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#1: Google Fonts
With everything that Google does, it should come at no surprise that they also have an open source typeface market. Click the font page to read its history, learn about its designer, and see examples of type or add your own. You can see popular font pairings, and download all styles in a font family at once. There are nearly 900 font families to explore, the vast majority of which are fairly standard with good readability, including serif, sans serif, and handwritten options.
#2: FontSpace
At FontSpace, you can download one of 36,000+ fonts in seconds. There are previews and download buttons right on the homepage. What sets this platform apart is its vast and intuitive filtering system, helping you easily find styles that are “vintage,” “floral,” “scary,” “funky,” etc. You can also browse by font designer, new arrivals, popular fonts, or at random. Save your favorites as you explore the website to build a shortlist of the fonts you are considering.
#3: Behance
Adobe’s Behance is technically a social network for creative freelancers. While they don’t specialize in fonts, you can choose the “typography” category or enter “free fonts” in the search field to find some of the most unique and artistically-focused fonts on the internet. However, you should note that many are only free for personal use. You will need to purchase a license if you plan to use the font for commercial purposes, although most of the costs are quite reasonable.#4: Font Squirrel
Font Squirrel pulls its inventory from a number of different sources, although all of the featured fonts are supposedly 100% free for commercial use—to varying extents. This means that there is no “personal use only” restriction on any free font. Each option indicates if the font can be used for commercial documents, embedded on your website with CSS, used in e-books, or embedded in software and applications. This range of usage makes Font Squirrel is a great place for business owners to look for options that match their marketing needs.#5: DaFont
DaFont has 36,000+ fonts to choose from. You’ll see clearly indicated whether the font is “100% free” or “free for personal use” (i.e., no commercial usage). Make sure that you pay attention to the individual licensing rights of each to ensure that your selection will meet your needs. You can search for fonts by keyword, or filter from a variety of stylistic categories. DaFont stands out in its collection of dingbat options, which are basically the original emojis of the typeface world. This can be a good way to give your company more creative ways to visually express your brand.
#6: Abstract Fonts
Abstract Fonts might not have the most modern interface or intuitive UX, but it does offer a wide number of options for those looking for a unique and bold typeface. The majority of the fonts are extremely niche, and include categories such as “fuzzy,” “esoteric,” “military,” and “ransom.” If you have a young audience, or your brand often creates fun and versatile marketing materials, it’s worth checking out the options. Any commercial use restrictions are indicated in the preview.#7: FontFabric
While FontFabric only has about 130 different options, one of the best features of the site is that many include comps showing how the font would look on different websites, stationary, and advertisements. This is extremely helpful in envisioning how the font can come to life for your brand. And don’t be fooled by the limited inventory; each font is distinctive, giving the overall collection a very artistic feel compared to some of the other websites on this list. The vast majority are free for both personal and commercial use, and can be imported and modified as you like. Read the details carefully, as some require specific software for all of their elements (such as color) to work properly.
#8: Lost Type
Lost Type is another limited “font boutique” website with limited but unique font options. The service uses a “pay what you want” model for most personal licenses, with 100% of funds going directly to the respective designer (commercial licenses cost money). Each font has its own microsite, providing loads of visual examples, as well as information like where the designer found his or her inspiration. Lost Type is great for projects and brands that require an artistic and personal touch.