Fontello vs Fontra
Fontello
fontello.com
Fontra
fontra.xyzSide by side
| Figure | Fontello | Fontra |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Font Design Software | 8.2 (#8) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Export | The site offers downloads for a webfont and for its configuration alone. | FontMake integration is included and experimental glyf1 export is provided through fontra-compile. |
| Integrations | The project lists a Makefile example, a Node.js CLI, a Ruby CLI gem, and a Grunt integration. | The project lists FontMake integration in Fontra Pak, fontc integration, experimental glyf1 export through fontra-compile, and an rcjk plugin for RoboCJK data or remote rcjk servers. |
| License | Fontello's code, except for fonts, is distributed under the MIT license; embedded fonts retain their primary licenses. | The main Fontra repository and Fontra Pak are published under GPL-3.0. |
| Support | The project directs users to its wiki for help and its GitHub issue tracker to share ideas. | The official site links to Fontra documentation, GitHub and a Fontra Discord server. |
| What it does | Fontello packs vector images into webfonts for use on web pages. | Fontra is a browser-based font editor focused on variable-font design. |
Plans
In their own words
Fontello
Fontello is a free web and API service for turning vector artwork into icon webfonts for websites. It can reduce glyph collections and combine symbols from multiple fonts into one generated file. The web app includes open-source artwork and accepts custom SVG icons or SVG fonts by drag and drop. Generated files arrive in a single ZIP archive, with a config.json file that can be imported later to continue editing. Its API can create a session from a font configuration, reopen that project, and download the resulting font; API sessions remain stored for 24 hours. Fontello lists Makefile, Node.js, Ruby, and Grunt integrations for workflow automation. It does not offer accounts for project storage, so archives should be kept in version control. Generated font icons are single-color. The code is MIT-licensed, while embedded fonts retain their own licenses.
Fontra
Fontra is a free, open-source browser-based font editor designed around variable fonts. It was initially developed to make designing and producing large CJK fonts more efficient. Its architecture combines a JavaScript browser client and Python server, which can run locally or remotely. Fontra Pak bundles the application for desktop use and local file editing; a remote server setup allows real-time collaboration among users, with changes propagating across windows. The project supports reading and writing Designspace and UFO files, as well as reading and exporting TTF and OTF files, including variable fonts. Editing features include live text entry, designspace axis navigation, interpolation, OpenType features, outline editing, components, anchors, guidelines, background images, transformations, kerning, font metadata and variation-axis mapping. Fontra Pak has binaries for macOS 11 and newer, Windows 10 and newer, and Ubuntu x86_64. Linux users can also use Flatpak or Snap; source compilation is listed for other architectures such as ARM or PPC. The repository is licensed under GPL-3.0.