WordCraft: Free Open-Source Word Processor (and Which 'Wordcraft' You Mean)
WordCraft (github.com/storytold/wordcraft) is a free, open-source, clean-room reimplementation of Microsoft Word written in Rust by the ArtCraft team. It reads and writes .docx, runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, BSD and in the browser, and is dual-licensed MIT or Apache-2.0. It is still pre-alpha/alpha: charts, SmartArt and OLE objects don't survive a .docx round trip, so test it before relying on it. Not to be confused with Google PAIR's older Wordcraft AI story-writing experiment.
Which "Wordcraft" are you looking for?
| Name | What it is |
|---|---|
| WordCraft (ArtCraft / storytold) | Open-source Rust word processor compatible with .docx — the one trending in October 2026 |
| Wordcraft (Google PAIR) | An earlier research project: an AI-assisted story-writing editor |
| WordCraft (word game) | Unrelated browser word game |
How to use WordCraft for free
- In the browser: the full app runs via WebAssembly — open a .docx from your computer, edit, and Save downloads the edited .docx. The document is not uploaded.
- Desktop: download the 0.5.0 build from the GitHub releases (Windows .msi, macOS .dmg, Linux AppImage/.deb/.rpm/Flatpak, FreeBSD).
- For AI agents:
wordcraft-cliincludes an MCP server, so agents such as Claude Code or Codex can open, edit and save .docx files (wordcraft-cli mcp), or convert files (wordcraft-cli convert report.docx report.pdf).
What it can do
- Word-style ribbon: Home, Insert, Layout, References, Mailings, Review
- Styles gallery, tables, track changes and comments, compare documents
- Citations (APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE), footnotes, table of contents, index
- Mail merge from CSV, envelopes and labels
- Opens .docx, .doc, .odt, .rtf, HTML, Markdown, LaTeX; exports PDF with selectable text
- Spelling and grammar work offline
Honest limitations
- Pre-alpha / alpha (first released October 2026). Keep it away from important work documents for now.
- Team estimates: ~62–63% of the way to Word's everyday essentials; real-world DOCX compatibility testing has not begun.
- Charts, SmartArt and embedded OLE objects are dropped on round trip; no live co-editing; native printing not yet (print via PDF).
- Built with heavy use of Claude for coding; ArtCraft says it was made from public specs and observation.
WordCraft vs Microsoft Word
| WordCraft | Microsoft Word | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, open source | Subscription or licence |
| Linux | Yes | No |
| .docx | Reads & writes | Native |
| Co-editing | No | Yes (OneDrive) |
| Charts/SmartArt | Not preserved yet | Yes |
| Maturity | Alpha (Oct 2026) | Since 1983 |
Frequently asked questions
Is WordCraft free?
Yes, it is open source under MIT or Apache-2.0 with no paid tier.
Can Microsoft Word open WordCraft files?
Yes, it saves standard .docx, but charts and SmartArt don't survive a round trip yet.
Is WordCraft ready for work documents?
Not yet — it is pre-alpha/alpha and DOCX compatibility testing against real-world files hasn't begun.
Is WordCraft the same as Google's Wordcraft?
No. Google PAIR's Wordcraft was an AI story-writing research editor; this WordCraft is ArtCraft's Rust word processor.