XiKey™ Desktop

A clear view of your options.

An honest comparison starts with evidence. XiKey is in Alpha; planned work is labelled, and other products’ strengths deserve a place here.

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiArt / Midjourney

Official pricing: $10.00 / month · Basic, monthly billing, USD; taxes not included in this comparison · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiArt	Midjourney
App cost and generation budget Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Alpha is free; announced Beta app pricing is $19/year or $2.49/month. Cloud generation, if offered, uses separate credits.	Basic costs US$10/month on monthly billing and includes 3.3 Fast GPU hours; it is a generation-service subscription.
From a prompt to a first image Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	ArtCraft implements prompt-driven image generation with model selection; XiKey live service access is unverified.	Midjourney has a documented prompt workflow for image and video generation.
Editing the composition Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream provides a layered 2D canvas, drawing and mask-guided edits; connected inference is required for generated edits.	Its web Editor supports layers, move/resize, smart selection and inpainting/outpainting; it is not limited to text prompts.
Spatial direction and reference guidance Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	ArtCraft documents 3D staging, camera placement and posed-character guidance. No benchmark of reference fidelity is claimed.	Style References guide a consistent visual treatment; this is a different workflow from positioning objects in a 3D scene.
Animating a starting image Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream has image-to-video requests across supported providers; XiKey access, limits and costs are not verified.	Midjourney generates an initial five-second video from an image; resolution and processing modes depend on plan.
Privacy and service readiness Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	XiArt is Alpha integration work. A local desktop interface is not evidence of private or offline cloud generation; provider terms still matter.	Stealth is a documented option on Pro and Mega. Its availability should not be inferred for Basic.

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiAudio / Pro Tools

Official pricing: $34.99 / month · Pro Tools Studio, month-to-month subscription, standard listed USD price; excludes taxes. Artist and Ultimate are different tiers; expired promotions are not used. · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiAudio	Pro Tools
Price and readiness Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Alpha is free today. XiAudio is planned/unreleased, with checked upstream features; it is not a verified production-ready installer.	Studio lists US$34.99/month; other tiers and free Intro differ.
Editing and alternate takes Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream multitrack editing offers Shuffle/Slip/Spot/Grid modes, fades and playlist comping; runtime parity has not been established.	Pro Tools documents these edit modes, loop recording and playlist comping.
MIDI composition and hardware Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Draw/edit notes and velocities or import/export MIDI files. Live MIDI hardware input/output is absent in the checked base.	Pro Tools documents MIDI recording with virtual instruments and note editing.
Plug-ins and included processing Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Built-in EQ/dynamics/reverb and CLAP/VST3/AU hosting are implemented upstream; platform/editor limits remain, and no AAX compatibility is claimed.	Studio lists 130+ instruments/effects and uses AAX plug-ins.
Audio interfaces and control surfaces Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Device/rate/buffer selection exists upstream, but duplex monitoring and physical-channel mapping are incomplete; control surfaces are missing.	Avid lists Core Audio and ASIO/WASAPI interfaces plus supported control surfaces.
Session exchange Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	.scraft sessions and rendered audio/stems are supported upstream; .ptx/.ptf and AAF/OMF session interchange are not.	Studio supports AAF/OMF/MXF interchange.
Immersive delivery Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	Surround/object routing exists upstream; Dolby Atmos/ADM BWF delivery is not implemented. That distinction matters for required delivery formats.	Studio includes a Dolby Atmos renderer and ADM export.

