The repository ships three sample workbooks: sales, budget and grades. Open one before you bring in your own file, so you know what the app can already do.
Spreadsheet and data analysis · fan-made reference
Open-source spreadsheets in pure Rust, still in alpha.
GridCraft is an open-source spreadsheet and data analysis app written in pure Rust, currently in alpha, and it is not Microsoft Excel. It reads and writes .xlsx files, calculates with 500+ functions, and builds PivotTables and seventeen chart types.
A closer look
Three screens from the repository, in order.
01 table
02 formulas
03 pivot
These screenshots come from the GridCraft README and show sample workbooks. They show the interface on clean data: a formatted sales table with charts, a gradebook built with formulas, and a PivotTable with its field list open. They do not show how GridCraft handles your files.
XLSX is the native format, and the README says styles, formulas, tables, charts and PivotTables round-trip. Save a copy, change it in GridCraft, then open the result in the program you normally use.
The project calls GridCraft alpha. Its roadmap lists XLSX fidelity on real-world files, large workbooks and legacy .xls handling among the open gaps.
Choose a build
release v0.5.0The ArtCraft product page links the v0.5.0 files below. Pick the file that matches your computer. The desktop app is native on macOS, Windows, Linux and FreeBSD, and the web build runs in a browser. The main branch of the repository already has later changes (its Cargo.toml says 0.7.0), so check the release list for newer tags before you download.
macOS
Universal disk image, Apple silicon and Intel. Signed and notarized, per the README.
Windows
64-bit installer. Portable, ARM64 and 32-bit builds are also listed.
Linux
x86_64 AppImage. Flatpak, .deb, .rpm and tarball builds are also listed.
Everything else
Release notes, FreeBSD, the web build, the command-line tool and SHA256SUMS.txt.
Links point to GitHub release assets for v0.5.0. On 2026-10-16 each linked file returned HTTP 200 on a HEAD request. This site did not install or run any of them.
What to verify before you rely on it
practical checklist1. Match the file to your computer. Windows has x64, ARM64 and x86 builds, and macOS has one universal build.
2. Compare the file with its hash. Download SHA256SUMS.txt from the same release and run shasum -a 256 on macOS or sha256sum on Linux.
3. Read the v0.5.0 release notes and the ROADMAP.md gap list before you trust a workflow.
4. Open a copy of a real workbook first. The roadmap says no one has yet confirmed that Excel opens GridCraft's output without a repair prompt across a real corpus.
Which GridCraft this guide is about
disambiguationIf you searched for gridcraft, you may land on CSS grid layout tutorials or on generic data-grid widgets. In CSS, “grid” is a layout system. In many UI libraries, a grid is a table widget. Neither is this guide. Here, GridCraft means the spreadsheet and data analysis app from ArtCraft. If you are weighing it against Excel, LibreOffice Calc or Google Sheets, the comparison pages list what each product's public material says and what to test.
About GridCraft
Primary source ↗GridCraft is an open-source spreadsheet and data analysis app written in pure Rust, currently in alpha, and it is not Microsoft Excel. The ArtCraft product page places it under spreadsheets and data analysis with the label “In development”. The repository's README calls it an open-source, clean-room reimplementation of Microsoft Excel and describes its stage as alpha. Its code is dual-licensed under MIT or Apache-2.0.
The README describes the Crafting Apps as free, open-source creative tools from the ArtCraft team, each written from scratch in Rust. GridCraft is one of them, alongside PhotoCraft, VectorCraft and CADCraft. On GitHub the project lives under the storytold organization.
