Font Management Software For Mac Free
Utilities • May 24, 2018
As a designer, it is worthy enough to have as many fonts as possible, you know. You can create a variety of content by simply choosing the right font.
But, wait, how do you find the right font when you have thousands of them?
The software has a button for full screen mode to allow a detailed look at fonts. You may want to check out more software, such as Typograf font manager, Fonts Manager or MProfit Pro - Portfolio Management Software, which might be similar to Font Manager Software. This font organizer is completely free and contains no ads. If desired, you can subscribe (Awesome) for additional features. Download font manager. Typeface is a simple font manager for Mac OS 10.11. The free trial version is available on the official website and the license costs $ 19.99. Like most of the font manager software in this list, it also has a Character Map, which shows all the characters in the selected font style. Auto View is an interesting feature of this free font management software. After you enable this feature, the software starts a slideshow of all the installed fonts. You can vary the delay time of the. Suitcase Fusion is a flexible font manager for Mac and Windows operating systems, and it works with the creative applications you use every day. Powerful plugins that let you use your font library to its full potential in Adobe Creative Cloud and Sketch.
Typeface is a wonderful font manager for macOS that helps you pick the perfect type for your designs. A minimal interface and total focus on your fonts makes browsing your collection exciting and easy. And Typeface 2 lets you efficiently organize even the largest collections with new powerful font management.
Well, trusting your memory doesn’t always work. Suppose you’re a busy graphic designer who does multiple projects a day. It doesn’t sound practical to keep all the fonts’ names in your mind.
And, that’s where font managers come in.
What is a font management app?
It’s an app that lets you manage all the fonts you’ve installed on your Mac and PC. A font management app should let you manage the fonts, not just show them. They would also have some of advanced features you need. For instance, you should be able to compare two fonts easily so that you can choose the best.
By default, both Windows and Mac come packed with a font management app. But, in the Mac, it’s not really that good. In this article, however, we are going to find the best font manager for Mac.
Who should get it
A font manager app would be a central place for all your font collections. If you are someone who uses many fonts on a day, you need such an app. We’d recommend this to any designer who uses typography. Well, a font manager app is useful for other people as well.
Even if you aren’t a professional designer, there are times you use tools like Photoshop. Be it a simple poster or a long-enough content, the font you select matters. For instance, don’t even try to use Comic Sans on an academic presentation.
If you ask us, everyone who creates content on a Mac should have a font manager app. Because, every single time, you need the RIGHT font.
And, no, you don’t randomly select a font manager — you do not.
What makes a good font manager?
Of course, there are a lot of things, but User Interface is the most important one. See, you are going to use this tool to manage hundreds or thousands of fonts. So, you should be able to find the font that you need at this moment.
Nothing beats a well-organized collection of fonts, you know. It’s much better than scrolling through 100s of fonts every day. So, a good font manager should let you create categories and labels to keep your fonts quite organized.
We also considered some other factors like Viewing option. The app must have an interface that makes font-by-font comparison easier. In addition, third-party software integration is a cool feature to consider in your list.
Last but not the least, a good font manager should be able to manage a huge number of fonts. This is where Font Book — the official macOS app — fails pathetically. So, obviously, we are looking for the professional-quality ones over starters’.
Now that you have an idea how we selected the best font manager apps out there, shall we actually get into the list?
Our pick – Typeface 2
It does not matter who you are — a professional designer charging $1000 per design or an upcoming one —, Typeface 2 is the best font manager for Mac. Instead of focusing on fancy features and cyborg interfaces, the app goes for something minimal. The result? You can manage all your fonts perfectly, no matter how big the collection becomes.
Getting Started
Despite its wonderful performance, Typeface 2 has a smaller footprint and a simple installation process. You can get started with the program in a few minutes, once installed. As soon as you open Typeface 2, it shows you an awesome list of all the fonts you have installed on your Mac. Now, it varies according to the person, but we had more than 700 fonts installed.
And, boom. Typeface 2 works without a glitch. It does not even take a second to preview the font when you are scrolling down. Getting a quick look on all your fonts is an easy thing when using Typeface 2. Simply click on a font and the app will show you detailed information and character list. Installing and getting started with Typeface 2 is easy as a piece of cake.
The interface
The whole User Interface of Typeface 2 is powered by minimalism. The UI is split into two sections — one to preview fonts and one for organization. From the left side, you can select the category of the fonts that you are looking for. What’s so fun is that you can select two categories is at once. For instance, if you want fonts that are both Modern and Fun, Typeface 2 has got it for you.