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiCAD / AutoCAD

Official pricing: $2,095.00 / year · AutoCAD single-user, 1-year subscription, paid annually; USD suggested retail price before tax. Separate month-to-month plan: USD 260/month. Prices can change. · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiCAD	AutoCAD
Price and release stage Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Alpha is free when available; XiCAD remains planned. Published Beta pricing is USD 39/year or 4.99/month before tax.	US list price: USD 2,095/year paid annually, or USD 260/month on a separate monthly term; eligible education access and trials also exist.
2D drafting and 3D scope Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	The upstream foundation provides 2D commands, snaps, layers, dimensions and constraints. No 3D modeling; XiCAD integration is not release-verified.	Offers 2D drafting plus solid, surface and mesh modeling and rendering. Specialized industry toolsets are available with AutoCAD for Windows.
DWG exchange and preservation Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Upstream bridges DWG through acadrust; saving can discard custom classes and foreign data. There is no verified lossless XiCAD exchange claim.	Creates Autodesk TrustedDWG files and documents reference resolution, AUDIT and RECOVER. Check the receiving application and project requirements for exchange.
Reusable and dynamic blocks Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Static blocks, attributes and a static Block Editor are documented upstream. Dynamic-block authoring is absent, despite partial use of imported dynamic references.	Its Block Editor can define action parameters, constraints, attributes and visibility states, then test and save dynamic behavior.
PDF and drawing sheets Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Upstream layouts, viewports and vector PDF plotting are present. PDF import and underlays, plus direct system-printer integration, are documented gaps.	Can publish PDF and import PDF geometry or attach PDF underlays; imported PDF data has its own fidelity limits.
Automation and extensions Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	Upstream CLI, MCP and .lsp routines are documented. DCL, reactors, .NET and ObjectARX compatibility are not supported; XiLauncher sandboxed add-ons are planned.	Documents AutoLISP/DCL, .NET, ObjectARX and other development interfaces, plus an App Store for extensions. API availability differs by platform.
Team workflow and maturity Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	XiCAD is a planned Alpha product built on an upstream that labels itself pre-alpha. Upstream lacks Sheet Set Manager, Share, Traces and Markup Import; its browser build is not a XiKey service commitment.	Documents sheet-set management, sharing views, Trace and markup workflows, with access through desktop, web and mobile.

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiFilm / Premiere Pro

Official pricing: $22.99 / month · Individual single-app subscription; annual commitment, billed monthly; USD, tax additional if applicable · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiFilm	Premiere Pro
Price and release stage Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	XiKey Alpha is free; this product is still a planned integration. Future Beta pricing is not an available paid release.	US$22.99 per month, individual annual plan billed monthly, with a seven-day trial. Adobe now calls the product Premiere.
Assembling the edit Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	Upstream has source marks, insert/overwrite and ripple/roll/slip/slide trimming; these capabilities await XiKey integration validation.	Three-point editing and timeline tools are provided, with Text-Based Editing as an additional way to assemble dialogue.
Captions and automatic transcription Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗Source 5 ↗	Upstream supports caption files and burn-in. Speech-to-text is optional and disabled in the default desktop build; XiKey automatic transcription is not verified.	Text-Based Editing auto-transcribes dialogue and supports transcript-driven rough cuts; captions are generated from the final sequence in a separate workflow.
Project migration and camera media Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	The checked upstream cannot open .prproj. It offers interchange routes but documents codec/hardware gaps; test real media and review interchange reports.	Uses .prproj natively and documents wider native camera support including RED R3D and Canon RAW.
Third-party extensions Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream documents no third-party plug-in hosting. XiLauncher sandboxed add-on management is planned, not a substitute already delivered.	Supports third-party plug-ins, including VST/VST3 audio effects and Audio Units on macOS.
Review, integration and maturity Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	XiFilm is planned Alpha, with unvalidated XiKey packages; upstream documents stability and fidelity gaps. Launcher updates are in progress.	Frame.io review is included in the plan, and Dynamic Link connects After Effects; this is a broader released workflow than the current XiFilm integration.

