Someone vibecoded an Adobe alternative
This morning I found out that the big Adobe apps have apparently been cloned by AI.Free, open source, MIT license and fully "legal" called Artcraft
I'm not really an AI person. I have no problem with the tech itself, but I have a lot of problems with how people use it.
Still, I'm making an exception here, because I have a long love-hate relationship with Adobe.
People usually know me as someone that makes useless piece of software for linux but I'm a graphic designer and video editor, which means I have to pay $69.99 every month just to do my job.
That's about $840 a year, and over five years it's more than $4,000. I never own anything for it. The moment I stop paying, my tools disappear.
Why I'm "done" with Adobe
- You own nothing. You're renting your tools, not buying them.
- The payments never end. A subscription won't stop on its own, and years of it add up fast.
- Leaving can cost you. Some plans charge a cancellation penalty.
- Your files are hostages. Your projects depend on Adobe's formats, so switching is painful.
- Your data lives in their cloud. That brings privacy and data risks.
- The software is bloated. It eats RAM, CPU and disk space like nothing else.
- Adobe makes the rules. Prices, features and terms can change whenever they like, and you just accept it.
So what now?
Open source has always been the escape route, and now it might finally be catching up.
I haven't really tested it deeply, due to it not being really stable. But the fact that I can even ask the question is a win.
Would I switch my whole workflow? No since i mostly rely on my coworkers.
If you want another reading by someone more realist here
As the kingdom of proprietary creativity falls, Artcraft rises with the dawn of freedom. bars hold on
- Adok ʕ•ʷ•ʔ