Short version: WordCraft turned a 203-page document into a PDF in 0.16 seconds, and Claude Code added a full magazine page to a running document in 79 seconds. It's free, while Microsoft 365 Personal costs $99.99 a year. It also swaps fonts it doesn't have and loses a space when you type over a word, and it's only version 0.16.
▶ Full video: https://youtu.be/t4zeuGFR1Ao
What is WordCraft?
WordCraft is Microsoft Word rebuilt from scratch in Rust by storytold, the team behind ArtCraft.
- License: MIT or Apache-2.0
- Runs on: Mac, Windows, Linux and in the browser
- Files: opens and saves Word files, and exports PDF, Markdown, LaTeX and more
- Parity: by its own count, 506 of 521 Word features work (97%). That's self-reported, so treat it as a claim.
- Stars: about 17,500 on GitHub, one month after release
I tested version 0.16.0 on a Mac mini M4 with 16 GB of RAM. The download matched its published checksum and was notarized by Apple.
Test 1: Build a real magazine
I skipped the boring letter and made a two-page travel magazine called WANDER:
- A full-bleed cover photo using Wrap Text → Behind Text and a 30 cm height
- A WordArt masthead in Didot at 110 points
- A drop cap on the first paragraph of the story
- A sea turtle photo with text wrapped around it, plus a pull quote
- File → Export → PDF, done in about a second
All of it worked. One catch: Word's default font, Aptos, isn't on my Mac, so WordCraft warns you and swaps it. The drop cap also overlapped the next letter slightly.
Test 2: Track Changes
Track Changes marks every edit, comments work, and Accept All does what it says. Then I found a real bug:
"48 hours" -> "72hours"
"sunrise with" -> "dawnwith"
When you double-click a word and type over it, the space after the word disappears. Word puts that space back for you. WordCraft doesn't yet.
Test 3: 203 pages to PDF
This is where Rust earns its keep. I converted a document of 203 pages and 89,532 words from the command line:
0.16 seconds.
Test 4: Let an AI drive it
WordCraft has a built-in MCP bridge, so every button is a command an agent can press. I connected Claude Code to the running app and gave it one job: add a packing list page. Then I took my hands off the mouse.
- Result: a headline in the same Didot font, an intro, a packing table and a pull quote
- Time: 79 seconds
- Tool calls: 26
It also checked its own work before saying it was done. For developers, this is the most interesting part. The document editor becomes something you can automate through commands, while you watch the real UI update.
Verdict
| WordCraft | Microsoft 365 Personal | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0 | $99.99/year |
| 203 pages to PDF | 0.16 s (CLI) | not tested |
| Agent control | Built-in MCP bridge | not tested |
| Maturity | v0.16, small bugs | Decades old |
For school work, letters and even a magazine like this one, I'd use it today. If your job lives inside complex Word files, test your own files first. I only built new documents here, so this isn't a verdict on compatibility with complex existing Word files.
Would you let an agent edit your documents, or is that a step too far?
Links
- WordCraft on GitHub: https://github.com/storytold/wordcraft
- WordCraft website: https://getartcraft.com/apps/wordcraft
- Full video: https://youtu.be/t4zeuGFR1Ao
AI-assisted disclosure: I used an AI assistant to help structure this write-up. The tests and timings are my own (Mac mini M4, 16 GB, WordCraft 0.16.0, Claude Code 2.1.317, November 8, 2026). Price from microsoft.com on the same date. Not sponsored by storytold or Microsoft.
Top comments (0)