FontLab 8 vs Type Light
FontLab 8
fontlab.comType Light
cr8software.netSide by side
| Figure | FontLab 8 | Type Light |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $9.08/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Spec score · Font Design Software | 8.1 (#9) | 8.0 (#12) |
| Headquarters | Warsaw, Poland | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Integrations | The maker lists interchange with Glyphs, RoboFont, FontForge and Microsoft VOLT, plus Python 3 scripting and the TypeRig library. | The official page mentions opening exported fonts in Windows applications but lists no service integrations. |
Plans
FontLab 8
- Starter — 3-months license$97, paid once
- Workshop 2-weeks$99, paid once
- Student 1-year$109 a year
- Course 4-months$249, paid once
- Student / teacher lifetime$335, paid once
- Pro — Lifetime license$499, paid once
In their own words
Type Light
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.