Best Font Design Software in 2026
Updated
In short: FontBob is ranked #1 of 29 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Fontra and FontForge. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Fontra. The lowest first paid tier on this page is FontBob at $7/mo.
Designing a font involves shaping glyphs and preparing the typeface for its intended uses. Compare glyph capacity and OpenType layout tools, then check support for variable and color fonts and webfont export. Collaboration level and supported platforms can help you judge workflow fit, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add budget context. FontBob, Fontra, and FontForge are among the options, alongside Birdfont and FontLab 8. Consider the font features and export formats you need, and compare them with the platforms and collaboration approach that suit your work.
29 font design software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 FontBob Top pick · 7.4 Free plan · $7/mo
#2 Fontra Runner-up · 7.2 Free plan · Free
#3 FontForge Also great · 7.1 Free plan · Free- Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web, windows, macos, linux, ios, android
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$7/mofirst paid tier About FontBobVisit site - Free plan LinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web, windows, macos, linux
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 4.99 one-time
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Color fonts
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows, Linux, macOS
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free trial macOSWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 97 one-time
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Color fonts
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- macOS, Windows
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$9.08/mofirst paid tier About FontLab 8Visit site - Free plan LinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Color fonts
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web, macos, linux
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free trial macOSWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 49 one-time
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Color fonts
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- windows, macos
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan self-hostedWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Variable fonts
- No
- Color fonts
- No
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free trial macOS
- Free plan
- No
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Color fonts
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- macos
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Color fonts
- No
- Webfont export
- No
- Supported platforms
- windows, macos, linux
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Webfont export
- No
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web, windows, macos, linux, chrome_extension
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Variable fonts
- No
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Webfont export
- No
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WindowsmacOS
- Free plan
- No
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Color fonts
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Color fonts
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WindowsLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Color fonts
- No
- Webfont export
- No
- Supported platforms
- windows, linux
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Variable fonts
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Color fonts
- No
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WindowsmacOSiOS
- Free plan
- No
- Color fonts
- Yes
- Webfont export
- No
- Supported platforms
- macos, windows, ios
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Webfont export
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web, api
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Supported platforms
- web
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which font design software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
FontBob is ranked #1 of 29 with a score of 7.4. Fontra is second and FontForge third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, FontBob has the lowest first paid tier we found: $7/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.