GridCraft: Free Open-Source Spreadsheet by ArtCraft
GridCraft is a free, open-source, clean-room Excel-style spreadsheet written in Rust by ArtCraft (the team behind WordCraft and PdfCraft). It opens and saves XLSX natively, keeping styles, formulas (including dynamic arrays), tables, charts and PivotTables, and supports 500+ functions including LET and LAMBDA, 17 chart types, PDF export and dark mode. The latest release is v0.6.1 (October 12, 2026) for Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD and the web. It is still alpha: the developers rate it about half-ready for real work, so keep backups. Download it only from the official GitHub Releases page (storytold/gridcraft) and check the files against SHA256SUMS.txt.
GridCraft at a glance
| GridCraft | |
|---|---|
| What it is | Excel-style spreadsheet app, clean-room reimplementation in pure Rust |
| Made by | ArtCraft (same Crafting Apps family as WordCraft, PdfCraft, PhotoCraft) |
| Price and licence | Free; open source (README: MIT or Apache-2.0) |
| Latest version | v0.6.1, released October 12, 2026 (first public build v0.1.0 on October 8) |
| Status | Alpha: about 89% of Excel's ribbon commands and 513 of 523 Excel functions per the project, but roughly half-ready for real work |
| Telemetry / subscription | None |
What GridCraft can open and save
| Format | Support |
|---|---|
| XLSX | Native: round-trips styles, formulas (incl. dynamic arrays), tables, charts, PivotTables |
| CSV / TSV | Open and save |
| XLS (old Excel) | Values and formulas |
| XLSB, ODS | Data import |
| Export |
Other features: 500+ functions (LET, LAMBDA), 17 chart types, PivotTables, dark mode, a Spanish interface option (Spanish formula names and decimal commas), and an MCP server / CLI (gridcraft-cli mcp) so AI assistants can read and edit spreadsheets.
How to download GridCraft (official only)
- Open the GridCraft Releases page on GitHub (also linked from the official GridCraft page).
- Pick your file:
| System | File |
|---|---|
| Windows (x64, ARM64, x86) | .msi installer or -portable.zip (signed) |
| macOS (Apple silicon and Intel) | macos-universal.dmg (signed and notarized) |
| Linux (x86_64, aarch64) | AppImage, Flatpak, .deb, .rpm or .tar.gz (riscv64: deb, rpm, tar.gz) |
| FreeBSD | freebsd-x86_64.tar.gz |
| Web build | gridcraft-web-…zip |
- Check the file against SHA256SUMS.txt from the same release.
Lookalike "GridCraft download" sites that aren't run by ArtCraft have appeared; the project only publishes builds on GitHub.
Troubleshooting
- App flashes and quits on Windows: GridCraft starts with DirectX 12 only. The README's workaround is to launch it once with another backend from PowerShell in the app's folder:
$env:WGPU_BACKEND = "vulkan", then& .\gridcraft.exe, thenRemove-Item Env:WGPU_BACKEND. Note thatvulkancan crash on some Intel UHD drivers andglon some AMD drivers, so stick with the default unless it fails. - File looks different from Excel: it's alpha; report it on the GitHub issue tracker and keep your original file.
Frequently asked questions
What is GridCraft?
A free, open-source Excel-style spreadsheet written in Rust by ArtCraft, the makers of WordCraft and PdfCraft. It edits XLSX files natively with formulas, charts and PivotTables.
Is GridCraft free?
Yes. It's open source (the README says MIT or Apache-2.0), with no subscription and no telemetry.
Where do I download GridCraft safely?
Only from the Releases page of github.com/storytold/gridcraft, which the official getartcraft.com GridCraft page links to. Verify the file with SHA256SUMS.txt and ignore third-party download sites.
Can GridCraft replace Microsoft Excel?
Not yet for important work. It covers most Excel functions and ribbon commands, but it's alpha software that its developers describe as about half-ready, so keep backups and check complex files carefully.
Does GridCraft open .xlsx and .xls files?
XLSX is its native format and round-trips styles, formulas, tables, charts and PivotTables. Old .xls files open with values and formulas; XLSB and ODS import data only.
Does GridCraft work on Mac and Linux?
Yes: a signed, notarized universal DMG for macOS, and AppImage, Flatpak, deb, rpm and tarball builds for Linux on x86_64 and ARM64. There are also Windows, FreeBSD and web builds.