Bitmap Font Editor vs Counterpunch

Bitmap Font Editor is a free desktop tool for creating monochrome bitmap fonts, particularly for retro computers and embedded targets such as the SAM Coupe. It supports fixed-width and variable-width fonts, with adjustable advance width for each glyph. Users draw glyphs in cells up to 32×32 pixels by clicking or dragging to paint and erase; draggable font guides and pinned reference glyphs are also available. Editing tools include undo, redo, copy, paste, clear, invert, flip, and shift. An editable sample text preview offers three zoom levels and white-on-black or black-on-white display. Raw font bitmaps can be imported with settings for starting codepoint, geometry, and byte layout. Projects use the losslessly round-trippable .fnt.json format. Export produces a 1bpp bitmap plus JSON sidecar files for widths and character mapping. Release 0.1.3 offers Windows, macOS, and Linux builds, with SHA-256 checksums. The source is MIT-licensed. Windows and macOS builds are unsigned, and system-font filling is disabled because Canvas 2D lacks TrueType hinting access.

Counterpunch is a browser-based font studio for designing and editing fonts, with support for bidirectional complex-script shaping such as Arabic and Devanagari. It is built with variable fonts in mind, including weight, width, and custom axes. Users can edit components in place, inspect fonts through code-driven glyph filters, and use a Python environment to work with scripts; the maker says user code can catch and repair broken scripts. Its AI assistant generates Python scripts locally rather than sending font data to AI servers. The editor is GPLv3-licensed and usable without registration, and the maker says projects stay on the user’s device with minimal data collection. Installing it as a Progressive Web App enables offline editing, Python use, and preview compilation; the assistant still needs a connection and signed-in account. The editor is in Alpha, and documentation says it is not optimized for mobile. Pricing lists a Free plan at free and Basic at €5 a month.