Pen and Direct Selection
Real Bézier anchors and handles, Smart Guides and a contextual task bar that offers the next likely action.
VectorCraft: the free, open-source Illustrator alternative
VectorCraft is a vector illustration app from the ArtCraft team, written from scratch in Rust. It has the Pen, Direct Selection, Pathfinder, Layers and Appearance panels you know from Adobe Illustrator, opens SVG, PDF and PDF-compatible .ai files, and can be driven by AI agents over MCP. It is free under the MIT or Apache-2.0 license and runs on macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and in the browser. You can try it online right now, without installing anything.
- License
- MIT / Apache-2.0
- Runs on
- Mac, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Web
- Latest version
- v0.14.0
- Interface
- 21 languages, incl. Chinese
What is VectorCraft?
VectorCraft is an open-source vector illustration editor. It is a clean-room reimplementation of the Illustrator workflow, written in pure Rust with no Adobe code or assets, and it renders on the GPU so large documents stay smooth.
It is one of the Crafting Apps from the ArtCraft team, alongside PhotoCraft (images), FilmCraft (video) and PdfCraft (PDF). The project started on GitHub in late September 2026 and was called DrawCraft until it was renamed in October 2026. New releases ship every few days.
Not to be confused with other products that share the name, such as a Figma plugin for converting bitmaps to SVG or a web tool for animated SVG icons. This page is about the ArtCraft vector editor.
The Illustrator tools you already know
Same layout, same tool names, same shortcuts. If you have used Illustrator, you can start drawing in VectorCraft straight away.
Pathfinder and Shape Builder
Exact curve booleans, so no more "cannot perform operation". Plus Gradient Mesh, live radial Repeat and Envelope Distort.
Live Blends, Layers and Appearance
Editable blend paths with smooth colour, every object as a row in Layers, and stacked fills, strokes and effects.
Perspective Grid
Attach art to the grid's planes and it stays editable in perspective, ready for packaging and city scenes.
3D Revolve
Spin a profile into a 3D object with smooth vector shading, caps and an on-canvas rotation gizmo.
Dimension tool
Lengths, angles and radii that follow the artwork they measure, for technical drawings and product sheets.
No install needed
Use VectorCraft online, right in your browser
The full app runs in your browser through WebAssembly. Open it, draw, and save your work to your computer. No account, no upload.
Try VectorCraft onlineOpen your files, export what you need
VectorCraft saves to a documented JSON format and reads and writes the common exchange formats, including Affinity documents that Illustrator can't open.
Opens
- SVG / SVGZ
- AI (PDF-compatible, v7)
- EPS
- DXF
- EMF / WMF
- Affinity (.af, .afdesign, .afpub)
- PSD / PSB
- PNG / JPEG / GIF / TIFF / BMP
Saves and exports
- .vectorcraft (JSON)
- SVG
- PDF / PDF/X
- AI (PDF-compatible)
- PSD
- PNG / JPEG / WebP
Illustrator .ai files open when they were saved with PDF compatibility (the default), and legacy version 7 .ai files keep their layers, groups and type. Proprietary Illustrator-only editing data is not written back, and reliable round trips with real-world .ai files are still being worked on.
MCP · JSON control channel
Built for AI agents from day one
Every menu item, tool gesture, panel and dialog can be driven over a JSON control channel and a built-in MCP server. Claude and other AI agents can draw, edit and export in VectorCraft the way a person does.
- Describe it, get vector art
- Ask your AI agent for an icon, a poster or a diagram and watch it build real, editable paths instead of a flat image.
- Automate the boring parts
- Batch-export artboards, rename layers, recolour a set of icons or prepare files for print with a single instruction.
- Readable files
- The native .vectorcraft format is plain JSON, so scripts, AI tools and Git can read, diff and generate your artwork.
Download VectorCraft
Choose your platform. Every button links straight to the official VectorCraft release on GitHub, so you always get the original, unmodified build.
