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FontBase free download for Mac

FontBase

Version 2.18.1

Fast, beautiful, free font manager for designers.

3.2
Based on 16 user ratesRead reviews & comments
Free
Absolutely Free

FontBase overview

FontBase gives you all the stability, speed, and reliability of a paid font manager, but free and available on all platforms!

Features:
  • Font activation
  • Nested folders
  • Collections
  • Auto-sync
  • Epic performance
  • Beautiful UI

What’s new in version 2.18.1

Updated on Mar 28 2023

  • Native Apple Silicon (M1) support — FontBase for Mac is now distributed as a Universal binary, which means it will run natively on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. The performance on M1 Macs is significantly improved.
  • Mac plugin improvements — From now on, only M1 plugins will be displayed and installed on Apple Silicon macs, and only Intel plugins on Intel Macs.

Information

License

Free

Size

163.2 MB

Developer’s website

https://fontba.se

Downloads

4150

App requirements

  • Intel 64
  • Apple Silicon
  • OS X 10.11 or later
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0.0

(0 Reviews of )

There are no reviews yet
  • Comments

  • User Ratings

davegink
davegink
Jun 22 2021
2.14.0
0.0
Jun 22 2021
0.0
Version: 2.14.0
Overall I like it. However it’s irritating that the application must be open for the fonts to be active. I also can’t stand that there’s a subscription pop up every time I open the application. And I can’t find any way to turn it off.
Goldengold
Goldengold
Nov 2 2020
2.11.3
2.0
Nov 2 2020
2.0
Version: 2.11.3
Bien au début, puis l'application ne se lance plus ou plutot se lance en arrière plan mais ne démarre pas et on ne peut plus quitter.
dwitek83
dwitek83
Oct 4 2020
2.11.3
2.0
Oct 4 2020
2.0
Version: 2.11.3
Well, I really wanted to like it. All the reviews told me "it's free & there are soooo many cool options". First of all, its incredibly aggressive about getting a subscription. There are popups, there is a button displayed on the main screen (yes, you will CONSTANTLY be reminded to subscribe) and if you want to use the glyph-feature (you should be able to copy any glyph from there)... well you see 2 lines (!) of glyphs, the rest is hidden behind a subscription message. I would not mind, if I just can't copy all of them, but at least let me SEE all glyphs. The UI is not good, but not bad either. Just normal, nothing out of the ordinary. A list of fonts and you can adapt the size. But that's it. That's all there is for me. I understand there went much work into it and I would not mind, if they were honest about their feature set and not trying to lure you into subscribing. But if you are looking for a free font manager, there are better options out there...
murphc
murphc
Sep 16 2020
2.11.3
1.0
Sep 16 2020
1.0
Version: 2.11.3
Bad UX. This is not a native macOS app and runs very slow. Besides that I need a paid subscription to use
Beamy
Beamy
Jun 2 2020
2.8.0
0.0
Jun 2 2020
0.0
Version: 2.8.0
You can download Fontbase 2.11 directly from their website: https://fontba.se/
cjred
cjred
Jun 28 2019
2.8.0
0.0
Jun 28 2019
0.0
Version: 2.8.0
looks like an electron app though...
Gprovan
Gprovan
Jun 16 2019
2.7.0
2.0
Jun 16 2019
2.0
Version: 2.7.0
I've just had several frustrating days with this. I dragged several thousand fonts over a few days into the app and only a fraction of them appear. It seems to ignore a fair chunk of them without any notifcation. The website is pretty scant on information like; what font formats does it support?; is there a limit to how many fonts can be added, etc.? I would consider upgrading to the subscription if it worked better with the basics.
Septimus
Septimus
Dec 14 2017
2.3.0
0.0
Dec 14 2017
0.0
Version: 2.3.0
"By default, FontBase recognizes only your system installed fonts. So your user fonts on Mac will be not displayed by default." This is a deal breaker for me, I only want the fonts installed which are absolutely required by the system. I am never going to put 25.000+ fonts in the user system font folder. Looks very promising otherwise.
frans-3
frans-3
Nov 21 2017
2.2.3
1.5
Nov 21 2017
1.5
Version: 2.2.3
Ah wait: the activated fonts ONLY stay activated to use as long as FontBase is running! As soon as you quit FontBase activated fonts are deactivated.
frans-3
frans-3
Nov 17 2017
2.2.3
1.5
Nov 17 2017
1.5
Version: 2.2.3
There where I few fonts I brought in form an external attached drive. I created a new folder on my main HD and put some Fonts in there, then I added that to FontBase. They DO work. So only fonts on the startup disk can be activated and deactivated... Why??? Large collections of fonts are kept on my external drive and that I want to keep that way...
Wunderhorn
Wunderhorn
Nov 11 2017
2.2.3
2.0
Nov 11 2017
2.0
Version: 2.2.3
Unlocks features only after enrolling for a subscription. If you want some love from your users don't do this. The subscription model is nasty and unethical and completely inappropriate for little tools like this of which some people use dozens. If you want money for it, sell it the normal way, and that is perfectly fine. Basic features look nice though I would wish there was a very quick and easy way to delete fonts when browsing through them.