Where the other product is stronger

Native .prproj projects and camera RAW breadth matter for existing productions. Sources: https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/organize-media/import-files/supported-file-formats.html; https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft/blob/cee1feb185e675a108f78067f71ad86a640ace3d/docs/file-format-parity.md (checked 2026-10-14).
Third-party plug-ins and automatic transcript workflows go beyond what is verified in XiFilm. Sources: https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/use-premiere-with-other-apps/plug-ins.html; https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere/desktop/edit-projects/edit-video-using-text-based-editing/overview-of-text-based-editing.html; https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft/blob/cee1feb185e675a108f78067f71ad86a640ace3d/docs/gaps.md; https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft/blob/cee1feb185e675a108f78067f71ad86a640ace3d/apps/filmcraft/Cargo.toml (checked 2026-10-14).
A released review/integration workflow is stronger than a planned Alpha integration with documented upstream crashes and unmeasured parity. Sources: https://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/plans.html?country=US; https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/premiere/desktop/use-premiere-with-other-apps/working-with-other-adobe-applications/share-assets-between-after-effects-and-premiere-using-dynamic-link.html; https://github.com/storytold/filmcraft/blob/cee1feb185e675a108f78067f71ad86a640ace3d/docs/gaps.md (checked 2026-10-14).

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiLayout / Adobe InDesign

Official pricing: $22.99 / month · US individual InDesign single-app; annual commitment, billed monthly; standard listed price, not month-to-month · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiLayout	Adobe InDesign
Price and commitment Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Alpha is free; future Beta list price: US$19/year or US$2.49/month, before tax.	US individual single-app plan: US$22.99/month, annual commitment billed monthly; not a month-to-month plan.
Release readiness Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	XiLayout packaging is planned Alpha. The checked upstream is pre-alpha and documents core editing/threading blockers.	A sold full InDesign release with a seven-day trial; offers an established product workflow.
Native documents and interchange Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	IDML import/export exists, with fidelity gaps. Native INDD/INDT opening and writing are unavailable.	Supports native INDD documents and INDT templates, plus IDML interchange.
Text threading Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Autoflow exists, but arbitrary manual frame linking is a documented pre-alpha blocker.	Supports manually threading frames through text ports, including continuing a story across pages.
Composition and styles Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Has paragraph/single-line composers, styles and justification controls; composition fidelity against InDesign is unmeasured.	Documents paragraph and single-line composers with justification and hyphenation controls.
PDF and print handoff Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	Exports PDF with text, fonts, bleed and marks. PDF/X-1a/X-3, presets and external validation remain gaps.	Provides PDF export and configurable preflight profiles for checking handoff issues.
Digital publishing and review Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	Reflowable EPUB exists; fixed-layout EPUB uses page images. No matching hosted Publish Online or cloud review integration is verified.	Offers EPUB, Publish Online and Share for Review, with in-app review comments.
Fonts and ecosystem Source ↗	Arabic-style font UI is in progress; XiLauncher add-ons are planned. A matching hosted font library is not verified.	Adobe Fonts integration and Creative Cloud Libraries connect type and assets across Adobe tools.

Where the other product is stronger

InDesign is stronger for native INDD collaboration and manual text-frame threading; both are unavailable in the checked foundation, whose stage is pre-alpha. Evidence: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/desktop/get-started/system-and-product-info/supported-file-formats.html; https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/desktop/add-and-manage-text/add-and-import-text/thread-text-frames.html; https://github.com/storytold/designcraft/blob/e862e0a613c0793c6fea7cfd37ad4145ed6cf686/docs/gaps.md; checked 2026-10-14.
InDesign has an established composition workflow and print-handoff controls; XiLayout source has unmeasured composition fidelity and missing PDF/X variants/presets. Evidence: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/desktop/format-and-style-text/composition-and-text-wrapping/set-text-composition.html; https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/desktop/print/preflight/configure-and-use-the-preflight-panel.html; https://github.com/storytold/designcraft/blob/e862e0a613c0793c6fea7cfd37ad4145ed6cf686/docs/typography-parity.md; https://github.com/storytold/designcraft/blob/e862e0a613c0793c6fea7cfd37ad4145ed6cf686/docs/file-format-parity.md; checked 2026-10-14.
Adobe offers connected fonts/libraries and hosted publishing/review workflows; comparable XiKey integrations are not verified, and launcher add-ons are planned. Evidence: https://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/features.html; https://github.com/storytold/designcraft/blob/e862e0a613c0793c6fea7cfd37ad4145ed6cf686/docs/target-app-parity.md; checked 2026-10-14.

