Fontello vs Type Light

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.

Type Light is a free TrueType font editor for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It creates and modifies TTF fonts, including custom symbol and barcode fonts. Drawing tools make glyphs from straight lines and quadratic Bézier curves, with operations for combining or subtracting shapes. You can assign Unicode values or custom encodings to glyph slots and set horizontal metrics. Basic kerning tables and pair adjustments are supported. Metadata controls cover family name, style flags, copyright strings, and embedding permissions. The editor exports Windows-compatible TTF files that the product page says work in Office applications, Adobe products, and web browsers. No registration is required, and the free plan has no feature restrictions or trial period. Created fonts may be used commercially. Type Light does not provide OpenType features, variable fonts, or PostScript Type 1 support, and its undo history is limited.