VectorCraft

VectorCraft is a free, open source vector illustration app from the ArtCraft team, built to work like Adobe Illustrator. It has Illustrator's tools, menus, panels and shortcuts, and works with SVG, PDF and .ai files. It runs on Mac, Windows, Linux and FreeBSD, and in a web browser.

What it can do

• Familiar tools. The Pen and Direct Selection tools, Pathfinder, Smart Guides, Appearance, Swatches and Layers, where Illustrator users expect them.
• Exact shapes. Pathfinder unites, subtracts and intersects shapes precisely, with clipping masks, gradient meshes and envelope distortions.
• Multiple artboards. Design several sizes side by side and export them all at once with Export for Screens.
• Open file formats. SVG and PDF import and export, PDF-compatible .ai files, PNG, JPEG and WebP export, and a documented native format.
• Live effects. Glows, repeats and other effects stay editable on any object, including type.
• Works with AI assistants. Every action is a command, and the project's example artwork was built entirely through the same commands its MCP server gives AI assistants.

Part of the Crafting Apps

VectorCraft is one of the Crafting Apps, a family of free, open source creative and office apps from ArtCraft, each a clean-room rebuild of a well-known paid app written from scratch in Rust. The best known is PhotoCraft, a Photoshop-style photo editor. They share the same approach: familiar menus and shortcuts, fast native apps on every major system, a version that runs in your browser, and commands an AI assistant can drive.

VectorCraft, Inkscape, Affinity or Illustrator?

All four draw vector art. The difference is how familiar they feel, how mature they are, and what they cost.

VectorCraftThis page

Best forIllustrator users who want a free, familiar alternative to try

Copies Illustrator's tools and panels and works with SVG, PDF and .ai. Young, but the most complete Crafting App.

How mature

Alpha (2026)

Open source

Yes (MIT or Apache 2.0)

Cost

Free

Inkscape

Best forA free, proven vector editor

The best-known open source vector editor, built around SVG. Very capable, though its layout differs from Illustrator's.

How mature

Very mature

Open source

Yes (GPL)

Cost

Free

AAffinity

Best forPolished design tools at no cost

Canva's pro design app combining vector, photo and layout tools, now free to download. Not open source.

How mature

Mature

Open source

No

Cost

Free

Illustrator

Best forProfessional illustration today

Adobe's industry standard, with generative AI and deep Creative Cloud links. Closed source and paid monthly.

How mature

Industry standard

Open source

No

Cost

Monthly subscription

A quick way to choose: need a dependable open source vector editor today? Use Inkscape. Want a polished free app and don't mind closed source? Try Affinity. Paid for by your job? Illustrator. Know Illustrator and want a free, open source app that feels the same? Try VectorCraft.

How to get it

• Easiest: download it from the VectorCraft page on getartcraft.com, or from the latest release on GitHub.
• Every system: installers for Mac (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows (including ARM), Linux (AppImage, Flatpak, .deb, .rpm) and FreeBSD.
• In a browser: a web version runs the whole app in a modern browser, and you can host it yourself.
• For scripts and AI assistants: the vectorcraft-cli tool runs the same commands without opening the app and includes an MCP server.

Good to know

• Alpha. VectorCraft is in alpha. About 88% of Illustrator's menu items, tools, effects and formats exist in some form, and its team estimates it's about 65% ready for real work for a typical illustrator. These are the team's own estimates; nobody has tested them independently yet.
• Changing very fast. New versions arrive every few days, so expect bugs and update often.
• Built with AI help. The ArtCraft team uses AI coding agents heavily, which is how so much appeared so quickly. Test it on your own files before you rely on it.
• No Adobe code. It's a clean-room rebuild, written from public file specifications and by observing how Illustrator behaves, not from Adobe's code.
• Licence: MIT or Apache 2.0, your choice. Free to use, including at work. The ArtCraft and VectorCraft names and logos have their own, stricter terms.