DesignCraft on Linux: a free InDesign alternative
Yes, DesignCraft runs natively on Linux, with an AppImage, Flatpak bundle, .deb and .rpm for x86_64 and ARM64. It is a free, open-source (MIT or Apache-2.0) page-layout app modelled on Adobe InDesign: spreads and parent pages, threaded text frames, paragraph and character styles, a Knuth–Plass paragraph composer, swatches including CMYK, and IDML import and export. The project scores itself at about 83% of InDesign including depth, a self-assessment we have not tested.
“Breadth: ~99% weighted” over 275 InDesign features, but many “still lack some of InDesign’s options or dialog details, so overall parity including depth is about 83%” (roadmap). That score is the project’s own, not an independent test.
How to install DesignCraft on Linux
Commands for DesignCraft 0.4.0, the latest release when this page was built. Download only from the official GitHub releases of storytold/designcraft or the DesignCraft page on getartcraft.com. File names change with each version.
Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS
Download designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.deb (or the aarch64 one on ARM) from the latest release, then in your Downloads folder:
sudo apt install ./designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.debFedora, RHEL, openSUSE
Download designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.rpm, then:
sudo dnf install ./designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.rpmOn openSUSE: sudo zypper install ./designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.rpm
Any distro: AppImage
No install needed. Download, make it executable and run it:
wget https://github.com/storytold/designcraft/releases/download/v0.4.0/designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.AppImagechmod +x designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.AppImage && ./designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.AppImageFlatpak bundle
Needs Flatpak with Flathub set up for the runtime. Then:
flatpak install --user designcraft-0.4.0-linux-x86_64.flatpakflatpak run ai.storyteller.designcraftCheck the download
Every release lists a checksum for each file in SHA256SUMS.txt. Download it next to your file and run:
sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.txt --ignore-missingIt should print OK for the file you downloaded.
These are the standard commands for each package type, with file names taken from the project’s release workflow. We have not run them on every distro. Newer releases replace older ones when installed the same way; the AppImage can also update itself with AppImageUpdate.
DesignCraft screenshots: what it looks like
Official screenshots from the DesignCraft repository, made by the app itself on public-domain artwork and footage. Select one to open it full size.
Frames, bleeds and display type
Graphic and text frames, full-bleed artwork, corner options and layers.
Threading, columns and text wrap
A Knuth–Plass composer with dictionary hyphenation, optical margin alignment, baseline grid, tabs, footnotes and cross-references. Line breaks match on screen and in PDF.
Styles
Paragraph and character styles, kicker rules, captions and parent-page folios, as in InDesign.
DesignCraft Linux support at a glance
Checked on Oct 8, 2026 against DesignCraft 0.4.0: its release workflow, Linux packaging, documentation and roadmap.
| Linux system or feature | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS | Yes: Official .deb | For x86_64 and ARM64, built on Ubuntu 22.04 by the project’s release workflow, so it needs glibc 2.35 or newer: Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, Linux Mint 21+. |
| Fedora, RHEL, openSUSE | Yes: Official .rpm | For x86_64 and ARM64. The workflow names Fedora 36+ and RHEL 10 as the oldest it targets; openSUSE is listed in the README’s download table. |
| Arch, Manjaro, CachyOS and any other distro | Yes: AppImage or tarball | The AppImage runs without installing and can update itself through AppImageUpdate (each release ships .zsync files). A plain .tar.gz is there too. No official Arch package. |
| Flatpak | Partly: Bundle, not on Flathub | Each release has a downloadable .flatpak bundle (ai.storyteller.designcraft) that pulls the org.freedesktop.Platform//25.08 runtime from Flathub. The app itself is not listed on Flathub, so it will not appear in GNOME Software or Discover searches yet. |
| Bazzite, Fedora Silverblue, SteamOS | Yes: AppImage or Flatpak | Both work on immutable systems without layering packages. This is our reading of the formats, not something we tested. |
| ARM64 Linux | Yes: aarch64 builds | Every Linux format also comes as an aarch64 build, built on GitHub’s Ubuntu 22.04 ARM runners. Not verified by us on a Raspberry Pi or Asahi Linux. |
What works in DesignCraft, and what is missing
Works today, per the project
- Spreads, parent pages, layers and threaded text frames
- Paragraph and character styles, tables, footnotes and cross-references
- Knuth–Plass composer with hyphenation and optical margins
- IDML import and export
- PDF export with bleed, marks and PDF/A-2b, per the roadmap
Missing or unfinished
- PDF/X-4 output intent
- Depth in options and dialogs behind many features
DesignCraft release history
DesignCraft was first released on Oct 2, 2026 and has shipped a new version every day or two since. This chart updates when we refresh our release data.