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiLight / Adobe Lightroom

Official pricing: $11.99 / month · Lightroom individual (1 TB) — annual commitment, billed monthly; includes Lightroom on desktop/mobile/web and Lightroom Classic. US list price; not a month-to-month plan. · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiLight	Adobe Lightroom
Price and stage Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Alpha is free today; subscriptions begin at Beta. XiLight’s integrated XiKey release has not yet been validated.	US$11.99/month for the individual Lightroom 1 TB plan, annual commitment billed monthly; Lightroom Classic is included.
Light and colour development Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	LightCraft foundation includes exposure, curves, white balance, colour mixer and three-way grading; its rendering is not identical to Lightroom.	Lightroom provides light controls, curves, colour adjustment and colour grading.
Local adjustments and masks Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Brushes, gradients and range masks are documented; automatic subject/sky/people masks have heuristic limits and optional object models are not a guaranteed XiKey feature.	Lightroom offers automatic object and people selections, including separate adjustments to parts of a person.
RAW and camera coverage Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	RAW support is model- and compression-dependent; some CR3, compressed ORF and High Efficiency NEF files are preview-only. Check your own samples.	Adobe maintains a published camera compatibility list with minimum Camera Raw and Lightroom versions.
Library and devices Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Albums, ratings, flags and field searches are documented in a local library. No XiKey cloud-sync/mobile service is verified.	The plan covers desktop, mobile and web with 1 TB cloud storage, plus the desktop-focused Classic app.
Moving an existing Lightroom workflow Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	Supported XMP settings and one-way Classic catalog import are documented, but unsupported profiles, AI edits and Lightroom plug-ins do not transfer unchanged.	The included Lightroom Classic offers a Lua SDK for export, publishing and metadata plug-ins.

Where the other product is stronger

Lightroom has broader documented camera support and a profile ecosystem; LightCraft documents compression and camera-colour gaps, while XiLight adds Alpha integration risk (https://helpx.adobe.com/camera-raw/desktop/dng-and-file-formats/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.html; https://github.com/storytold/lightcraft/blob/b3d392b4994ee99dc389890f006600769d0c4ff5/docs/raw-parity.md, checked 2026-10-14).
Adobe’s automatic people/object masking is more developed than the documented heuristic masks and optional-model deployment in the foundation (https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/desktop/edit-photos/masking.html; https://github.com/storytold/lightcraft/blob/b3d392b4994ee99dc389890f006600769d0c4ff5/docs/gaps.md, checked 2026-10-14).
The subscription includes mobile/web access and cloud storage; XiKey has no verified equivalent service (https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom/plans.html?country=US, checked 2026-10-14).
Existing Classic workflows relying on Adobe profiles or Lightroom plug-ins avoid XiLight’s incomplete compatibility and approximate migration (https://github.com/storytold/lightcraft/blob/b3d392b4994ee99dc389890f006600769d0c4ff5/docs/file-format-parity.md; https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom/desktop/edit-photos/edit-photos.html; https://developer.adobe.com/lightroom-classic/; https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-lightroom/plans.html?country=US, checked 2026-10-14).

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiMotion / After Effects

Official pricing: $22.99 / month · Individual single-app subscription; annual commitment, billed monthly; USD, tax additional if applicable · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiMotion	After Effects
Price and release stage Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Alpha is free under the XiKey policy. This integration is planned, with no verified public package; listed Beta prices are future prices.	US$22.99 per month for the individual annual plan billed monthly; seven-day trial.
Layer and keyframe animation Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	The upstream foundation has layered compositions, Easy Ease and value/speed graphs; XiKey release behavior is not yet validated.	Keyframes and a Graph Editor animate and edit layer properties.
Reusable procedural motion Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	JavaScript expressions such as wiggle and loopOut and a CLI/MCP command route exist upstream; compatibility does not guarantee identical results.	JavaScript expressions link properties; ExtendScript supports application automation.
Existing projects and templates Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Native .ecproj/.ecprojx projects are separate. The checked upstream cannot open .aep/.aepx or run After Effects SDK plug-ins.	Imports and exports its native .aep/.aepx project formats; existing After Effects assets stay in their native workflow.
Handoff to the video edit Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Upstream render output and Lottie offer file-based handoffs. A XiKey equivalent of Dynamic Link is not verified.	Dynamic Link shares compositions with Premiere without an intermediate render; major versions must match.
Production readiness and ecosystem Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Upstream identifies Alpha bugs and unmeasured render fidelity; XiKey branding, Arabic UI and signed updates are still being integrated.	A released subscription product with Frame.io review, tutorials and Adobe application integration; those services are broader than the current XiKey integration.