The Viewing modes are so customizable that you can decide how many fonts are shown on a page. This helps when you need a deeper look at the font instead of quick look — and vice versa. There is also a Dark Mode, in case you wanted to give your eyes less strain.
And, if you want to have more details on a single font, just give it a click. Typeface 2 will show you not only each and every character of the font but also details like language support and other specifications.
Altogether, the User Interface of Typeface 2 is designed for streamlined workflow. And, folks, it works.
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Advanced features
Typeface 2 has focused on features that make font management easier. You can also have a good experience if you want to pick a font quickly.
Font Compare is perhaps the best feature you’d find in Typeface 2. It lets you compare two fonts like a Pro. You can multiple-select two fonts and choose Compare from right-click menu. It puts a font over another so that you can tell even the slightest differences.
Now, this is a feature you’d love: you don’t have to preview fonts with some random phrase or word. Using Typeface 2, you can input the word/phrase that you want to preview. This works best if you want to find a great for branding or logos.
Coming to font management, importing fonts is as easy as it can get. Instead of dragging-and-dropping your fonts — duh, Apple —, Typeface 2 lets you select a directory. Once everything is imported, Typeface 2 would actually create a different folder.
The controls are much better when you have to activate or deactivate font(s). We are sure that advanced features like these will make your life easier.
Availability and pricing
As of now, Typeface 2 is available for macOS only. If you have a device running macOS 10.11 or higher, you can download and install this program. As far as the pricing is concerned, Typeface 2 is $19.99 from the Mac App Store, or $9.99/mo on Setapp. We think the price-tag is completely reasonable, compared to the features you get. If you are still unsure, you can check out the free trial before purchasing.
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After testing Typeface 2 for quite some time and comparing it with competition, we still believe that it’s the best font manager for everyone. It has design and features that work for newbies and professionals alike.
Upgrade pick — Suitcase Fusion
While our top pick is for everyone, Suitcase Fusion is not. This is a professional upgrade if you are looking for some cool features. You may not get all the benefits of having Typeface 2 in Suitcase Fusion, but an upgrade is still an upgrade. Let’s start with the UI.
Suitcase Fusion does not have the most minimal UI, but it keeps everything in good position. For instance, it cannot automatically arrange your fonts based on width or style. You will have to set up different folders all by yourself. This is a big loss, if you need quick selection.
However, Suitcase Fusion rocks the stage when it comes to third-party integration. Its plugins are available for tools like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and After Effects. Depending on the tool you use, you’d be able to install the plugins.
Another impressive feature we found was Google Fonts sync. Suitcase Fusion can download Google fonts to your Mac and keep them in sync. This actually brings more than 2500 fonts into your Mac without a hassle. You can also count in TypeSync, an in-built cloud sync for keeping your fonts secure.
Although Suitcase Fusion offers a detailed Font Preview option, it’s not as intuitive as that of Typeface 2. But you are getting a lot of professional features like, glyph-based details. It also packs a tool called DoctorFont to make sure that your fonts are not corrupted.
We’d recommend Suitcase Fusion to professionals who need more features and third-party integration. It’s priced at $119.95, using which you can register on three Macs. The price seems quite high, but you can get industry-level support and compatibility.
The competition
Competitor #1 — RightFont
RightFont 4 was one of the biggest competitors in the list, since it’s quite popular. However, we found that the tool has an oversimplified design. Because of this, you may not have proper access to the font previews. That having said, RightFont 4 focuses on some productive features and options.
For instance, just like Typeface 2, you can categorize fonts based on the type and writing style. In addition to that, RightFont supports multiple lists as well. There is even a pre-built search function that lets you find the fonts you’re looking for, using tags.
Syncing might be another area where RightFont can excel, since it lets you sync font data via platforms like Google Drive, Box, Amazon Drive, Dropbox and more. You can count in one-click activation and program-based activation into its notable features.
Despite all these, RightFont does not give the Pro feel that we found in Typeface. The filtering system is kind of smart, but not smart enough to make your life productive. But, if you think you need syncing and external features, you should give it a try.
RightFont has been designed for macOS, and there is even a remote app for iOS. A single RightFont license is available for $39, which is quite a practical price tag. The program offers a fully-functional free trial for 7 days as well.
