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MainType
Bilthoven, The Netherlands
What it is
MainType is a Windows font manager and viewer for finding, previewing, organizing, installing, and printing fonts. It supports TrueType, OpenType, font collections, variable and color fonts, and PostScript Type 1. Variable-font axis sliders and OpenType layout previews cover details such as kerning, alternates, and complex scripts. MainType can manage fonts on network drives and synchronize selected filesystem or network folders with groups in the software. It detects invalid and corrupt fonts, protects system fonts, and can select duplicate fonts. Font activation works with Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, as well as Microsoft Word, but legacy Adobe auto-activation plug-ins have been discontinued; the recommended workflow is to install fonts before opening documents. The free plan allows up to 2,500 fonts for non-commercial use and includes core viewing, installation, and uninstallation. Standard Edition costs $49, paid once as a perpetual license and adds commercial use and export. MainType runs on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7.
For and against
For
- Supports variable, color, and collection font formats.
- Manages fonts stored on network drives.
- Detects corrupt fonts and selects duplicates.
- Synchronizes selected folders with MainType groups.
Against
- Legacy Adobe auto-activation plug-ins are discontinued.
- Free use is non-commercial and limited to 2,500 fonts.
- The user manual is available only in English.
The verdict
MainType combines font organization with format previews, network support, and font checks. Users of legacy Adobe auto-activation plug-ins should note that the recommended workflow is to install fonts before opening documents.
Who it suits
MainType suits graphic artists, typographers, and other power users who need advanced font categorizing, complex searches, or network support. The free plan is limited to non-commercial use and 2,500 fonts.
Plans and prices
Free
up to 2,500 fonts · non-commercial use · core viewing, installing and uninstalling
Read 30 Sep 2026 · high-logic.com
Standard Edition
up to 10,000 fonts · commercial use · font export · HTML export
Read 30 Sep 2026 · high-logic.com
Professional Edition
unlimited fonts · custom font views · font registry fixer · auto-install after synchronization
Read 30 Sep 2026 · high-logic.com
On the record
- Adobe and Word
- Font activation works with Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as Microsoft Word.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Adobe limitation
- Legacy Adobe auto-activation plug-ins were discontinued, so the recommended workflow is to install fonts from MainType before opening documents.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Backup
- The FMSConfig utility backs up and restores the font library, tags, groups and settings.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Font formats
- It supports TrueType, OpenType, TrueType Collections, OpenType Collections, Variable Fonts, Color Fonts and PostScript Type 1 fonts.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Font safety
- MainType detects invalid and corrupt fonts, protects system fonts and can select duplicate fonts.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Manual language
- The MainType user manual is currently available only in English, while the interface is translated into several languages.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Network support
- MainType can manage fonts stored on network drives.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Privacy and payments
- High-Logic's privacy policy says online orders are encrypted and processed by its payment processor, so High-Logic does not receive credit-card information.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Product
- MainType is a font manager and viewer for finding, managing, previewing, organizing, installing and printing fonts.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Support
- High-Logic recommends its technical forum, where questions are usually answered within a couple of hours, and paid editions include direct developer support.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Synchronization
- Team synchronization keeps selected filesystem or network folders synchronized with groups in MainType.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Target users
- It is designed for graphic artists, typographers and other power users who need network support, advanced categorizing and complex searching.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Variable fonts
- MainType provides variable-font axis sliders and OpenType layout previews, including kerning, alternates and complex scripts.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Windows support
- MainType runs on Windows 11, 10, 8 and 7 and is tested for Windows 11 and high-DPI or 4K displays.high-logic.com · read 30 Sep 2026