Where the other product is stronger

Native After Effects project reuse: XiMotion upstream cannot open .aep/.aepx. Sources: https://github.com/storytold/effectcraft/blob/549e9d825132986d6167c1432cd3328efcbb0278/docs/gaps.md; https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/desktop/get-started/supported-file-formats/supported-file-formats.html (checked 2026-10-14).
Production maturity: upstream documents crashes and unmeasured visual fidelity; XiMotion integration is planned Alpha. Sources: https://github.com/storytold/effectcraft/blob/549e9d825132986d6167c1432cd3328efcbb0278/docs/gaps.md; https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/plans.html?country=US (checked 2026-10-14).
Adobe workflow ecosystem: Dynamic Link and Frame.io review are documented, while XiKey launcher/add-on integration remains unfinished. Sources: https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/premiere/desktop/use-premiere-with-other-apps/working-with-other-adobe-applications/share-assets-between-after-effects-and-premiere-using-dynamic-link.html; https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/plans.html?country=US.

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiPDF / Adobe Acrobat Pro

Official pricing: $19.99 / month · Acrobat Pro individual — annual commitment, billed monthly; US list price. Adobe states a fee of up to half the remaining annual commitment for cancellation after 14 days. · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiPDF	Adobe Acrobat Pro
Price and stage Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Alpha is free today; paid plans start at Beta. XiKey release integration is unfinished.	Paid Acrobat Pro subscription: US$19.99/month with an annual commitment. Acrobat Reader is a separate free viewer.
Reading and page assembly Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	PdfCraft foundation covers reading, search, bookmarks, page organization, PDF combining and splitting; XiKey validation remains Alpha.	Acrobat Pro provides PDF viewing, page organization, combining and editing tools.
Editing existing text Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Latin editing is documented upstream, but existing RTL/CJK text, subset fonts and layout preservation retain important gaps.	Acrobat offers editing of text, images, links and formatting in PDFs.
Review and sharing Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Local markup, replies and FDF/XFDF exchange are documented. An Acrobat-style hosted review service is not verified for XiKey.	Share links with access settings and collect comments in a hosted review workflow.
Forms and signatures Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	The upstream supports filling forms and local signing, with gaps in hardware tokens, online revocation and timestamp-server workflows.	Acrobat Pro includes form filling, signing, signature requests and response tracking.
OCR and Office conversion Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	Upstream OCR is limited to unaccented Latin; Office import is absent and Office export fidelity is partial. Arabic OCR is not promised.	Acrobat Pro turns scans into editable PDFs and exports to Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Where the other product is stronger

Acrobat Pro provides a broader production document workflow; XiPDF remains Alpha with unfinished XiKey release integration (https://github.com/storytold/pdfcraft/blob/3f044b6263aa6605c3aa44ca6d065e1ab37d13b6/docs/gaps.md; https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/get-started/learn-the-basics/overview.html, checked 2026-10-14).
Hosted review, signature collection and response tracking are more complete in Acrobat; equivalent XiKey services are not verified (https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/share-and-review-documents/share-documents/share-pdfs.html; https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/desktop/get-started/learn-the-basics/overview.html, checked 2026-10-14).
Acrobat is stronger for scan-to-edit and Office interchange; upstream OCR language coverage and conversion fidelity are explicit limits (https://github.com/storytold/pdfcraft/blob/3f044b6263aa6605c3aa44ca6d065e1ab37d13b6/docs/gaps.md; https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/plans.html, checked 2026-10-14).

