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What is Birdfont?
Birdfont is a free, open-source font editor for creating vector glyphs and exporting them as TTF, OTF, or SVG fonts. It runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and BSD, and it supports both monochrome and color font formats—so it can be used for standard text typefaces as well as color and emoji-style fonts.
Birdfont
It is developed by Johan Mattsson and written in Vala. The project is donation-supported, with the option of a recurring subscription, and the site says that income goes toward bug fixes and new features.
What you can do with it
- Draw glyphs as vector outlines and export finished fonts in common formats.
- Work with color fonts and emoji support, plus ligatures and variable glyph properties.
- Manage spacing classes, Unicode blocks, anchors, and layers as a font grows.
- Import and work with SVG assets, and submit finished fonts to the project’s gallery.
Who it suits
Birdfont fits individuals and small teams who want a no-cost desktop tool for making a custom typeface, an icon font, or a color/emoji font, and who are comfortable learning a specialized interface. It is less suited to someone who needs a fully managed, browser-based workflow or extensive commercial support.
A practical next step
If you are considering it, download the installer for your platform, then follow one tutorial from start to finish to produce a small test font with a handful of glyphs. That will tell you quickly whether the drawing and spacing tools match how you like to work before you commit to a full character set.
For help or bug reports, the project points to email, Mastodon, Twitter, Facebook, and GitHub issues.
How can I download and install Birdfont on Windows, macOS, or Linux?
Download installers or source packages from the official site: Birdfont. The same page lists builds for Windows, Linux, macOS and BSD, so start there rather than with a third-party mirror.
What to expect per platform
| Platform | Likely route | Practical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Installer from the Birdfont download page | Easiest path; run the installer and launch from the Start menu. |
| macOS | Installer or app package from the same page | macOS may warn about an app from an unidentified developer; check System Settings > Privacy & Security if it is blocked. |
| Linux | Package from the download page, or a distribution package | Prefer your distro's package manager for automatic updates; use the official package if you need a newer release. |
| BSD | Source or package from the download page | Expect to build or install manually; check the release notes for dependencies. |
A sensible installation order
- Open Birdfont and go to Download.
- Pick the package matching your operating system and architecture.
- Install it, then launch once to confirm it opens.
- If you want to track fixes and new drawing tools, read the release notes on the same site before updating.
If your goal is simply to try font editing, the installer route is fastest. If you maintain a Linux system and value automatic security and dependency updates, use your distribution's package instead, accepting that it may lag behind the newest Birdfont release.
For help or bug reports after installation, the site points to email, Mastodon, Twitter, Facebook and GitHub issues. The project also accepts donations and monthly subscriptions, but these are optional support, not a requirement to download or use the editor.
How do I create and export a font using Birdfont?
Birdfont is a free font editor for creating vector glyphs and exporting them as TTF, OTF, or SVG fonts, with support for both monochrome and color font formats. The basic flow is: draw or import your glyphs, assign them to characters, then export.
A practical workflow
- Download and install the build for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, or BSD from Birdfont.
- Start a new font and set the basics — units per em, ascender/descender, and any grid or guide settings you want to draw against.
- Draw glyphs using the vector tools (paths, points, curves). Recent releases improved drawing tools, added a control-point position readout in the toolbox, and let you complete a stroke when closing a path.
- Map glyphs to characters. Use the overview tab to search and select Unicode blocks, so you can see which code points you still need to fill.
- Handle spacing and kerning. Spacing classes speed up setting sidebearings across similar shapes; ligature generation and a ligature tab help with combinations like "fi" or "ffl".
- Check color and emoji work if your font needs it — the editor supports color formats and has improved emoji support.
- Export to TTF, OTF, or SVG from the export options.
Who this suits
- Type designers and illustrators who want a free, cross-platform tool without a subscription.
- Icon and symbol font makers who need SVG or color glyph output.
- Developers and hobbyists experimenting with variable glyph properties or custom emoji sets.
If you mainly need to tweak an existing font rather than draw from scratch, the overview and Unicode-block tools are the fastest way in: open the font, jump to the block you care about, and edit only the glyphs you need.
Getting help and giving back
The project is developed by Johan Mattsson and accepts bug reports and questions by email, Mastodon, Twitter, Facebook, and GitHub issues. Donations and an optional subscription fund bug fixes and new features — useful to know if you depend on the tool long-term, though the editor itself is free to download and use.
