Glyphs
UnclaimedA powerful Mac font editor for creating, producing, and managing typefaces, icons, and variable fonts.
Visit WebsiteWhat is Glyphs?
Glyphs (graphic design): A powerful Mac font editor for creating, producing, and managing typefaces, icons, and variable fonts. Glyphs is a professional Mac font editor designed for type designers, letterers, and graphic designers. It provides high-precision vector drawing tools, efficient shape reuse capabilities, and comprehensive management for letters, figures, and symbols. Key capabilities: High-precision vector drawing tools, Multiple master management and interpolation for variable fonts, Smart shape reuse with components (corners, caps, segments, smart components), Color layers for color fonts (SVG, CPAL/COLR, sbix, classic layer fonts), Non-destructive strokes and masks for contours. Glyphs is paid-only, with most plans including a trial period. Buyers most often compare Glyphs against Affinity Designer, Gravit Designer, Adobe Illustrator.
TL;DR - Glyphs
- Mac font editor for professional type design, lettering, and icon creation.
- Features high-precision vector tools, variable font creation, and smart shape reuse.
- Offers extensive customization via plugins and supports complex OpenType features.
Pricing: Paid only
Best for: Enterprises & pros
4.6/5 across review platforms
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Intuitive and efficient for type design, even for newcomers.
- Comprehensive features for professional font creation, including variable fonts and complex scripts.
- High level of precision and control over Bézier curves.
- Extensible with a wide range of free plugins and scripts.
- Supports color fonts and advanced OpenType features.
Cons
- Glyphs Mini (lighter version) lacks support for complex scripts, variable fonts, and many advanced features.
- Requires macOS 10.11 or above.
- No explicit mention of Windows or Linux compatibility.
Ratings Across the Web
4.6(7 reviews)
Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more
Key Features
High-precision vector drawing toolsMultiple master management and interpolation for variable fontsSmart shape reuse with components (corners, caps, segments, smart components)Color layers for color fonts (SVG, CPAL/COLR, sbix, classic layer fonts)Non-destructive strokes and masks for contoursAutomatic OpenType feature generation and advanced editorImport/Export of various font formats (OTF, TTF, UFO, WOFF, WOFF2, SFSymbols, images)PostScript and TrueType hinting (TTF Autohint integrated)
Pricing Plans
Free TrialGlyphs 3
$320.00
- Create full-fledged OpenType font families, variable fonts, images and SFSymbols
- Edit, space and kern glyphs in a word context
- Advanced vector drawing tools
- Free handbook and tutorials available
- Full support for all scripts supported by the Opentype standards, including complex writing systems
- Automatic feature generation
- Advanced OpenType feature editor with live code verification, syntax highlighting, interpolatable number values and smart code tokens
- Import OTF, TTF, PS Type1, UFO, font metrics
- Export OTF, TTF, UFO, variable fonts (OTVar), WOFF, WOFF2, color fonts, SFSymbols, glyphs as images (PDF, SVG, PNG), font metrics
- Native file support for Glyphs, Glyphs Package, Glyphs Project, UFO
- Advanced PostScript and TrueType hinting
- TTF Autohint integrated
- Reuse shapes with components, corner and cap components
- Wide range of built-in filters and third-party plug-ins and script collections
- Over 100 free third-party extensions available for one-click installation within the Plugin Manager
- Reuse shapes with components, corner, cap and segment components, with smart components and brushes
- Smart copying and pasting
- Highly optimized for multi-layer, multiple-master and color editing, advanced batch- and post-production with custom parameters including in-line documentation
Glyphs Mini 2
$53.00
- Create single-master OpenType fonts
- Edit, space and kern glyphs in a word context
- Advanced vector drawing tools
- Free handbook and tutorials available
- Support for simple scripts like Latin, Cyrillic, Greek, Symbol and Emoji charsets
- Automatic OpenType feature generation for localized forms (locl), fractions (frac), ordinals (ordn), discretionary (dlig) and standard ligatures (liga)
- Import OTF and TTF
- Export OTF and CFF-based WOFF
- Drag-and-drop import of SVG pictures, clipboard import of Illustrator outlines
- Native file support for single-master Glyphs files only
- Built-in filters: Hatch Outline, Offset Paths, Round Corners, Transformations
About Glyphs
By Toolradar Team·
Glyphs is a professional Mac font editor designed for type designers, letterers, and graphic designers. It provides high-precision vector drawing tools, efficient shape reuse capabilities, and comprehensive management for letters, figures, and symbols. Users can create full-fledged OpenType font families, variable fonts, icon systems, and logos with advanced features like multiple masters, interpolation, and color layers.
The software caters to both beginners and seasoned professionals, offering a streamlined workflow from sketch to final production. It supports complex writing systems, automatic OpenType feature generation, and extensive customization through a built-in Plugin Manager. Glyphs aims to provide an intuitive and efficient environment for type design, allowing users to focus on creativity and precision.
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Glyphs FAQ
What are the primary differences in functionality between Glyphs 3 and Glyphs Mini 2?
Glyphs 3 is a comprehensive editor supporting full OpenType font families, variable fonts, and complex scripts, including advanced OpenType feature editing. Glyphs Mini 2 is a lighter version for beginners, limited to single-master OpenType fonts, simple scripts like Latin, and basic automatic OpenType feature generation.
Can Glyphs 3 export fonts in web-specific formats, and does it support color fonts?
Yes, Glyphs 3 can export fonts in WOFF and WOFF2 formats, which are commonly used for web fonts. It also fully supports the creation and export of various color font formats, including SVG, CPAL/COLR, and sbix.
How does Glyphs 3 facilitate the creation of variable fonts?
Glyphs 3 allows users to set up design axes and interpolate letters and icons along them, turning multiple-master setups into variable fonts with a single click. It also provides control over subsets and OpenType features through variable font export settings.
What advanced vector drawing capabilities does Glyphs 3 offer beyond standard tools?
Glyphs 3 provides high-precision vector tools that allow for nudging, editing multiple handles simultaneously, locking angles, batch-controlling curvatures, and harmonizing curve segments. It also features non-destructive path strokes that expand to filled outlines and dynamic path subtraction using masks.
What types of components can be reused within Glyphs 3 to streamline font design?
Glyphs 3 supports various reusable components, including standard glyph components for diacritics and shared shapes, corner components for controlling roundings and serifs, smart components for adaptable shapes, and brush and segment components for modular typefaces and graphic elements.
Does Glyphs 3 offer extensibility through plugins or scripting?
Yes, Glyphs 3 includes a built-in Plugin Manager that allows users to choose from over a hundred freely available plug-ins and script collections. It also supports Python 3, enabling users to manage Python modules with a single click.
Source: glyphsapp.com