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiPhoto / Adobe Photoshop

Official pricing: $22.99 / month · Photoshop individual single-app plan; annual commitment, billed monthly; USD before applicable tax; regular price, not a promotion · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiPhoto	Adobe Photoshop
Cost and commitment Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Alpha is free today. Beta list price is $39/year or $4.99/month before discounts and tax.	Individual Photoshop: US$22.99/month on an annual commitment, billed monthly. Other plans may cost less for a different bundle.
Layered composition Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	The inspected foundation has layers, groups, masks and adjustments; exact behavior and fidelity need project testing.	Photoshop provides layer organization, blending and effects in its established editing workflow.
PSD exchange Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Reads and writes PSD/PSB, with documented rendering and Photoshop-acceptance gaps. Preserve originals.	Photoshop is the native authoring application for PSD; complex PSD-dependent delivery should be checked there.
Arabic working experience Source ↗	The local pilot has Arabic UI and a live EN ⇄ ع switch. Kashida, tashkeel, digits and Hijri tools are in progress.	Adobe documents Arabic shaping, paragraph direction, digit choices and kashida controls. This does not imply Arabic interface parity.
Generative editing Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	No verified Generative Fill/Expand counterpart; upstream explicitly lists these as gaps.	Generative Fill edits selected image areas using prompts and supported AI models.
Plug-ins and ecosystem Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream sandboxed WebAssembly plug-ins exist. Photoshop .8BF, UXP and CEP hosting is absent; XiLauncher add-on management is planned.	Adobe supports a Photoshop extension ecosystem with documented installation and compatibility requirements.
Release readiness Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	XiPhoto is free Alpha with a tested local pilot; wider signed distribution and production qualification remain unfinished.	Photoshop is commercially distributed with maintained documentation and support; it is the more established choice for supported production workflows.

Where the other product is stronger

Photoshop is the more established production application; XiPhoto remains Alpha with documented stability and performance gaps (upstream docs/gaps.md at the checked commit).
Complex PSD handoffs are safer to validate in Photoshop: upstream documents incomplete rendering and acceptance of exported files (upstream docs/file-format-parity.md).
Generative Fill and advanced Arabic typography controls are documented by Adobe and are not complete XiPhoto capabilities (https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/desktop/create-open-import-images/create-images/edit-images-with-generative-fill.html; https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/arabic-hebrew.html; checked 2026-10-14).
Photoshop has an existing extension ecosystem; XiPhoto does not host .8BF, UXP or CEP extensions (https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/plug-ins-extensions-photoshop-cc.html; upstream docs/plugins.md; checked 2026-10-14).

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiSheet / Microsoft Excel

Official pricing: $99.99 / year · Microsoft 365 Personal — US consumer subscription for one person; includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other apps, not a standalone app price; annual billing, tax may apply · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiSheet	Microsoft Excel
Price and availability Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Planned/unreleased Alpha product. Alpha policy is free; Beta XiOffice bundle is listed at US$29/year for XiWrite, XiSheet and XiSlides, before tax.	Microsoft 365 Personal is US$99.99/year for one person and includes several apps and cloud storage. This is a bundle price, not Excel alone.
Workbook exchange Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream reads/writes XLSX and imports limited XLS/XLSB/ODS data. Some advanced content is not preserved; XiKey release validation is pending.	Excel supports its workbook, macro-enabled, binary and legacy workbook formats. Conversion to other formats can also lose features.
External data Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream offers local files and worksheet tools; the Power Query editor, refresh and data-model workflow are documented gaps.	Power Query connects, transforms, combines and refreshes external sources; capabilities differ by platform.
Working together Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	No verified XiKey live co-authoring. The upstream documents co-authoring and cloud storage as gaps; comments are not a shared editing service.	Supported Excel versions can co-author workbooks stored in OneDrive or SharePoint Online.
Arabic workflow Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Arabic UI, one-click EN ⇄ ع, style-grouped fonts and Arabic office text tools are in progress. Do not assume Arabic PDF fidelity today.	Office documents Arabic and right-to-left editing support, with language and keyboard setup.
Automation ecosystem Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Upstream exposes CLI and MCP commands. VBA execution and Office Scripts compatibility are not established; XiLauncher add-ons are planned.	Desktop Excel exposes a documented VBA object model for automating workbook tasks.

