Fontstand
Rent fonts by the month, and keep them after a year
Fontstand changes how a typeface is bought: instead of a licence costing hundreds up front, you rent it monthly for ten percent of its retail price, and after twelve months of rental the font is yours to keep for good. Any font can be tried free for three hours at full quality before renting, which is long enough to set real work in it rather than judge from a specimen. Rented fonts install through a desktop app on macOS and Windows and work in any application, the same library is available on iPad, and web font hosting is included with a pageview allowance, charged as a small percentage beyond it. Foundries set their own prices and keep the relationship with the customer; the catalogue is drawn from independent type foundries rather than a single publisher.
- Rent a font for 10% of its retail price a month
- Try any font free for three hours at full quality
- Keep the font after twelve months of rental
- Desktop app installs fonts for any application
- The same library available on iPad
- Web font hosting with a pageview allowance
- Share rented fonts with a team
- Catalogue drawn from independent foundries
Based on what people have said
Every answer links back to the mentions it came fromIs Fontstand a legitimate and safe service?
Users have expressed concerns regarding security warnings on macOS, with some reporting that their system flags the application as potentially containing malware or lacking a developer certificate. Others have responded that the service is legitimate and developed by reputable type designers.
2 mentions · r/typography · Jan 2025
How does the rental pricing compare to buying a license directly?
While the platform allows users to own a font after renting it for a year, some users point out that because the monthly rental cost is ten percent of the retail price, it may be more cost-effective to purchase a license directly from the foundry if the font is needed for longer than ten months.
2 mentions · r/graphic_design · Jan 2024
Is the software compatible with all operating systems?
There is disagreement regarding platform support; while some users note the service is available on Windows and macOS, others have criticized the platform for being limited to macOS, expressing a desire for Linux support.
1 mention · r/typography · Jun 2015
What is the variety of fonts available on the platform?
Users describe the catalogue as a diverse collection of contemporary designs sourced from various independent foundries.
1 mention · r/typography · Jun 2017
These summarise counts and dates only. Read the quotes themselves under what people are saying.
What people are saying about Fontstand
34% positive“Yeah, fontstand is legit! And I think its developed by very good type designer from Czechia or Slovakia. The reason why your Mac shows this: No certificate of developer.”
“I tried to download, but my Mac says it cannot be sure if there is malware in the application. Does anyone have the same issue or knows if fontstand is legit? It seems serious, but I can't be sure.”
“Note that while I do enjoy fontstands subscription model, you pay 10% of the retail price to rent it for a month. So if you plan on using the font longer than 10 months, it makes sense to buy a license from the foundry itself.”
“The fonts are also available on the subscription platform “fontstand” where you just own the fonts after renting the font for a year if thats what you prefer. Though the website explains it better (mass-driver.com)”
“I was thinking to rent a font on fontstand. I'm basically designing a logo and some printed matters (flyers and some poster).”
“The quality of fonts in Fontstand, in my mind, makes up for it though. I like, too, that it is a diverse bunch of contemporary designs and foundries. Depends on your needs :).”
“I'm not saying it's necessarily what Hoefler needs, I'm saying that it's what Fontstand needs. Or rather, something in that area (Hoefler/Frere-Jones was just an example after all).”
“They would set themselves as one of many by joining Fontstand (kind of like Apple would look like every other manufacturer if they didn't have a distinct packaging and in-store presentation of products – setting your brand apart is often core into making your clients think your products are worth the premium, or above the crowd).”
“It is a good idea, but it is sadly OSX only. There are many people who use Windows and Linux who would like to be able to use Fontstand too.”