Introduction
A few months ago, I started looking for free commercial fonts for a client who wanted to stand out from the crowd, but they didn’t have the budget to pay for a commercial font license. I scoured the internet to find the best resources and pages, and I created this comprehensive guide to help you find a font for your website or branding project that will impress your audience while making a good impression.
If you are thinking about starting a business or improving the one you already have and need guidance on fonts, this is your place.
In this blog article, we will cover the basics of commercial fonts and where to find the coolest free fonts. We will also provide tips on selecting the right option for your business.
What Are Commercial Fonts?
Commercial Fonts are licensed for any project that could bring any financial gain. Commercial fonts offer a level of quality, uniqueness, and professionalism that can elevate your website’s visual appeal and brand identity. Commercial fonts are meticulously crafted, ensuring legibility, unique aesthetic appeal, and consistent style throughout each character. Commercial fonts usually range from the hundreds to the thousands due to their ability to create a memorable online presence and elevate the brand value over competitors without this advantage.
While commercial fonts come with a cost, you can find free commercial use fonts online. In the next section, we will explore a list of websites where you can download free fonts that will match your brand’s personality.
14 Pages Where to Find Free Commercial Fonts
Now that you understand the benefits of free commercial font let’s embark on a journey where you can discover where to find the best free fonts for websites.
1. Google Fonts
- Website: Google Fonts
- Description: Google Fonts is a popular resource for its extensive library of free, open-source fonts. It offers a plethora of fonts with varying styles and languages, making it a go-to choice for web designers and developers.
- Licensing Considerations: Google Fonts are open-source and available under the Open Font License, making them accessible for personal and commercial projects.
2. The League of Moveable Type
- Website: The League of Moveable Type
- Description: The League of Moveable Type is an iconic name in the world of open-source fonts. They offer a variety of carefully crafted fonts that can be used freely in both personal and commercial projects. The fonts are known for their quality and versatility.
- Licensing Considerations: Fonts from The League of Moveable Type are typically available under open-source licenses, allowing commercial use.
3. Death of Typography
- Website: Death of Typography
- Description: Death of Typography is a unique resource focusing on experimental and artistic typefaces. While they offer a selection of free commercial fonts, these fonts often push the boundaries of traditional typography and are perfect for creative and artistic web projects.
- Licensing Considerations: Licensing details for each font are typically provided on the website.
4. Font Collector
- Website: Font Collector
- Description: Font Collector is a collection of handpicked free fonts that are ideal for commercial use. It offers fonts in various styles and categories, making it a valuable resource for designers and businesses.
- Licensing Considerations: Check the licensing information associated with each font on the Font Collector website.
5. Design Research by Womxn
- Website: Design Research by Womxn
- Description: This platform offers a selection of fonts created by womxn designers. It’s a source of unique and diverse typefaces that can add an inclusive and distinctive touch to your design projects.
- Licensing Considerations: Each font may have its own licensing terms, so be sure to review the details.
6. Tunera
- Website: Tunera
- Description: Tunera is a font library offering free fonts for commercial use. They provide a range of styles and options suitable for various design projects.
- Licensing Considerations: Licensing information for each font is generally available on the Tunera website.
7. FontShare
- Website: FontShare
- Description: FontShare is a platform focusing on open-source fonts that can be used freely for personal and commercial projects. They offer a growing collection of fonts created by talented designers.
- Licensing Considerations: FontShare fonts are typically available under open-source licenses, allowing commercial use.
8. Fountain
- Website: Fountain
- Description: Fontain offers a collection of free commercial fonts designed for modern web and graphic projects. Their fonts are known for their quality and versatility, making them suitable for various design needs.
- Licensing Considerations: Check the licensing details for each font on the Fontain website.
9. UseModify
- Website: UseModify
- Description: UseModify is a source of free, modifiable fonts designed for commercial use. Their fonts are ideal for businesses and designers seeking fonts that can be customized to suit their specific needs.
- Licensing Considerations: Licensing details for each font are typically available on the UseModify website.
10. Collletttivo
- Website: Collletttivo
- Description: Collletttivo is a creative community that offers a collection of free commercial fonts designed by a network of talented designers. Their fonts cover various styles and can add a unique touch to your projects.
- Licensing Considerations: Review the licensing information for each font on the Colectivo website.
- 11. Kroje
- Website: Kroje
- Description: Kroje is a platform that provides free commercial fonts for various design applications. They focus on open-source fonts that are free to use in both personal and commercial projects.
