The Best RoboFont Alternatives for Font Designers
RoboFont is a powerful, Mac-only font editor built from the ground up in Python, known for its UFO basis and extensive scripting capabilities. It's a go-to platform for many designers needing to draw and modify typefaces. However, its macOS exclusivity and specific feature set mean that not every font designer will find it the perfect fit. Whether you're on Windows or Linux, looking for open-source options, or need a different feature focus, there are numerous excellent RoboFont alternative software choices available. This article will explore some of the top contenders that can meet your typeface design needs.
Top RoboFont Alternatives
Finding the right font editor depends on your operating system, budget, and desired features. Below, we've compiled a list of robust alternatives to RoboFont, each offering unique advantages for creating and editing fonts.
FontForge
FontForge is a free and open-source typeface editor program, making it an excellent RoboFont alternative for those on a budget or who prefer community-driven software. It's available across multiple platforms including Mac, Windows, and Linux, and is distributed under the BSD license. Key features include font making capabilities, portability, and support for web fonts.
FontCreator
FontCreator is a commercial font editor primarily for Windows users. This professional tool allows you to create and edit TrueType and OpenType fonts with powerful drawing capabilities catering to typographers and graphic designers. It stands out with its support for multiple font colors, making it a strong RoboFont alternative for Windows-based designers.
BirdFont
BirdFont is a free font editor that allows users to create vector graphics and export TTF, OTF, EOT, and SVG fonts. It offers a free personal version, with commercial licenses available, and is open-source. Compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, and BSD, BirdFont is a versatile RoboFont alternative, offering features like color fonts support, OTF, TTF, and SVG editing.
FontStruct
FontStruct is a unique, free web-based font-building tool provided by FontShop. It's an excellent RoboFont alternative for those who prefer to create fonts directly in their browser without software installation. Its key feature is its drag-and-drop interface, making font creation quick and accessible to a broader audience.
FontLab
FontLab VI is a powerful commercial font editor available for both Mac and Windows. It's an all-around application for creating, opening, modifying, drawing, spacing, kerning, hinting, and exporting various font types, including desktop, web, color, and variable fonts. Its comprehensive features and cross-platform availability make it a premium RoboFont alternative for professional users.
Glyphs
Glyphs is a commercial font editor exclusively for Mac, renowned for its highly Mac-like interface, making it an intuitive RoboFont alternative for macOS users. It excels at creating a wide range of typefaces, from dingbat webfonts to full-fledged text typefaces.
Fontself Maker for Illustrator & Photoshop
Fontself Maker is a commercial plugin that integrates directly into Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop CC, available for Mac and Windows. It offers the fastest and easiest way to create OpenType fonts within your familiar design environment. Used by thousands of creatives, it's a unique RoboFont alternative for designers already heavily invested in the Adobe ecosystem, offering color fonts support and seamless plugin integration.
TruFont
TruFont is a free and open-source font-editing application built with Python3, ufoLib, defcon, and PyQt5. Available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, it serves as a robust and customizable RoboFont alternative for developers and designers who appreciate open-source flexibility and cross-platform compatibility.
FontLab Studio
FontLab Studio 5 is another professional commercial font editor from FontLab, available for Mac and Windows. While FontLab VI is newer, Studio 5 remains a strong contender for those familiar with its workflow. It has been used by major industry players like Adobe and Microsoft, establishing it as a reliable RoboFont alternative for high-end font design and editing.
Type light
Type light is a free personal version of the commercial Type 3.2 font editor, designed for Windows. It allows users to design, edit, and convert OpenType, TrueType, and PostScript fonts. As a lightweight yet capable tool, Type light is a suitable RoboFont alternative for Windows users seeking a free entry point into font design.
The world of font design software is diverse, offering many powerful tools beyond RoboFont. Whether you prioritize cost, operating system compatibility, open-source principles, or specific feature sets like color font support or integration with other design software, there's a RoboFont alternative out there that's perfect for your workflow. We encourage you to explore these options and find the best fit for your unique typeface design needs.