Fonts on iPad, 2021 Edition

Last spring I wrote about fonts on iPad, looking at the multitude of bad options for installing custom fonts on my favorite operating system. Good news! I have an update, & it’s quick.

Just use Fontcase. It has a much simpler & prettier design, it’s free, it’s made by the Iconfactory & even open source.

Screenshot of Fontcase on iPad

In Fontcase, it’s easy to import fonts from Files using the “Import” button, & it’s more seamless setting up the system profile since it uses a single profile for all the fonts in Fontcase, versus individual profiles for each font like AnyFont.

Screenshot of Figurative on iPad with a text layer in a custom font

If you work with Figma, Fontcase works great with your Figma projects via the unbelievably-great app Figurative, which is somehow free. Figurative could easily charge $20—instead of the semi-broken version in Safari, you get a fully-functioning Figma on iPad. I much prefer it to traditional computers since I can use my fingers & Apple Pencil, avoiding the RSI I get from using a trackpad/mouse. All your fonts are available, drawing works properly with the Pencil, & when you export layers it activates the native iPadOS share sheet for sending or saving to files. (If you want to save directly to a server, Secure ShellFish is the way to go.)

Fontcase is a must-have utility for designers using an iPad. I’ve added both Fontcase & Figurative to my Tools page, & all the apps I’ve mentioned are free.