The AI-made apps highlight people’s frustration with AI-bloated programs and increasingly expensive subscriptions.
In this current era of vibe coding — using AI to create mobile and desktop apps — it was probably only a matter of time until someone made free versions of popular apps. That happened this month when a Reddit user announced that he did so with popular but expensive Adobe and Microsoft programs.
The person behind the project is Brandon Thomas, a software engineer who uses the handle “u/ai_art_is_art” on Reddit, where the tools first caught AI enthusiasts’ attention. Thomas has released 13 free, open-source apps on his website, called ArtCraft. These apps aim to replicate the core functionalities of Adobe and Microsoft programs, including Photoshop, Word and PowerPoint — or, as Thomas calls them, PhotoCraft, WordCraft and DeckCraft.
Vibe coding has taken off for software developers and AI enthusiasts, leading to AI-made apps flooding Apple and Google’s app stores. However, significant concerns persist about the overall usefulness, security and long-term viability of vibe-coded apps. Apple removed some apps that help people vibe code this year because the apps didn’t comply with Apple’s developer rules.
But in the US’s current affordability crisis — and with legacy tech companies constantly raising their prices — a cheaper, AI-created alternative to Photoshop or Microsoft Word can be an attractive option for a subscription-weary consumer.
This certainly isn’t the first time a startup has tried to compete with legacy software companies like Adobe and Microsoft. Canva, Affinity and CapCut are extremely popular Adobe alternatives for content creation and editing.
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