Facts at a glance
checked 2026-10-16| Item | What the sources say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Status | “In development” on the ArtCraft page. “Stage: alpha” in ROADMAP.md and alpha in the README. | ArtCraft page; ROADMAP.md |
| Version | 0.5.0, the release the ArtCraft page links. The GitHub release page shows it released 10 Oct. | v0.5.0 release |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and a WebAssembly web build. | ArtCraft page; README |
| Native file format | XLSX. CSV and TSV are also supported. | README |
| Other imports | XLSB and ODS worksheet data, using saved values instead of formulas. Legacy .xls is covered in the questions below. | README |
| Calculation | 500+ functions, dynamic arrays, LET and LAMBDA. | ArtCraft page; README |
| Charts and PivotTables | Seventeen chart types. PivotTables with filters, field lists and date grouping. | README |
| Automation | An MCP server, a command-line tool and a JSON control channel. | README |
| Source build | Rust 1.90 or newer. | ArtCraft page; Cargo.toml in the repository |
| License | MIT or Apache-2.0, at your option. | README |
| Price | Free and open source. | ArtCraft page |
| Project's own estimate | About 50% “ready for real work”, which the project labels as an estimate from its own weights. | ROADMAP.md, last reviewed 2026-10-11 |
Choose by task
three pathsPick the path that matches the work. Each one ends with a check you can run on a copy.
Personal budget
Start from the budget sample. The README shows it as --sample budget for source builds. Keep the totals, the accounting formats and the bar chart, then replace the rows with your own. Check each total against last month's statement before you trust it.
Data cleaning and analysis
Bring in a CSV or TSV and work on a copy. The README lists sort and AutoFilter, Flash Fill, data validation and PivotTables. Two gaps from the roadmap (reviewed 2026-10-11) matter here: Arabic and Devanagari text is not shaped yet, and workbooks of about 100 MB do not open (issue #175).
Charts and reports
The README lists seventeen chart types, Page Break Preview, print settings and PDF export. The v0.5.0 release notes list fixes so combo, stock, histogram and other chart types keep their kind through an XLSX save. The roadmap still lists chart round trips as a gap, so reopen the saved file and check each chart before you send it.
How this guide was made
editorial methodPrimary sources
We read the ArtCraft product page, the GitHub README, ROADMAP.md and the v0.5.0 release page, all on 2026-10-16.
Independent editors
This is an independent fan-made reference. The editors work independently of ArtCraft. We write from public material and link each core claim to its source. Where a source gives a number, we quote it with its label.
What we did not do
We did not install the builds, open a workbook from our own work, or run the MCP server or the command-line tool. Anything we could not confirm from a public page or a repository file is left out.
If you only read one paragraph
what to do firstUse GridCraft as an alpha tool. Try it on a copy of a sheet you already know, compare the result with the program you normally use, and report what breaks in the GitHub issues or the ArtCraft Discord. Download the build for your computer, check its SHA-256 value, and keep the original file until the copy has passed your checks.
Editorial boundary: this site hosts no binaries, collects no payment details and does not claim endorsement by ArtCraft, storytold or Microsoft. Download links go to GitHub release assets. We did not install or test those builds or any spreadsheet file for this page.
Questions readers ask
What is GridCraft?
GridCraft is an open-source spreadsheet and data analysis app written in pure Rust, currently in alpha, and it is not Microsoft Excel. ArtCraft publishes it as one of its Crafting Apps.
Is this an official ArtCraft website?
No. This is an independent, fan-made reference. It does not speak for ArtCraft or storytold. The official product page is getartcraft.com/apps/gridcraft.
Can GridCraft open .xls files?
The README says legacy Excel 97-2003 .xls workbooks open with their values, formulas and number formats. The v0.5.0 release notes do not mention .xls, and the repository's roadmap and change log disagree about .xls on the main branch. Test your own .xls file before you rely on it.
Is GridCraft free to use?
The ArtCraft page says it is free and open source. The README says there is no subscription, no license server and no telemetry, and the code is dual-licensed under MIT or Apache-2.0.
Why might the Windows build not open?
The README says the desktop app starts only DirectX 12 by default. It gives the WGPU_BACKEND environment variable as a troubleshooting override, for example dx12 or vulkan, and warns that an explicit gl setting can bring back a driver crash on some systems.