Mid-2024: Font managers for font makers (frequent re-installs etc)?

Carl Crossgrove
Carl Crossgrove Posts: 8
in Type Design Software
I know there have been discussions here and throughout all recorded time of the current favorite among the type managers available. The weird demise of Linotype’s FontExplorer leaves a gap, and for me, Apple’s FontBook isn’t doing the job. I think it might be haunted. Any recs?

Comments

  • jeremy tribby
    jeremy tribby Posts: 251
    I think font book improved its caching in a macOS update some time in the past couple years, but maybe I’m imagining it
    I’ve seen some praise for this app but haven’t tried it myself https://typefaceapp.com/
  • Floor van Steeg
    Floor van Steeg Posts: 14
    edited August 20
    I'm the developer of Typeface, so apologies for the bias :) The most popular font managers on macOS are currently RightFont/FontBase/Typeface and of course Font Book. Some crazy people prefer manually copying font files to install fonts. It all depends on personal preferences, so I recommend using free trials to see what fits your needs.
    You can import your FEX sets into Typeface if you want. And if you have any questions about the app just let me know.
  • James Montalbano
    James Montalbano Posts: 101
    I've used FontAgent for many years, and just recently upgraded to version 10 to run on Mac OS Sonoma. So far so good.
  • Erwin Denissen
    Erwin Denissen Posts: 302

    There’s a lot of competition in the font management world, with some companies shifting focus or discontinuing products, leading to a constantly evolving landscape.

    I’ve developed a font manager for Windows called MainType that’s been around for 20 years. It’s designed to handle large font libraries smoothly, supports variable fonts, and offers powerful organizational features that might be what you’re looking for if you ever work on a PC.

    I know it’s not a direct solution for Mac, but if you get a chance to try it out, I’d love to hear your feedback. Best of luck in finding the perfect tool for your Mac setup!

  • TikiMonger
    TikiMonger Posts: 1
    I just downloaded a trial of Typeface Pro, but use FontAgent for my primary font manager. Typeface Pro has a cool compare feature I will use. I've not seen that in a font manager before, and usually just do this manually in InDesign, so this is a nice time saver. Thanks for sharing, Jeremy!

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