Disk image (Universal)
Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
Download for macOSvectorcraft-0.14.0-macos-universal.dmg
The macOS app is signed and notarized by Apple, and the Windows installers are code-signed, so they open without security warnings.
Other systems
FreeBSD 14 (x86_64)Plain binaries. Unpack into /usr/local.vectorcraft-0.14.0-freebsd-x86_64.tar.gzWeb buildThe WebAssembly app, to host yourself.vectorcraft-web-0.14.0.zipSHA-256 checksumsVerify any file above.Installing in one minute
- macOS: open the .dmg and drag VectorCraft into Applications.
- Windows: run the .msi, or unzip the portable build and start vectorcraft.exe.
- Linux: chmod +x the AppImage and run it, or install the .deb, .rpm or Flatpak. Or build it from source with Rust:
git clone https://github.com/storytold/vectorcraft
cd vectorcraft
cargo run --release -p vectorcraftWhere VectorCraft stands today
VectorCraft is alpha software that is moving fast. Here is an honest picture of what works and what is still missing.
- ~88%
- of Illustrator's core menu items, tools, effects and formats exist
- ~75%
- feature depth compared with Illustrator
- ~65%
- ready for real work for a mainstream illustrator
Already usable
- Drawing and path tools, Pathfinder and Shape Builder
- Paint, gradients, appearance and transparency
- Type with styles, threading and right-to-left scripts
- SVG, PDF, PDF-compatible .ai, EPS, DXF and Affinity files
Still missing
- Reliable exchange of real-world .ai files
- Scripting and plugins
- Most 3D beyond Revolve, and some raster effects
- Built-in generative AI features
Figures are the project's own self-assessment from October 2026, measured against public Illustrator documentation. See ROADMAP.md
VectorCraft FAQ
Is VectorCraft free?
Yes. VectorCraft is open source under your choice of the MIT or Apache-2.0 license. There is no subscription, trial or account, and you can use it for commercial work.
Can VectorCraft open Adobe Illustrator .ai files?
Partly. It opens .ai files saved with PDF compatibility (Illustrator's default) and legacy version 7 .ai files with their layers, groups and type, and it can export PDF-compatible .ai. Illustrator-only editing data is not written, and reliable round trips with complex real-world .ai files are still in progress, so keep your originals.
Can I use VectorCraft online without installing it?
Yes. The web version runs in any modern desktop browser through WebAssembly. Open VectorCraft online on this site, click Launch and start drawing. Your files stay on your own computer.
Which systems does VectorCraft run on?
macOS (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows (x64, ARM64 and 32-bit), Linux (x86_64 and ARM64 as AppImage, Flatpak, deb, rpm or tarball), FreeBSD 14 and the web.
Is VectorCraft the same as DrawCraft?
Yes. The project was called DrawCraft when it launched and was renamed VectorCraft in October 2026. It is the same ArtCraft vector editor.
Is this the VectorCraft Figma plugin?
No. A few unrelated products use the same name, including a Figma plugin that converts bitmaps to SVG. This page covers the open-source vector editor from the ArtCraft team.
VectorCraft or Inkscape?
Inkscape is mature, stable and built around SVG. VectorCraft is much younger but copies Illustrator's layout, tools and shortcuts, renders faster on the GPU and can be controlled by AI agents. If you are coming from Illustrator, VectorCraft will feel more familiar. If you need proven stability today, Inkscape is the safer choice.
Does VectorCraft have a Chinese interface?
Yes. The interface is available in 21 languages, including Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean. In the current web version, Chinese and Korean menus are missing some characters because of a known upstream font bug, so VectorCraft online starts in English for those browsers; the desktop apps are not affected.
Is this the official VectorCraft website?
No. This is an independent guide. The official page is getartcraft.com/apps/vectorcraft, and every download here links to the official GitHub releases.
Start drawing in VectorCraft
Free, open source, and it runs right in your browser.
Try VectorCraft online