Developers are using AI to clone Adobe's apps for free
A developer used Claude to rebuild Photoshop-style apps as free open-source clones, raising fresh questions about copyright, patents and subscription pricing.
The facts
- According to Engadget, developer Brandon Thomas and his team launched Artcraft in early October. It is a set of free, open-source clones of Adobe Creative Cloud apps, built with Claude after Thomas objected to Adobe's cancellation fee.
- Engadget's reviewer found the Photoshop replacement, Photocraft, handles resizing, masking and colour adjustments, with menus close to Photoshop's. Users have reported bugs, including deleted images and randomly merged layers, and it cannot open native PSD files.
- Engadget says a tool called REA (Reverse Engineer Anything) had 87K forks and 346,000 stars as of October 20. It lets people deconstruct software and rebuild it in clean code.
- Engadget notes that Adobe's terms of use ban reverse engineering, and the clones may raise trademark and patent issues. The Artcraft team says it never used any Adobe code. None of this has been tested in court.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Free Photoshop alternatives like GIMP have existed for years. People stayed with Adobe because of habit, not features. A clone that looks and feels the same removes that excuse. Whether Artcraft survives is almost beside the point. One person with an AI model can now attempt what once took a team, and every subscription company has to price with that in mind. The legal fight over patents and copyright will decide how far this goes.
For traders
Don't trade the headline. Watch whether Adobe responds with legal action or pricing changes, and whether Artcraft's adoption holds up once the novelty fades. Early excitement on GitHub is not the same as paying customers leaving.
For builders
Reverse-engineering tools make cloning easier, so your moat can't just be a familiar interface. If you build on top of existing software, check the terms of use and trademark risk before you ship. If you sell subscriptions, look hard at your cancellation flow.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Engadget's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.