Types of Font Licenses
Digital fonts are distributed under different licensing models. The most common categories:
1. Open Source
Fonts released under licenses like the SIL Open Font License (OFL). Examples: Inter, Roboto, Open Sans. Free for commercial projects, but you cannot sell the font file on its own.
2. Free for Personal Use Only
Some fonts are free for personal projects only. If your website serves a commercial purpose, you cannot use them.
3. Commercial / Licensed Fonts
Fonts like Helvetica, Gotham, Proxima Nova, and Avenir require purchase or subscription. Companies like Monotype, Adobe, and Linotype license these typefaces.
4. Subscription-Based
Services like Adobe Fonts provide access to thousands of fonts via a monthly or annual subscription. When the subscription ends, your right to use those fonts ends too.
"I Downloaded It for Free" Is Not Enough
Downloading a font from the internet does not automatically give you the legal right to use it. Many fonts:
- Permit desktop use only — web embedding is prohibited
- Include pageview limits (e.g., 250,000 PV per month)
- Are restricted to a specific domain
How to Verify
- Read the license information inside the font file
- Review the vendor's EULA (End User License Agreement) on their website
- Identify where the font is loaded from (Google Fonts, Adobe, self-hosted)
- Use FontScanner to automatically detect licensed fonts across your website
Conclusion
The "free" label can be misleading. Every font has its own license terms, and using one without understanding those terms creates serious legal and financial risk.