Competitor #2 — FontAgent 8
FontAgent 8 may check out the basic requirements of a font manager for Mac. However, compared to our top pick and upgrade pick, the app seemed quite old-school. It comes with the basic options like different viewing modes and easy loading, though.
The thing about FontAgent 8 is that it focuses more on font metadata, rather than giving more importance to preview. Of course, you can preview the content using the same old ‘Quick brown fox’ text, but individual comparison of glyphs doesn’t come right.
Coming to other features, FontAgent 8 leaves enough space for organization part. You can use the complete sidebar for creating different folders and getting all your fonts in one place. While the performance seemed quite okay, it doesn’t perform well with a huge number of fonts.
Some other features include Adobe TypeKit integration, auto-activation feature for Adobe products, a better font search engine and additional features like FontAgent Sync. Most of these need to be additionally paid for, but we can count them in.
As far as the pricing goes, FontAgent 8 for Mac is available for $99 and you will have to pay another $59 for FontAgent Sync subscription that lasts 12 months. Compared to the other programs we listed here, we found FontAgent 8 as something unreasonably expensive.
Competitor #3 — FontBase
FontBase is in the competition list for a lot of reasons. First of all, it’s the one and only free software in this list of Mac font managers. Despite being free to use, FontBase can compete with most of the apps we have mentioned above.
It in fact brings a lot features like Google Fonts support, Nested Folders and Styling support to enhance the overall font management experience. It actually works smoothly when it comes to bringing Google Fonts for local use.
Coming to the User Interface, FontBase has kept it as simple as it can. However, we thought its Preview part could have been better. Still, the app does a great job when it comes to importing and managing fonts. You can simply drag and drop font files/folders to import them.
FontBase also leaves some space for customization, in the UI department. For instance, you can decide how many fonts are shown in a page and how you like to preview the content. That having said, Grid View — a basic feature — is restricted to the Pro version.
As we said, FontBase is completely free to use, and it’s available for Mac, Windows and Linux. It would have been our choice if the program had better viewing options and did not restrict Multiple Views. However, if the lack of viewing options isn’t a problem, free feel to go for FontBase.
Competitor #4 — FontExplorer X Pro
Compared to the abovementioned apps, FontExplorer X Pro is a different kind of font manager app for Mac. It focuses more on the metadata of a font, rather than previewing a lot of versions. If you are that kind of a designer who chooses fonts based on common opinion, FontExplorer X Pro is for you.
As far as the UI is concerned, FontExplorer X Pro has kept everything old-school. You can have a huge list of all your fonts and double-click on them to launch more info. Of course, there are detailed preview options in the individual view, along with organization options.
The problem here is that you cannot use FontExplorer X Pro for a quick-view of your fonts. You will have to open individual fonts and see how they look like. However, compared to other tools, FontExplorer X Pro can offer some enterprise-level features.
For instance, you can sync all your fonts and back them up for better security. If you are in a serious business where fonts matter than the content, you should consider getting FontExplorer X Pro. It might be the most feature-rich font manager app for Mac.
FontExplorer X Pro is macOS-only and it comes at a price of 89 Euros. We have a middle stand here, since the features are more enterprise-oriented. It’s hard to decide whether individual designers would need one tool like this.
Wrapping up
We hope now you know why we picked Typeface as the best font manager for Mac. It packs almost all the features every designer wants, with incredible speed and performance. So, the next time you have too many fonts to take care of, go for Typeface 2. Make sure that you share this post so your designer friends don’t end up using a crappy font manager.
What does a day in the life of a graphic designer look like? Wince at the sight of poor fonts. Go to a website and close it immediately because you hate the colors. Try to persuade your manager you need both Photoshop and Lightroom. Yeah, we know the pain.
Unfortunately, we can’t talk to your boss about the Adobe subscription. What we can do is to ensure you have the right fonts — always close at hand.
Best font managers for macOS
Find the perfect font organizer and viewer for your Mac
Font or typeface, what’s the difference?
A few boring definitions to start with. Pinky promise, we’re gonna be finished with that in a sec.
In graphic design, the notions of font and typeface are often used interchangeably. They are not the same, though. Coming from the age of the printing press, fonts were used as the variations of a typeface family — differing in weight, size, etc. So basically, a font is a set of characteristics that define a style of a typeface.
On a Mac, you have fonts each of which is an individual style with distinctive width and weight properties — even though they might belong to the same typeface. For instance, if you say Verdana, you mean a family of fonts which includes Verdana Regular, Verdana Italic, and more.
