head to head · open source
photocraft vs effectcraft
photocraft has 46,731 GitHub stars, 7,428 forks, 1,208 open issues and last shipped yesterday. effectcraft has 5,065 stars, 2,456 forks, 317 open issues and last shipped yesterday. photocraft leads on adoption by 823% (46,731 vs 5,065 stars). photocraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; effectcraft is written in Rust under Apache-2.0. photocraft has attracted 16% as many forks as stars, effectcraft 48%. photocraft was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (art, rust), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| photocraft | effectcraft | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 5.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Forks | ⑂ 7.4K | ⑂ 2.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick photocraft if
- You weight community size — 47K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick effectcraft if
- You want the effectcraft feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and effectcraft fits your workflow better
About photocraft
PhotoCraft is an open source, clean room reimplementation of Adobe Photoshop, written in pure Rust, for image editors who want a native offline app they can own rather than a subscription.
read the full photocraft overview →
About effectcraft
EffectCraft is a free, open source motion graphics and visual effects compositor for anyone who would otherwise reach for Adobe After Effects — animators, compositors, and motion designers who want native desktop apps and a browser build without a subscription.
read the full effectcraft overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is photocraft or effectcraft more popular?
photocraft has 46,731 GitHub stars and effectcraft has 5,065. photocraft has the larger community by that measure.
Are photocraft and effectcraft free?
Both are open source. photocraft is licensed under Apache-2.0 and effectcraft under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between photocraft and effectcraft?
photocraft is written in Rust and effectcraft in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, photocraft or effectcraft?
Choose photocraft if you want the larger community (46,731 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose effectcraft if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.