Where the other product is stronger

Excel is the stronger current choice for live collaboration and connected-data workflows: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/about-power-query-in-excel; https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/get-started/collaborate-on-excel-workbooks-at-the-same-time-with-co-authoring (checked 2026-10-14).
Excel supports its established macro and workbook workflows; XiSheet has no verified release and the upstream still documents compatibility and calculation limits: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/file-formats-that-are-supported-in-excel; https://github.com/storytold/gridcraft/blob/84acf6293b1dc1fc09837524e035d674eb4d6741/docs/gaps.md.
Existing VBA automation can remain in Excel; XiSheet is not a drop-in VBA replacement: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/library-reference/concepts/getting-started-with-vba-in-office/; https://github.com/storytold/gridcraft/blob/84acf6293b1dc1fc09837524e035d674eb4d6741/docs/gaps.md (checked 2026-10-14).

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiSlides / Microsoft PowerPoint

Topic	XiSlides	Microsoft PowerPoint
Price and availability Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Planned/unreleased Alpha. Alpha policy is free; Beta XiOffice is listed at US$29/year for XiWrite, XiSheet and XiSlides, before tax.	US$99.99/year buys Microsoft 365 Personal for one person with multiple apps and cloud storage, not PowerPoint alone.
File exchange Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream reads/writes PPTX with known limits; advanced chart, SmartArt, comment and media details may change on save.	PowerPoint saves PPTX and supports OpenDocument presentations; availability of older formats varies by version.
Recording and video Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream has rehearsed timings and slide-show playback, but narrated show recording and video export are documented gaps.	Desktop PowerPoint can record narration, ink and presenter video, then save the presentation as a video.
Review together Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream has local comments; no verified XiKey real-time co-authoring. Modern comment threads have round-trip limits.	PowerPoint supports shared co-authoring when Office files are stored on supported cloud services.
Arabic and direction Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Arabic interface, live EN ⇄ ع, Arabic font styles and office text tools are in progress; a complete Arabic output workflow is not verified.	Office documents right-to-left languages and paragraph-direction controls after the language is enabled.
Automation and add-ins Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Upstream offers CLI/MCP editing commands. There is no verified VBA/add-in compatibility; sandboxed XiLauncher add-ons are planned.	PowerPoint has a documented VBA object model for automating presentation objects.

Where the other product is stronger

PowerPoint offers integrated recording and video delivery that the checked upstream does not yet provide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/training/record-a-slide-show-with-narration-and-slide-timings; https://github.com/storytold/deckcraft/blob/457406a7a5b62425e915926c8ccb0984e61a198c/docs/slideshow-parity.md (checked 2026-10-14).
PowerPoint is the stronger current choice for shared editing and existing VBA workflows: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/modules/collaborate-presentations-using-powerpoint/; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/library-reference/concepts/getting-started-with-vba-in-office/; https://github.com/storytold/deckcraft/blob/457406a7a5b62425e915926c8ccb0984e61a198c/docs/gaps.md (checked 2026-10-14).
XiSlides is not released, and complex PPTX preservation still needs validation; teams depending on advanced Office deck features should keep their established PowerPoint workflow: https://github.com/storytold/deckcraft/blob/457406a7a5b62425e915926c8ccb0984e61a198c/docs/file-format-parity.md (checked 2026-10-14).

