Subscription-Based Font Libraries

Ah, fonts – the mythical typefaces that can bring a project to life with the click of a button. There are thousands of fonts available online, so where do you start if you want to find the best of the best? Today we’re going to be looking at different places where you can purchase paid for fonts – true, there are tonnes of fantastic free fonts out there but if you want something unique for your site then investing a little bit of cash in the perfect font is the way forward.

Subscription-based font libraries have surged in popularity in the last few years, deemed as a cost-effective way to gain access to thousands of high quality fonts. We’re going to take a look at a few of the most popular options:

Webtype

Webtype provides fonts for the highest quality online typography, including typefaces which were designed from scratch specifically for onscreen reading.

Webtype’s service includes a free trial for all fonts, a strictly adhered to standard of quality and quick and easy setup. Plus, their fonts are cross-browser compatible for peace of mind and versatility. Toss in a flexible, practical pricing strategy (prices start at $20 per year) and it’s easy to see why this library is so popular.

Typekit

Typekit is a subscription font service that brings thousands of fonts from foundry partners into one library for quick browsing, easy use on the web or on your desktop, and endless typographic inspiration.

One of the big players in the world of fonts, Typekit (owned by Adobe) provide subscribers with an easy to navigate library of diverse fonts that are perfect for everything from personal to corporate projects. Typekit handle all aspects for you – so you don’t need to worry about sources or licensing for professional projects. Prices start at $49.99 per year but a free trial allows users to enjoy a limited collection of fonts to test the waters.

Fonts.com

The Fonts.com™ store from Monotype offers more than 150,000 desktop and web font products for you to preview, purchase and download. The best fonts, the best value.

With over 20,000 fonts to choose from, the fonts.com library is enormous. Containing hand-tuned fonts, specially crafted by expert designers, attention to detail is incredibly important to fonts.com and their careful pricing plans reflect this. Five payments plans are offered, ranging from the free option (with limited access to 3000 fonts) to the £85 per month master plan, which is ideal for corporate use.

Fontdeck

Maintain your distinct brand online without resorting to time-consuming hacks. Use real text with professional typefaces optimised for the web. Our catalogue contains thousands of professionally designed fonts, all enhanced for on-screen use.

Fontdeck allows you to pay only for the fonts you need, when you actually need them. Individual fonts are purchased for a year at a time and prices start at $2.50 per year, per font, though the average font comes in at $7.50 per year. While a project is in the development stage Fontdeck’s subscription service allows you to trial their fonts and have them viewed up to twenty times before the payment plan kicks in, so you can try before you buy in every case.

Subscription sites for fonts are cropping up every day but the four we’ve highlighted above are the most reliable and of the highest quality. Each has its benefits and all four options will open up a huge library of opportunities to you, so click the title of your favourite to go directly to the site to sign up and start enjoying your brand new fonts.