The top 12 resources to find free and inexpensive fonts

A crucial component of web design are fonts. Learn how to use 12 affordable websites that offer distinctive typefaces and how to use them into your work.

Choosing the correct fonts for your project can be challenging because there are so many alternatives. However, fonts are an essential component of both overall design and user experience.

A font selection is a significant choice. Fonts play a role in the aesthetics, messaging, and influence of a brand. Every paragraph offers a chance to establish brand identification and establish a connection with the reader.

One approach to make fonts a permanent part of a brand's identity is to buy them. But not all excellent fonts are pricey. In actuality, there are tons of free typefaces online. We've listed the top resources for finding flexible, stylish fonts that are both free and affordable so that your designs may stand out without going over budget.

Selecting the proper font

The ideal font enhances a website's messaging, readability, and accessibility.

The first thing to do while searching for a new font is to look through an online type foundry, which is a website that compiles and shares fonts. While other foundries purchase typefaces from typographic designers, some foundries create and publish their own fonts.

Selecting a typeface that meets your demands is the next step. A typeface, often known as a font family, is a collection of aesthetic elements used to create letters and other characters. Bodoni, Times New Roman, and Garamond are typical examples.

It's time to choose a font when you've narrowed down your typeface options. A font is a specific variation of a typeface's weight and size, like a bold, light, or italic. Both Bodoni and Bodoni Bold are typefaces.

Check to see if the typefaces you're using are acceptable for both personal and professional use because the majority of fonts have their own set of legal guidelines. Licensing to copyright issues should always be read.

12 locations to purchase inexpensive typefaces

Fonts are available on tens of thousands of websites for a range of prices. Spending a lot of money on typefaces isn't the best choice if you're new to design. Certain typefaces will wind up laying about in a folder on your laptop since they don't fit you or your brand.

To determine what you need and what you don't, we advise experimenting with free typefaces. Find out which typefaces complement each other or conflict, and how that affects how the site looks. Affordable fonts are a perfect next step when you want to upgrade your current collection with more exclusive fonts.

Which website, out of the many possibilities available, should you use for your next project? We've compiled a list of our top picks. The following 12 locations offer free or nearly free fonts:

1. Lost Type (free and paid)

Numerous expressive fonts are available in the "collaborative digital type foundry" of Lost Type, with both free and paid options.

Similar to many smaller foundries, Lost Type provides a range of elaborate display fonts and rounds out its library with a number of more durable and adaptable families that can withstand editorial and UI use. These include well-liked fonts like Klinic Slab and Mission Gothic, two favorites of the design world for their adaptability and clean look.

2. Fontfabric (free and paid)

Free fonts suitable for use in large, bold displays are available from an independent type foundry, Fontfabric, in amazing numbers. There are Cyrillic equivalents of several of their fonts, which are fonts used for Russian and other languages in Eurasia.

It's worth bookmarking this website for those times when a project calls for an impactful (or humorous) section, even though it probably won't ever become your go-to source for flexible body fonts.

The developers at Fontfabric frequently turn the more well-liked faces into complete families worth purchasing, especially during their initial promotions, by using free releases to evaluate demand for new typefaces. To see if there is a big sale, keep checking the website.

3.The League of Moveable Type (free)

The World Health Organization, Instagram, DC Comics, and the Discovery Channel are just a few A-list organizations that use fonts from The League of Moveable Type.

The League was founded in 2009 when web browsers were able to show more complex typefaces, and they pride themselves on being the first open-source font foundry.

Although the website of The League of Moveable Type appears to be a carefully chosen collection of vintage typefaces, many of the contemporary options are provided for free by the designers. The firm offers a number of free typefaces for download, including the aggressive League Gothic and the delicate Raleway.

4. Font Squirrel (free)

Font Squirrel is the place to go if you're seeking for a single place to download free fonts.

Numerous gorgeous, free typefaces that are allowed for commercial usage can be found in their carefully picked library. No matter the project, the site's extensive filters, tags, and categories will help you find exactly what you're looking for. Calligraphic, hand-drawn, monospace, and stencil are some of the categories.