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiVector / Adobe Illustrator

Official pricing: $22.99 / month · US individual Illustrator single-app; annual commitment, billed monthly; standard listed price, not month-to-month · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiVector	Adobe Illustrator
Price and commitment Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Alpha is free today; future Beta list price: US$39/year or US$4.99/month, before tax.	US individual single-app plan: US$22.99/month. This is an annual commitment billed monthly, not a month-to-month term.
Release readiness Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	XiVector is a planned Alpha build. Its upstream is Alpha and documents workflow gaps; source review is not XiKey release testing.	A currently sold full Illustrator product, with a seven-day trial; better suited when a released Adobe workflow is required.
Core drawing and artboards Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Upstream Pen, Direct Selection, Pathfinder, gradients and multiple artboards provide an editable vector foundation.	Pen, Direct Selection, Shape Builder, gradients and multiple artboards are documented product tools.
Illustrator file exchange Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	AI import is partial; AI export is PDF-compatible artwork without Illustrator private editing data. Inspect layers, type and live objects.	Native AI saving includes Illustrator editing data; more appropriate for continuing Illustrator-specific editing.
3D and Materials Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	The upstream has initial live Revolve; broader 3D and Materials remain documented gaps.	Documents Extrude, Revolve, Inflate, materials and lighting in its 3D workflow.
Generative vector tools Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Generative AI features are missing in the checked upstream; no shipped XiKey equivalent is claimed.	Offers Text to Vector Graphic, Generative Recolor and other generative tools; credits and plan terms apply.
Automation approach Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	The upstream exposes a headless CLI, JSON control and MCP server for editing and export; XiKey integration remains unverified.	Supports installed scripts; existing Illustrator script workflows have a documented Adobe execution path.
Connected ecosystem Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	XiLauncher add-on management is planned, and signed updates are in progress. A matching cloud/font service is not verified.	The individual plan includes cloud storage and Adobe Express Premium; font/library integration is documented.

Where the other product is stronger

For Illustrator-specific project exchange and deadline-critical editing, native AI saving is a stronger fit; XiVector has partial AI exchange and a planned Alpha build. Evidence: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/saving-artwork.html; https://github.com/storytold/vectorcraft/blob/a3357121fb436e03ed6f9a42f1591abd7d4a4cfc/docs/file-format-parity.md; checked 2026-10-14.
Illustrator provides broader 3D/Materials and generative vector tools that the checked upstream lacks. Evidence: https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/desktop/special-effects-styles/create-3d-graphics/3d-materials-panel-options.html; https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/features.html; https://github.com/storytold/vectorcraft/blob/a3357121fb436e03ed6f9a42f1591abd7d4a4cfc/README.md; checked 2026-10-14.
Adobe supplies a released connected service ecosystem, including cloud storage and Express Premium; XiKey launcher add-on and update integration is unfinished. Evidence: https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/plans.html?country=US; checked 2026-10-14.

ALPHA · FREE · Checked: 2026-10-14

XiWrite / Word

Official pricing: $99.99 / year · Microsoft 365 Personal, one person, listed annual USD subscription including Word and other apps; this is not a Word-only price. Free Word web and other plans are separate options. · Region: US · 2026-10-14 Source ↗

Topic	XiWrite	Word
Price and scope Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Alpha is free today. XiWrite is part of the planned XiOffice bundle; paid prices begin from Beta, and XiWrite is currently planned/unreleased.	Microsoft 365 Personal is US$99.99/year for one person, with Word, other apps and 1 TB storage; free web Word also exists.
DOCX and PDF exchange Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗Source 4 ↗	Upstream reads/writes DOCX and exports PDF with selectable text. Word-identical pagination and complete preservation of complex Office content are not guaranteed.	Word saves its editable document formats and offers PDF output.
Reviewing a draft Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Comments, track changes and accept/reject are implemented upstream. Some advanced revision and file-round-trip details remain incomplete.	Word documents author-aware tracking, markup views and accept/reject controls.
Working together Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	Local document review is supported upstream; real-time coauthoring and cloud-storage integration are absent in the checked base.	Word supports sharing through OneDrive and simultaneous document editing.
Automation and existing macros Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗Source 3 ↗	Upstream CLI/MCP and recorded command sequences support repeatable work. Existing VBA code is not executed; XiKey launcher add-ons remain planned.	Desktop Word supports creating and running macros; Word web macro behavior differs.
Offline work and subscription services Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗	The upstream writing/proofing workflow is local/offline. XiKey release availability remains unverified; Arabic interface/text additions are still in progress.	Installed Word can work offline; Microsoft 365 requires periodic connectivity for continued editing and includes cloud services.