For a concrete first project, try a small display font: draw A–Z and a few punctuation marks, export to TTF, install it locally, and test it in a document. That exercise surfaces spacing and hinting problems early, before you invest in a full character set.
What are the differences between Birdfont's free version and the subscription option?
Birdfont is free to download and use as a font editor; the subscription mentioned on the site is a way to support the project, not a separate paid tier of the software. The site describes Birdfont as "a free font editor which lets you create vector graphics and export TTF, OTF and SVG fonts," with installers and source code packages for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and BSD. The support page says donations and subscriptions are used to "fix bugs and implement new features," and that "even small sums makes a huge difference." Nothing in the page evidence describes a paid edition with extra editing features, exports or support entitlements.
What that means in practice
- Free version: the full editor as distributed from the site, including vector drawing, monochrome and color font support, and TTF/OTF/SVG export.
- Subscription: framed as ongoing financial support for development, with donations also accepted. It is not presented as unlocking a different feature set.
For a concrete scenario: if you are a type designer or hobbyist who wants to draw glyphs and export a working font, download Birdfont and start there. If you use it regularly and want to fund bug fixes and new features, consider a subscription or a one-off donation.
How to decide
- Choose the free download if you mainly need to evaluate the editor, finish a small project, or check export compatibility.
- Choose the subscription if you want to support continued development and are comfortable with recurring payments; the site also lists one-time donations.
- If you specifically need guaranteed support, a commercial licence or a service-level agreement, treat that as a separate question and ask the developer directly at [email protected].
Next step: download the installer for your platform from Birdfont and test your own font workflow before deciding whether to contribute financially.
How can I get help or report a bug in Birdfont?
Birdfont lists several direct channels for help and bug reports. Email [email protected] for questions, bug reports, or general support. For public discussion and quick updates, the project points to Mastodon at @[email protected], Twitter/X at @birdfont, and a Facebook group at groups/birdfont. For code-level issues, the GitHub issue tracker at birdfont/issues is the right place.
Which channel to use
- Bug reports with reproducible steps → GitHub issues. Include your operating system, Birdfont version, the exact steps, and any error message. If the bug involves a font file, attach a minimal example.
- Questions about how to do something → Mastodon or the Facebook group. These are better for “how do I draw a ligature?” than for tracking a defect.
- Private or account-specific matters → email.
- Installation or download problems → start with the Download section on the site, then email if it persists.
Before you report
Check the release notes on the site first. Recent versions have fixed many small issues, so your bug may already be addressed. The notes also show which version introduced a change, which helps narrow down a regression.
If you want to support the work, the site accepts one-time donations and a small monthly subscription. That is separate from getting help, but it funds the bug fixes and features that keep the editor moving.
A practical next step: open the GitHub issue tracker, search for your problem using a few keywords, and if nothing matches, file a new issue with your OS, version, and a short reproduction.
Which fonts have been created with Birdfont and how can I share mine?
Birdfont itself does not publish a definitive, curated catalogue of fonts made with it. The site has a "Fonts" section where you can discover fonts made with BirdFont and submit your own work; that is the place to look for examples and to add yours.
How sharing generally works
- Export your font from Birdfont in a usable format (the site states TTF, OTF and SVG export, with support for monochrome and colour font formats).
- Submit it through the site's Fonts section if you want it listed alongside other Birdfont-made work.
- Keep your own copy and licence terms with the font, since being "made with Birdfont" does not by itself determine how others may use it.
A practical scenario
Suppose you have drawn a display typeface with coloured glyphs. Export both a TTF/OTF for normal desktop use and an SVG version if colour rendering matters. Then submit the project through the Fonts section, and separately publish it wherever your audience already looks for fonts, such as a personal site or a font community. Birdfont's own page is best treated as the discovery and submission point, not as a full distribution platform.
Where to get help or report problems
The site lists several contact and support channels for bugs and questions: email ([email protected]), Mastodon (@[email protected]), Twitter (@birdfont), a Facebook group, and GitHub issues. For technical problems with the editor itself, GitHub issues are usually the most trackable; for general questions, the social channels may get a faster informal response.
Decision criterion
If your goal is simply to show that a font was made with Birdfont, submit it through the site's Fonts section. If your goal is wide distribution, treat that as one listing among several and handle licensing and file formats yourself.
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