Birdfont vs FontCreator
Birdfont
birdfont.orgFontCreator
fontcreator.comSide by side
| Figure | Birdfont | FontCreator |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 2 |
| Spec score · Font Design Software | 8.5 (#5) | 8.2 (#7) |
| Support | Users can report bugs or get help by email, Mastodon, Twitter, Facebook or GitHub issues. | High-Logic directs users to its support page and customer support, and recommends its forum for technical issues, where it says questions are usually answered within a couple of hours. |
| Supported systems | Birdfont runs on Linux, Windows and Mac OS. | FontCreator runs on 64-bit Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 and macOS 11 or later on Apple Silicon or Intel. |
| Variable fonts | The Plus version supports variable fonts and can export multiple static fonts from one variable master font. | Both editions support variable fonts with one axis, while two or more axes are a Professional feature. |
Plans
Birdfont
- FreewareFree
- Open SourceFree
- Commercial$4.99, paid once
- Plus$9.99, paid once
FontCreator
- FontCreator 16 Essentials$49, paid once
- FontCreator 16 Professional$199, paid once
In their own words
Birdfont
Birdfont is a font editor for creating vector graphics and exporting TTF, OTF and SVG fonts. It runs on Linux, Windows and macOS, and supports monochrome and color font formats. SVG files from Inkscape and Adobe Illustrator can be imported. The Open Source plan costs nothing and includes TTF and monochrome SVG fonts, kerning, ligature substitutions, alternates, SVG import and commercial use. The Freeware plan also costs nothing, and allows creation of free fonts under the SIL Open Font license. Commercial costs $4.99, paid once; it includes commercial fonts and one year of upgrades, while the purchased version continues to work afterward. Plus costs $9.99, paid once and adds color fonts, OpenType SVG, OTF, COLR/CPAL, single-stroke CNC fonts and variable fonts. Plus can export multiple static fonts from a variable master. Birdfont is also available through Steam. The app does not collect user data by default; crash reports are optional.
FontCreator
FontCreator has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.