How to manage fonts on Mac
Apple knows a designer’s pain points as well. So it created Font Book, a free font manager that allows to install and remove fonts on your Mac. The program is very basic, but works for a beginner as well as non-designers who need fonts variety.
Enable and disable fonts
You can’t actually delete fonts, but you can make sure you don’t see the unneeded ones in your collection. Font Book comes with font families, so you can decide whether you want to disable the whole family or a particular font:
- Select a font family or click on the arrow next to it to open the list of fonts.
- Go to Edit in the menu bar and select Disable.
- Choose Disable All to get rid of the full collection.
You can also download a new font from the Internet and use it with Font Book (the supported extensions are otf, .ttf, and .ttc). Once you unpack a zip with a new font, select the file with a corresponding extension to open preview, and click Install Font. This will get the font right into your Font Book.
Bring fonts into libraries and collections
Font Book has four default libraries: All, English, User, and Computer. The last two are stored in the Library folder. User fonts are available to the admin only, and Computer fonts — to anyone accessing a Mac.
If these are not enough, you can create your custom libraries of fonts:
- Go to the File menu and select New Library.
- Give the library a name and click Enter to save.
- Drag the selected fonts from All Fonts to your custom library.
You can also customize libraries by creating collections inside them. These will point to specific installed fonts across your libraries. To add new collections, select File > New Collection. Once you’ve saved it, drag fonts to the collection the same way you’ve done with libraries. Alternatively, click the plus button in the bottom left corner to add fonts.
Note that you don’t remove a font from its original collection when you drag it somewhere else. So you’ll still need to disable it if you don’t want to have duplicates across collections.
Why do you need a Mac font manager?
Fonts and colors define content. That’s something most graphic designers will tell you, and that’s the way our visual perception works. Even if you think you know nothing about design, try to change fonts in your Instagram stories. They will look totally different — some of them appearing to suit well, the others being completely out of place.
If you do graphic design for a living, you probably have dozens of fonts that work for specific types of design. Plus, you can choose a typeface that is trendy and gives your content a modern look without damaging the clarity of text. To keep up the good work, you have to keep exploring.
For instance, Creative Boom — an online magazine for artists and content creators — names Euklid and GT Haptik the top fonts of 2019. If you look at the same list the magazine released in 2018, you’ll find neither of these in it. So if you follow the trends, you’ll need to keep your fonts collection up to date.
Font management software helps designers organize fonts, easily view the selected ones, rename or delete the fonts that are no longer needed. Saves time and keeps your work professional.
If you’re here to choose the best tool for macOS, here’s how you narrow down your search:
Font manager features you’re looking for
- Compelling UI: It’s quite a challenge to find a tool that combines a font checker, organizer, and installer. It’s even harder to find the one that looks well on your screen and never distracts you from the job. When it comes to a design workflow, UI will mean everything. So we recommend to pay attention to the tools that adjust to your design software — ideally, allow to navigate across fonts via a handy sidebar.
- Filtering and collections. Why else would you land here. The app you choose should know how to organize fonts on Mac. The more flexible it goes in terms of collections, libraries, and preview options — the better.
- Customization: The main reason you should go for a Font Book alternative is it’s not customizable enough. With Apple’s in-built font organizer, you won’t be able to preview fonts in different sizes. What’s more, your font preview will always open in a new window. The advanced font apps will let you see how a font looks on your particular project — instantly.
Best font management software for Mac
Font organization is only useful to a degree you feel comfortable using it. This is why Font Book is not enough — with very little customization assets in it. We’ve compiled a list of top three apps that you can add to your macOS and start saving time on font selection.
Typeface
Remember we’ve talked about how it’s hard to find an all-in-one font organizer? Well, it’s where Typeface makes an ideal example. Unlike the clumsy Font Book and the overcomplicated RightFont, Typeface works as a designer’s personal assistant — whatever the proficiency level.
Here’s what you can do with the Typeface font manager:
- Control your fonts
A user decides how the fonts should be displayed on a Mac’s screen. From preview samples to font size and blurring effects, you can completely customize your Typeface journey. The best thing is you can actually create instant mockups that show you how a particular font will look on a project.
- Hundreds or thousands, you’ll keep all the right fonts at hand
Search is the best part of the app. To find a font you need, browse through the categories on the sidebar, or type in the name in the upper right corner. The fonts are grouped by families, so it’s easier to navigate between different typefaces.
