Published October 12, 2026
VectorCraft Guide – Free Illustrator Replacement
VectorCraft is ArtCraft's free Illustrator replacement for logos, icons, and vector illustration. Current features, roadmap gaps, and getting-started tips.
VectorCraft is ArtCraft's free Illustrator replacement — a vector drawing app for logos, icons, illustrations, and typography work. It is in early active development: the drawing fundamentals work, but advanced features are still being built. This guide covers what you can do with VectorCraft today and what is still on the roadmap.
What VectorCraft is
VectorCraft is one of seven apps in the ArtCraft suite, the free open-source Adobe replacements vibe-coded by Brandon Thomas (storytold) with Claude Opus 5.5 agents. Written in Rust, released September 30, 2026, free forever under MIT/Apache licenses.
What works today
- Core drawing: pen and bezier tools, shapes, and paths — the foundation of all vector work — are functional.
- Strokes and fills: solid colors, basic gradients, and stroke controls cover everyday illustration needs.
- Typography: text tools for headlines, labels, and simple typographic layouts work.
- Layers and grouping: organizing artwork into layers and groups is supported.
What is still being built
Honestly, this is where expectations need managing. Advanced path operations (complex boolean ops), gradient meshes, pattern fills, full SVG import/export fidelity, and the deep precision tools professional illustrators rely on are still in development. If you make logos with clean shapes, icons, or simple illustrations, VectorCraft is already usable. If your work depends on Illustrator's advanced tooling, you will hit walls — check the GitHub repo for current progress before committing real projects.
VectorCraft vs Illustrator
Illustrator costs around $35/month standalone — over $400 a year for vector drawing. VectorCraft is $0. Illustrator remains far more complete and has the plugin/template ecosystem. But the direction of travel is clear, and for students and beginners the price argument is overwhelming: learn vector fundamentals free in VectorCraft, and your skills transfer directly if you ever need Illustrator.
Getting started tips
Start with simple projects: a logo, an icon set, a poster with shapes and type. Learn the pen tool — it is the heart of vector drawing in any app. Save often and keep backups while the app is young. Download free from getartcraft.com/apps.
Frequently asked questions
Is VectorCraft ready for professional logo work?
For clean, shape-based logos: yes, with care. For complex illustrative work: not yet. Always test your specific needs and keep source files backed up.
Can it open AI or SVG files?
SVG support is improving but not yet fully faithful for complex files. Adobe AI files are proprietary — do not expect reliable import. Export your work in standard formats from the start.
How does it compare to Inkscape?
Inkscape is the mature free vector editor with decades of development. VectorCraft is younger but built on a modern Rust codebase with AI-assisted velocity — watch both.