FontBase vs Fontist

FontBase is a font manager for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Users can group fonts into collections and sub-collections, then activate them with one click. Watched folders keep fonts in their original locations while making them available in FontBase, and the app can automatically activate fonts placed in designated folders. The free feature set includes OpenType features, glyph viewing and copying, and access to Google's font library as if those fonts were local. The paid Awesome plan can synchronize collections across computers using a cloud drive, automatically activate missing fonts in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign documents, and manage team licenses and activations. It also supports team membership tools, including viewing who is online and how many fonts they use. Awesome costs $3 a month per user and can be used on up to two personal computers at once. The maker says it does not keep user data on its servers; Stripe handles subscription data and Auth0 handles login and authentication data. Organizations are advised to subscribe per user or contact the maker about a multi-seat account.

Fontist installs and manages fonts programmatically on Windows, Linux, and macOS. It offers a command-line interface and Ruby API for workflows such as automated publishing, PDF generation, design automation, containerized environments, visual testing, and CI/CD. Its searchable registry lists 2,534 font families and 4,286 formulas, with filters for license and source. YAML manifests let users specify font requirements for repeatable installations across machines and pipelines. Fontist can be used with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, and other runners, and optional fontconfig integration supports font discovery on Linux. It can detect and index fonts already installed on a system. Fonts can be placed in managed storage, user directories, or system-wide directories; the last option requires administrator permissions. Formulas include download instructions, checksums, and metadata, and the software describes license handling during installation. Supported formats include TTF, OTF, TTC, OTC, dfont, WOFF, WOFF2, PFB, and PFA. It is open-source software with a free plan at free.