Bitmap Font Editor vs Prototypo

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.

Prototypo is an online app for designing typefaces from four parametric starting points: Prototypo Fell, Prototypo Grotesk, Prototypo Elzevir, and Spectral. Its controls cover more than thirty characteristics, including thickness, aperture, and roundness, with separate adjustments for serif details. Users can change individual letters or groups of letters, then export fonts in OTF format for installation on macOS, Windows, or Linux, or display them in a browser. A Chrome extension previews font changes on websites, and fonts can be sent to Glyphr Studio for further editing. Prototypo supports the Latin Extended 3 glyph set, but has no cursive templates and does not let users import their own fonts to modify. The maker says exported fonts use a CC0 license, permitting commercial use without permission. The free plan has limited parameter range and one week of support; Pro is $8.25 per month and Team is $49.96 per month. The FAQ lists a free trial and requires an up-to-date Chrome, Firefox, or Opera browser.