Font Converter

Font License Checker

Upload a font file or search for license information

Upload & AnalyzeUsage Rights ExplainedCommercial Use Info

Upload Font to Check License

Drop your font file here or click to browse

Supports: TTF, OTF, WOFF, WOFF2, TTC

Try popular fonts like: Roboto, Open Sans, Lato, Montserrat

Quick License Reference

Popular Font Licenses

FontLicenseCommercial
RobotoYes
Open SansYes
LatoYes
MontserratYes
OswaldYes
RalewayYes
PT SansYes
Source Sans ProYes
NunitoYes
MerriweatherYes
Playfair DisplayYes
InterYes
Disclaimer

This tool provides general information about common font licenses. Always verify the specific license terms from the official font source or foundry before using fonts in commercial projects. License terms can change, and this information may not reflect the most current terms.

Developer & Verifier

Marcus Rodriguez

Developed by

Marcus Rodriguez

Lead Developer

Sarah Mitchell

Verified by

Sarah Mitchell

Product Designer, Font Specialist

What is Font License Checking?

Font license checking inspects a font file's embedded licensing metadata and cross-references it against known license types to determine whether the font permits web embedding, commercial use, modification, and redistribution. A 2018 industry survey of 15,745 respondents found that 51% consider font licensing confusing — making automated license detection essential for compliance.

Google Fonts offers 1,900+ families, the vast majority under the SIL Open Font License (OFL). The OFL permits free commercial use, self-hosting, subsetting, and modification. Attribution is not required when using OFL fonts in documents or websites, though the original copyright notice must accompany redistributed or modified font files.

Desktop and web font licenses differ: a desktop license does not grant web embedding rights, and vice versa. Commercial font licenses often limit usage by pageview count, domain count, or number of installations — exceeding these limits violates the license even if the font file works technically.

Font embedding bits in font file metadata indicate the creator's intended permissions (installable, editable, preview/print, or restricted). However, license text takes legal precedence over embedding bits — a font with restrictive embedding bits but an OFL license is legally free to use on the web.

Upload a font file to auto-detect its license type from embedded metadata, or search by font name, or select from 18 predefined license types (OFL, Apache 2.0, GPL, commercial, freeware, and more). The checker displays a 6-point permissions matrix covering commercial use, web embedding, modification rights, redistribution, and attribution requirements. A built-in reference table lists 12 popular Google Fonts with their license types for quick lookup without uploading.

How to Use This Checker

1

Upload Font File

Drag and drop or click to upload a TTF, OTF, WOFF, or WOFF2 font file to extract license data.

2

View License Info

See the license name, description, URL, copyright holder, and Reserved Font Names if present.

3

Check Usage Rights

Verify whether the license allows commercial use, modification, redistribution, and web embedding.

4

Document Compliance

Save license details and ensure your project complies with attribution and usage requirements.

Features

License Metadata Extraction
Copyright Detection
Foundry/Designer Info
Commercial Use Assessment
Web Embedding Check
TTF/OTF/WOFF/WOFF2 Support
Browser-Based Processing
No File Upload to Server

License Comparison

LicenseCommercial UseModifyRedistributeAttribution RequiredCopyleft
SIL OFLYesYesYesYes (if RFN)No
Apache 2.0YesYesYesYesNo
MITYesYesYesYesNo
CC0YesYesYesNoNo
CC-BY 4.0YesYesYesYesNo

Frequently Asked Questions

What font licenses allow commercial use?
SIL Open Font License (OFL), Apache 2.0, MIT License, and CC0 (public domain) all allow commercial use. OFL requires attribution and prohibits selling the font alone. Apache 2.0 and MIT have minimal restrictions.
What is the SIL Open Font License (OFL)?
The OFL is the most common open-source font license. It allows free use, modification, and redistribution for both personal and commercial projects. The main restriction is that you cannot sell the font files by themselves.
Can I modify fonts under the OFL license?
Yes, the OFL allows modifications. However, if the font has a Reserved Font Name, you must rename your modified version. You can freely subset, convert formats, and adjust metrics without renaming.
What does Reserved Font Name mean?
Reserved Font Name (RFN) is an OFL provision that prevents modified versions from using the original name. For example, if "Roboto" has an RFN, a modified version must use a different name. This protects the original designer's reputation.
How do I check if a font is free for web use?
Upload the font file to this tool to extract license metadata from the name tables. Check for web embedding permissions and the license type. Google Fonts and fonts with OFL/Apache/MIT licenses are safe for web use.
Where is license information stored in font files?
Font files contain name tables (name IDs 0, 7, 13, 14) with copyright notices, trademark info, license descriptions, and license URLs. This tool extracts these fields automatically from your font file.

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