- Licensing Considerations: Kroje fonts are generally available under open-source licenses, allowing for commercial use.
- 12. Open Foundry
- Website: Open Foundry
- Description: Open Foundry is a community-driven platform that offers free commercial fonts. Their fonts are created by independent designers and are available for use in various design projects.
- Licensing Considerations: Licensing details for each font are usually provided on the Open Foundry website.
- 13. Free Faces Gallery
- Website: Free Faces Gallery
- Description: Free Faces Gallery is a repository of free commercial fonts. They offer a diverse range of fonts suitable for web, print, and branding projects, catering to various design preferences.
- Licensing Considerations: Check the licensing information for each font on the Free Faces Gallery website.
Tips for Choosing the Right Font
Now that you know where to find the best free commercial-use fonts, let’s review some tips on choosing the font that will represent your brand. To help you make an informed decision, let’s go over the basic differences between fonts and where to use them.
Typography Type
- Serif Fonts: Serif fonts have decorative lines at the end of their letterforms. They are known for their classic and traditional appearance. Serif fonts are frequently used in printed books. However, they can still be used in the digital world. These fonts convey formality, credibility, and tradition. You could use this font if your brand is established and you want to embody an elegant look and feel.
- Sans Serif Fonts: Sans Serif Fonts lack the decorative lines at the end of their letterforms. They are known for their clean and modern appearance. You can frequently find Sans Serif Fonts on apps. Sans serif fonts are versatile and work well for digital content, web design, and branding. They are particularly effective in conveying a contemporary and approachable vibe. You could apply this font to your branding if you want to give it a modern and clean look.
- Monospaced (Mono) Fonts: Monospace fonts have consistent spacing between characters, and each character occupies the same horizontal space. These types of fonts are ideal for displaying code and any content where alignment and clarity are essential. While monotypes are not so frequently used in branding, you could break the mold of what is usually done by other companies and give a touch of modern and personalized feel to your site. These are typically used for body copy.
- Display Fonts: Display fonts are usually bolder in appearance, eye-catching, and more “custom” looking than the other font categories. They come in a variety of styles and can be highly decorative. You could use display fonts for headlines to give a unique personality to your brand. Use this typography category when you want to stand out from the rest. Just be aware that display fonts are not always easy to read, so if you are going to use display fonts, try to limit the use to only headlines or only for your logo mark. Remember that even if you try to be bold with your branding, your audience still should be able to access your content.
Licensing and Usage Guidelines
Font licenses tell you how you can use a particular font and the limitations that you have. It’s important to pay attention to the license terms before you download the fonts and start using them because each font family has its own license. There are two main reasons why you should never ignore these licenses:
- Legal Obligations: Font licenses are legally binding agreements. Violating these terms can result in legal repercussions, including fines and lawsuits. Understanding and respecting the license is essential to avoid such issues.
- Licensing Flexibility: Fonts may be available under different licenses, such as open source, commercial, or personal use. Each type of license carries specific usage rights and restrictions. To select a font that suits your needs and ensures compliance, you must be well-versed in these licensing distinctions.
The good thing is that not all fonts come under the same license, so if you find a font with a restricted license, you can always reference the list above and find new options suitable for your project.
Now, let’s break down what each license type means:
Open Source Fonts
- Licensing: Open source fonts are typically released under open-source licenses, such as the SIL Open Font License (OFL) or Apache License. These licenses allow for free and unrestricted use, modification, and distribution of the fonts.
- Usage: Open-source fonts are suitable for a wide range of applications, including personal, commercial, and non-commercial projects. They are a great choice for web design, as they offer freedom and flexibility for various purposes without needing a separate commercial license.
Commercial Fonts - Licensing: Commercial fonts come with licensing fees and specific usage restrictions set by the font creator or distributor. Users must purchase a license to use these fonts in commercial projects where profit is generated.
- Usage: Commercial fonts are intended for projects that generate income, such as websites for businesses, advertising, and branding. Violating their licensing terms can lead to legal consequences.
Personal Use Fonts:
- Licensing: Fonts labeled for personal use are often free to use for non-commercial, personal projects. However, they may have restrictions against using them in commercial or profit-generating endeavors.
- Usage: Personal use fonts are suitable for projects like personal blogs, school assignments, or hobbyist design work. It’s important not to use these fonts for projects involving monetary gain without obtaining the appropriate commercial license.