controversy on various axes. Although the technical achievement is praised, the availability of these clones has sparked lively debates within the developer community.

Criticism and uncertainty

Many critics refer to these projects as "vibecoded" software or "slop IA" (massively generated code without in-depth human supervision). Although ArtCraft claims on paper a feature coverage ranging from 79% to 93% depending on the tools, the estimation of their real viability in production is only evaluated between 50% and 65%.

Enterprise and stability issues

The problem of compatibility in the enterprise: Opening a basic document works, but being able to modify, save, and return a complex Excel or Word file full of macros or dynamic data tables without corrupting its layout or data remains a major unresolved challenge.

Unstable availability

Volatile availability: Proof of the instability and very alpha status of the applications, Brandon Thomas has temporarily removed the direct download links from his showcase site, forcing the most technically savvy users to compile the code themselves from the GitHub repositories.