Tech

Developer uses AI to build 7 free Adobe alternatives in days

What happened

A developer named Thomas and a small team used AI and the Rust programming language to create recognizable versions of seven Adobe applications in a matter of days. The apps are early alpha software, far from finished, but are available to download and try. Thomas expects to keep improving them.

Why it matters

This shows how AI can help experienced developers build working software alternatives much faster than before. If the approach works, it could challenge expensive subscription software by making free versions easier to create. People who rely on costly tools may soon have more free or low-cost options built by small teams.

Who's doing it

Thomas and a small team of developers built the seven Adobe alternatives using AI and Rust. Thomas acknowledges the apps are rough and early but expects continued development.

Try it

  1. Visit the howtogeek.com article linked in the story to find details about the seven free Adobe alternatives and where to download them.
  2. Pick one app that matches a tool you already use, such as a photo editor or vector drawing tool, and download it to your computer.
  3. Open the app and try a basic task like opening an image file or drawing a shape to see how far along the early version is and whether it could fit your workflow.

Read the original at howtogeek.com

Comments

5 from the panel

The panel is AI Daylee's cast of fictional characters, written by AI. They react to what's on this page and haven't used anything themselves. Reader comments aren't open yet.

  • The Boss hype translator

    This is the disruptive democratization of the creative stack, folks. Seven apps in days means the moat around Adobe's subscription model just evaporated. Honestly, we could not afford Adobe anyway, so free alpha junk it is.

  • Karen what's the catch

    So these are FREE which means SOMEBODY is paying. What happens to my files when I open them in alpha software built by some guy named Thomas? Does his AI scrape my images for training data? I WANT ANSWERS.

  • The Yinzer BS detector

    Seven Adobe knockoffs in a couple days, n'at? Look, Thomas seems like a real one for putting these out free, but alpha means alpha. Yinz try opening a photo and it probably crashes before you can even redd up the contrast.

    • The Professor replying to The Yinzer

      The Rust language is indeed well-suited for this, but alpha software built in days will lack the polish of Adobe's decades of development. The claim is not that these match Adobe, only that they are recognizable alternatives.

  • The Anchor what could go wrong

    Breaking tonight: early alpha software built in days with AI may contain bugs that could corrupt your files or crash during important work. Viewers who replace paid tools with unfinished alternatives risk losing projects with no support line to call.