waryuser
waryuser
Sep 1 2017
2.1.3
0.0
Sep 1 2017
0.0
Version: 2.1.3
I'm with B-Jefferson, this app is not beautiful. They went out of their way to move the window controls to the wrong side. This is a Mac app, it should have at least *some* of the Mac standards. Well, I lied. It's not a Mac app, it uses Electron, so it's a web-app wrapped in a processor hog. Don't use it. "For designers" Hell, this app needs a designer.
B-Jefferson-Le-Blanc
B-Jefferson-Le-Blanc
Aug 13 2017
2.1.2
0.0
Aug 13 2017
0.0
Version: 2.1.2
What's beautiful about a flat, black and white interface? Generally, when an app is cross-platform a decent UI is too much to expect. Design has to fit the lowest common denominator—as it appears to do here. And check out the web site. The animation runs so fast it's impossible to tell what's being demonstrated. The video here on MacUpdate doesn't run at all. Apple's native Font Book will activate and deactivate fonts. You can create collections with it. And it previews fonts just fine. Admittedly the UI is bare bones, but it gets the job done. What Font Book offers that FontBase does not is a list of fonts. The font list and the preview window are available side-by-side. Font Book flags duplicate fonts and enables you to choose which copy you want to remove. As well it can validate fonts, checking them for corruption. There are several modestly priced—and some not so modestly priced—font managers out there. I can't imagine why the developer thinks we need another one, or what he imagines he can offer that others don't. Sorry to be so negative, but FontBase just seems to duplicate what's already been done. That said, the Windows and Linux versions might be useful. But the Mac version is less capable than even Apple's built-in font manager.
doomcross1
doomcross1
Aug 12 2017
2.1.2
4.5
Aug 12 2017
4.5
Version: 2.1.2
A great replacement for FontCase, if you loved that. I tried many different font managers and really, FontBase has all of the features of a paid font manager. So why to pay more? The preview page is also a good idea. The thing that is really missing is a character map support and a specimen page. Hope to see that in next updates. Cheers.
frans-3
frans-3
Aug 10 2017
2.0.2
1.5
Aug 10 2017
1.5
Version: 2.0.2
I have no idea who wrote the reviews saying it works, but still the latest version (2.1.x) simply does not work in at least Sierra: nothing gets activated, not in OS X apps (like TextEdit) nor in apps like Adobe InDesign etc. Do not believe the reviews that say otherwise: IT DOES NOT WORK...
imedentsii
imedentsii
Aug 7 2017
2.0.2
5.0
Aug 7 2017
5.0
Version: 2.0.2
Fontalicious!:) Really like the sync and activation features, works as promised and easy to use
Pete B.
Pete B.
Aug 7 2017
2.0.2
5.0
Aug 7 2017
5.0
Version: 2.0.2
Works just as promised! Automatically synchronises changes in the added folders, activation works like a charm (this thing even deactivates fonts when it shuts down and reactivates them when you open the application next time!). What else could you ask for? :)
AlexSmith
AlexSmith
Aug 6 2017
2.0.2
5.0
Aug 6 2017
5.0
Version: 2.0.2
This is a great alternative for the expensive font managers! Works unexpectedly fast, would not even think, that it could work that fast. Lacking some of the pro features, I guess. But you have all you need for good and fast font management. And the UI is really simple to use and looks great!
frans-3
frans-3
Jul 25 2017
2.0.2
1.5
Jul 25 2017
1.5
Version: 2.0.2
This is an easy one: simply does not work! Tried it, activated some fonts I added, it says activated - but the fonts do not show up in any application, not even after restarting an application.It is free, yes, but as it does nothing at all it has no use.
Ervins Strauhmanis
Ervins Strauhmanis
Mar 28 2023
2.17.17
5.0
Mar 28 2023
5.0
Version: 2.17.17
Goldengold
Goldengold
Nov 2 2020
2.0
Nov 2 2020
2.0
Version: null
dwitek83
dwitek83
Oct 4 2020
2.0
Oct 4 2020
2.0
Version: null
murphc
murphc
Sep 16 2020
1.0
Sep 16 2020
1.0
Version: null
Gprovan
Gprovan
Jun 16 2019
2.0
Jun 16 2019
2.0
Version: null
makareim
makareim
Oct 10 2018
5.0
Oct 10 2018
5.0
Version: null
frans-3
frans-3
Nov 17 2017
1.5
Nov 17 2017
1.5
Version: null
Wunderhorn
Wunderhorn
Nov 11 2017
2.0
Nov 11 2017
2.0
Version: null
distreszed
distreszed
Aug 13 2017
0.5
Aug 13 2017
0.5
Version: null
doomcross1
doomcross1
Aug 12 2017
4.5
Aug 12 2017
4.5
Version: null
imedentsii
imedentsii
Aug 7 2017
5.0
Aug 7 2017
5.0
Version: null
Pete B.
Pete B.
Aug 7 2017
5.0
Aug 7 2017
5.0
Version: null
dominik-levitsky
dominik-levitsky
Aug 7 2017
5.0
Aug 7 2017
5.0
Version: null
george-medentsii
george-medentsii
Aug 7 2017
4.5
Aug 7 2017
4.5
Version: null
AlexSmith
AlexSmith
Aug 6 2017
5.0
Aug 6 2017
5.0
Version: null
Mbhayes
Mbhayes
Jul 25 2017
0.5
Jul 25 2017
0.5
Version: null
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