Word processing · v0.6.1 · Alpha

WordCraft: a free, open-source Word alternative

WordCraft is the word processor of the Crafting Apps: an open-source, clean-room take on Microsoft Word. It has the ribbon, a live Styles gallery, track changes and comments, references with APA, MLA, Chicago and IEEE citations, tables of contents, mail merge, and offline spelling and grammar. It reads and writes .docx.

Open WordCraft online Download v0.6.1 WordCraft on GitHub

The online version is the official web build from the v0.6.1 release (2026-10-12). It runs locally in your browser; a desktop browser with WebGPU or WebGL2 works best.

WordCraft with the ribbon, Styles gallery, rulers and Navigation pane open on a sample handbook — Screenshot: WordCraft README, github.com/storytold/wordcraft (MIT/Apache-2.0).

What WordCraft can do

The Word workflow

Ribbon tabs and groups, Word's shortcuts, list autoformat, Format Painter and a live Styles gallery.

Review

Track changes, comment balloons in the margin, accept and reject, and spelling and grammar as you type, all offline.

References

Tables of contents, footnotes, citations in APA, MLA, Chicago or IEEE, an index and captions.

Layout and design

Themes, style sets, drop caps, text wrapping, hyphenation, line numbers, watermarks and page borders.

Your files

Opens and saves .docx so it works with Word, imports .doc, and exports PDF, Markdown and LaTeX.

Built for agents

422 commands with stable ids drive the app, the CLI and an MCP server.

WordCraft vs Microsoft Word

Price: WordCraft: free, open source. Word: paid Microsoft product.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and the browser.
Files: .docx read/write, Word 97-2003 .doc import, PDF export, .odt, .rtf, .html, .md, .tex (LaTeX), .txt
Maturity: Alpha. Upstream says it covers 88% of Word's ribbon features with commands today. Beta needs more testing against real-world .docx files.
Account & privacy: No sign-in, no telemetry, works offline.

How to download and install WordCraft

Open the official WordCraft GitHub releases or getartcraft.com/apps/wordcraft.
Windows: run wordcraft-0.6.1-windows-x64.msi (or the portable zip; ARM64 and x86 builds exist).
macOS: open wordcraft-0.6.1-macos-universal.dmg, which is signed and notarized for Apple Silicon and Intel.
Linux: use the AppImage, or the .deb, .rpm or Flatpak for your distro.
Optionally verify the file against SHA256SUMS.txt in the same release.

Prefer not to install? Use WordCraft online.

WordCraft FAQ

Is WordCraft the same as Google's Wordcraft?

No. Google PAIR's Wordcraft was an AI-assisted story-writing research editor. ArtCraft's WordCraft is an open-source Microsoft Word alternative written in Rust.

Does WordCraft open .docx?

Yes. .docx is read and written, and files open in Microsoft Word. It also imports legacy .doc files.

Is WordCraft free?

Yes. WordCraft is free and open source under MIT OR Apache-2.0. There is no subscription, no account and no telemetry.

Can I use WordCraft online?

Yes. WordCraft compiles to WebAssembly, and this site hosts the official v0.6.1 web build at artcraftsuite.org/app/wordcraft/. It runs entirely in your browser, and files you open are not uploaded.

Where can I download WordCraft safely?

Only from getartcraft.com/apps/wordcraft or the Releases page of github.com/storytold/wordcraft. Avoid look-alike GitHub repos that offer a "local zip" or password-protected archive: they are not the official project.

Does WordCraft run on Windows, Mac and Linux?

Yes. Releases include Windows installers and portable zips (x64, x86, ARM64), a universal macOS DMG, Linux AppImage, deb, rpm and Flatpak (x86_64 and aarch64), FreeBSD builds and the web version.

Who makes WordCraft?

WordCraft is one of the ArtCraft Crafting Apps, developed in the open at github.com/storytold/wordcraft. It is a clean-room project and is not affiliated with Microsoft.