Top 10 Fontographer Alternatives for Font Design
Fontographer is a well-known font editor for Mac and Windows, providing powerful tools for professional font creation and editing. While it has served many designers well, you might be looking for a Fontographer alternative due to pricing, specific features, platform compatibility, or open-source preferences. Fortunately, the market offers a diverse range of font design software that can meet various needs. This article explores the best alternatives to Fontographer, catering to different skill levels and project requirements.
Best Fontographer Alternatives
Whether you're a seasoned typographer or just starting your journey in font design, finding the right tool is crucial. Here's a curated list of top-notch Fontographer alternatives that offer robust features, varying price points, and diverse platform support.
FontForge
FontForge is a free and open-source typeface editor developed by George Williams, available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It's an excellent Fontographer alternative for those on a budget or who prefer open-source software, offering features like a font maker, portability, and web font creation.
BirdFont
BirdFont is a free font editor for personal use that allows you to create vector graphics and export TTF, OTF, EOT, and SVG fonts. As a Fontographer alternative, it stands out with its support for color fonts, OTF editing, TTF editing, and SVG editing, available on Mac, Windows, Linux, and BSD.
FontCreator
FontCreator is a commercial Fontographer alternative for Windows that offers powerful drawing tools for typographers and graphic designers. It allows you to create and edit TrueType and OpenType fonts, featuring multiple font colors, making it a robust option for professional use.
FontStruct
FontStruct is a free, web-based font-building tool that lets you quickly and easily create fonts using a modular grid system. Its drag-and-drop feature makes it an intuitive Fontographer alternative for those looking for a simpler, online approach to font creation.
FontLab
FontLab VI is a commercial, all-around font editor for Mac and Windows, offering comprehensive tools to create, modify, and export desktop, web, color, and variable fonts. It's a high-end Fontographer alternative with features like color fonts support, customization, and OpenType support.
Glyphs
Glyphs is a commercial, Mac-specific font editor designed to be highly intuitive and Mac-like. It's an excellent Fontographer alternative for Mac users who want to create everything from dingbat webfonts to full-fledged text typefaces with a user-friendly interface.
Fontself Maker for Illustrator & Photoshop
Fontself Maker is a commercial plugin for Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop CC, making it the fastest and easiest tool to create OpenType fonts directly within your design software. This Fontographer alternative offers color font support and seamless integration with Adobe products on both Mac and Windows.
TruFont
TruFont is a free and open-source font-editing application written with Python3, available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It's a solid Fontographer alternative for developers and designers who prefer a customizable and open environment for their font design workflow.
FontLab Studio
FontLab Studio 5 is a professional font editor for Mac and Windows, used by major companies in the typography industry. As a commercial Fontographer alternative, it provides advanced tools for font creation and modification, catering to highly demanding professional workflows.
Type light
Type light is a free personal version of the Type 3.2 font editor for Windows. It allows you to design, edit, and convert OpenType, TrueType, and PostScript fonts. It's an ideal Fontographer alternative for beginners or those who need essential font editing capabilities without a cost.
The world of font design software is rich with powerful tools, each offering unique advantages. Whether you prioritize open-source flexibility, specific platform compatibility, advanced features like color font support, or a budget-friendly option, there's a Fontographer alternative out there for you. Explore these options and find the best fit for your next typography project!