You can take a closer look at each font by clicking on it. Not only will you see the sample text, every font page also covers the detailed metadata and all the letterforms. If you switch to the Info tab, you’ll also see the list of supported languages as well as tags for this particular font.
- Curation functionality
Let’s make one thing clear. You need personalized collections if you work with different fonts. Typeface doesn’t only record your collections, it also allows share particular sets of fonts with the whole team in a click. As you browse through available fonts, you can save them to a quick collection on the spot and organize them into collections later. All you have to do is grab a font and drag it onto the quick collection button in the upper left corner.
Who’s it for?
Everyone. Whether you are a professional graphic designer with your personal base of fonts, or you can’t tell the difference between a font and typeface, this app is for you.
Why yes
- Focus on all proficiency levels
- Customizable font collections
- A quick collection feature
- Available with Setapp subscription
Why no
- Works on macOS only
What’s the price?
- $19.99 if you purchase the app on the Mac App Store or official website
- Free with Setapp. You only pay for a fixed monthly subscription, which gives you access to all-in-one pack of 170 best apps for macOS
- Free trial available
RightFont
RightFont is an advanced solution on how to organize fonts. The app works on Mac, Windows, and Linux — so it’s handy if you design for different operating systems. Plus, RightFont works with all major design software like Sketch, Adobe CC, Illustrator, and more.
The app embraces many roles you can benefit from:
- Font management: Create curated collections of fonts, based on your project specifications.
- Font Syncing: Share your fonts with colleagues via iCloud or Dropbox.
- Cloud fonts: Easily install and use Google or Adobe fonts.
- Font auto activation: Solve the problem with missing fonts through instant auto activation. So that whenever you open a program that has missing fonts, you can bulk install them.
Who’s it for?
Professional graphic designers. Even better — teams of designers working on shared projects. The volume licence will cost you less if you use the app on multiple devices. The maximum number of seats you can get is 50 ($40 per device versus the regular price of $45).
Why yes
- Auto-activation of fonts
- Grid view for easy comparison of two fonts
- Sharing font collections via Dropbox and other cloud services
Why no
- Steep learning curve
What’s the price?
$49.99 per single license on the official website
Best Font Managers For Mac
Starting $45 per device with a volume license (2+ devices)
FontBase
You can get the feel of your fonts with FontBase — free of charge. The only font manager that offers a free plan, this app does a good job if you’re interested in the features like font upload, Google fonts management, and simple UI.
Add the new fonts by dragging them to a specific folder. You can also create and customize your own collections of fonts. In the preview, you’ll be able to switch between styles, glyphs, and waterfall.
The main disadvantage is the preview section. It’s pretty basic and doesn’t allow simple customization. For instance, you’ll have to get a paid plan to have access to grid view.
Who’s it for?
The app is uncomplicated and can be used by beginners. For everyday use, designers will lack flexibility in terms of previews as well as won’t be able to auto activate fonts with a free plan. So we recommend to get FontBase Awesome — a paid subscription plan — if you need an advanced solution.
Why yes
- Simple UI
- Advanced glyphs and views with the paid plan
- Google fonts support
Why no
- Doesn’t make much use without upgrading to a pro plan
Best Free Fonts For Mac
What’s the price?
FontBase is the only free font manager on the list. Well, kind of. You get a set of basic features like font collections, search, Google fonts installation, and more. However, to get access to the extended functionality — auto activation, super search, and multiple views — you have to upgrade to FontBase Awesome, which is a $3 monthly subscription.
Note that you will have issues trying to launch FontBase and RightFont on macOS Catalina beta:
Here’s a quick fix for you:
- Access your Applications folder via Finder.
- Find the installed app on the list.
- Right click the icon > Open.
- In the pop-up window, click on Open to launch the app.
Best Font Program For Mac
So here’s the verdict:
If you know graphic design backwards and forwards, get RightFont. It’s gonna be expensive, but will pay off in the long run.
FontBase is your choice if you’re just starting — once you learn the ropes, you can upgrade to the pro plan and expand the toolkit.
Lastly, Typeface is as close to a universal font manager as you can imagine. It has functionality perks for pros and is easy to master for complete beginners. If you buy Typeface via Setapp, you also get a full pack of additional design apps. Like IconJar for quick icon management. Aquarelo to refine and convert your colors. And Goldie App to instantly visualize golden ratio on a Mac.