Additionally, Font Squirrel's Matcherator tool recognizes typefaces from photographs, sparing you from having to conduct a fruitless search for the appropriate typeface, if you have come upon a font but are unsure of what it is.

5. Creative Market (free and paid)

Fonts and other economical, high-quality design resources can be found on Creative Market. Although some products are expensive, the platform regularly offers four free assets, which frequently include a font face.

The fonts come in a variety of serif and blackletter styles that are suitable for body text and headlines. Even a collection of symbol-based fonts is available for experimentation.

Paying for each font quickly adds up if you have your sights set on premium options. Their membership programs are an affordable choice if you're hoping to routinely buy new typefaces for your design library. Pricing for 100 download credits begins at $9.95 per month.

6. Behance

On Behance, designers and other creatives can showcase their work and get noticed for it. Simply type "free font" into the "Projects" search bar to discover new free fonts.

Few websites offer more distinctive typefaces than Behance; the site features anything from abstract to sans-serif fonts. Access to projects with source files is one of their best advantages, allowing you to download the designers' original files and work with them directly to change or republish (when properly licensed).

Working with one of these files enables web designers to view each layer in a design software and modify it as necessary. For instance, you can access the source file and substitute a different typeface if you like the colors of a particular design but not the font.

7. MyFonts (paid)

MyFonts is a great place to look for unique typefaces, although the prices can be high. But opting to subscribe to their subscription-based approach gives you access to a great library of various font types for both private and professional use.

Look through the options to see if one suits your needs. Remember that foundries frequently provide enticing discounts when publishing on MyFonts, making their items more inexpensive.

We adore the way MyFonts presents fonts in various contexts, such as graphite templates or mockups, to give you an idea of how the font would appear if you want to use it for a related project.

8. DaFont (free and paid)

High-quality typefaces can be found at DaFont, where many are available for free for personal use. Although they have a large selection of common typefaces, DaFont is best known for its eccentric array of unusual themes. Examples include Celtic, Alien, Runes, Elvish, and Medieval.

Finding typefaces that match well with your messaging is simple thanks to the themes' organization into useful sections. For instance, you can pick from the Easter, Halloween, and Christmas categories if you want a holiday-themed typeface. DaFonts is a one-stop shop that offers fonts for any need.

9. Adobe Fonts (free and paid)

A free Adobe Creative Cloud subscription gives you access to premium free fonts that you may use on your websites and in any Adobe design apps, despite the fact that you can't download and use Adobe Fonts anyplace. For instance, the fonts cannot be downloaded and used in word processing software, but if you have a subscription, you may use them in Photoshop and Illustrator.

There are more than 1,000 free typefaces in the basic library. A monthly (or annual) subscription raises this to 20,000 typefaces for individuals seeking more choices. Additionally, all typefaces may be used for free in personal and professional projects with an Adobe subscription.

10. Google Fonts (free)

One of the best sources for free fonts and a favorite of many designers is Google Fonts. The platform provides access to hundreds of fonts, all of which are free to download, along with enabling you explore font families and test numerous types in more than 135 languages.

You can discover who designed each font and how people use it. Teams can work together on Google to share font collections, filter them, and work on multiple projects at once.

11. FontSpace (free)

Quick downloads and quick, customisable font previews are provided by FontSpace. Actual people, not an algorithm, meticulously select and upload fonts. Each font is examined by a FontSpace moderator who also verifies the font's license and searches for quality issues.

Tens of thousands of free typefaces in numerous styles and collections are included in this remarkable collection, many of which include commercial use licenses. Thousands of original font designers who are part of the FontSpace community contribute to the foundry.

12. FontStruct (free)

As the name suggests, FontStruct is a free application that allows you to construct typefaces. The "FontStructor" lets you quickly create typefaces using geometric shapes.

Following the creation of a font face, FontStruct instantly generates TrueType fonts that are compatible with any software and are downloadable. Additionally, you can take typefaces that other people have made and modify them to create your own version.