How AI apps are offering free substitutes for Big Tech software
Summary
A software engineer named Brandon Thomas created free versions of popular paid software like Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office using AI tools. His project, called ArtCraft, offers apps such as PhotoCraft and WordCraft that replicate these well-known programs without charging users.Key Facts
- Brandon Thomas is a software engineer from Atlanta, USA, who developed ArtCraft, a free alternative to Adobe and Microsoft software.
- ArtCraft includes PhotoCraft (like Photoshop), PdfCraft, WordCraft (like Word), DeckCraft (like PowerPoint), and GridCraft (like Excel).
- Thomas used AI technology from Anthropic and the Rust programming language to build these apps.
- Typical Adobe Creative Suite costs about $780 per year, but ArtCraft offers similar tools for free.
- "Vibe coding" means using AI to write software based on simple instructions instead of manual coding.
- This approach allows people with less programming skill to create apps quickly with AI help.
- The legality of making free versions of established software is unclear, but Thomas says his work is a "clean-room" rebuild from public information.
- The number of new apps using AI in stores has increased significantly this year.
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