Show the release dates as a table
| App | Releases, newest first |
|---|---|
| DesignCraft | 0.4.0 (Oct 8, 2026) · 0.2.1 (Oct 6, 2026) · 0.2.0 (Oct 5, 2026) · 0.1.1 (Oct 3, 2026) · 0.1.0 (Oct 2, 2026) |
Latest DesignCraft news
No news posts yet. We post here when a DesignCraft release changes what Linux users get.
DesignCraft vs the best InDesign alternatives on Linux
| App | Best for | Maturity | License | On Linux |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DesignCraft | InDesign users who want the same tools, styles and shortcuts | In development, first released October 2, 2026 | Free, MIT or Apache-2.0 | AppImage, Flatpak bundle, .deb, .rpm |
| Scribus | Proven open-source desktop publishing and print PDFs | Mature, over 20 years | Free, GPL | Distro repositories and Flathub |
| Affinity Publisher | Professional layout via Wine | Mature on Windows and macOS | Free from Canva | Only through community Wine builds |
Our view: DesignCraft’s typography engine and IDML support make it the most InDesign-like layout tool on Linux. For print jobs that must be right the first time, Scribus has the longer track record; DesignCraft is worth testing on a newsletter or zine first. This is an editorial judgment from the project’s code, documentation and issue reports, not from hands-on benchmarks.
The apps went viral in early October 2026, which attracts look-alike download sites. Check the checksum against SHA256SUMS.txt from the official release. An App Store app called “AI Art Generator: ArtCraft” is by a different developer and unrelated.
The other Crafting Apps on Linux
DesignCraft on Linux: common questions
Does DesignCraft work on Linux?
Yes. DesignCraft ships an AppImage, a Flatpak bundle, .deb and .rpm packages and a tarball for x86_64 and ARM64 Linux with every release.
Can DesignCraft open InDesign files?
It imports and exports IDML, the InDesign Markup Language. It cannot open binary .indd files, so save them as IDML from InDesign first.
Can DesignCraft export print-ready PDF?
Its roadmap lists PDF export with embedded fonts, CMYK and spot separations, bleed and crop marks and PDF/A-2b, with PDF/X-4 still pending. Check proofs carefully before printing.
Is DesignCraft better than Scribus?
It is closer to InDesign’s workflow and typography, but Scribus has two decades of print use behind it. DesignCraft is days old.
Is DesignCraft free?
Yes. It is open source under the MIT or Apache-2.0 license, with no subscription or licence server.
How we researched this page
- What we did. On Oct 8, 2026 we read DesignCraft’s repository directly: the README, roadmap and honest-assessment documents, Linux packaging, the release workflow (to confirm which Linux files are built and for which glibc) and its Cargo manifest. Release dates come from the project’s git tags.
- What we did not do. We have not run DesignCraft or benchmarked it, and we did not audit its code. Feature lists and readiness percentages are the developers’ own and are labelled that way.
- How fresh it is. DesignCraft ships a new version every day or two. The release history refreshes with our data; the text was checked against 0.4.0.
- Independence. distro.watch is independent and has no relationship with ArtCraft, Storyteller or Adobe. This page has no affiliate links. See our editorial standards.
Running DesignCraft on Linux? Send your distro, desktop (Wayland or X11), graphics card and what worked or broke, or a correction, to contact@distro.watch. Bugs belong in the DesignCraft issue tracker.
What changed on this page
- Page published, checked against DesignCraft 0.4.0: Linux packages and status, install commands, screenshots, what works and what is missing, comparison with established Linux apps, and release history.
Sources
- GitHub: storytold/designcraft README
- DesignCraft ROADMAP (features and parity score)
- GitHub: DesignCraft releases
- GitHub: DesignCraft release workflow (Linux builds, glibc 2.35)
- getartcraft.com: DesignCraft
distro.watch is independent and not affiliated with ArtCraft or Adobe. InDesign is a trademark of Adobe Inc.; it is named only to describe the workflow DesignCraft imitates.