FontExplorer X update released; no longer a free app
JimD (2549 points) | Mon, 2009-01-05 16:00
Linotype today released FontExplorer X Pro, the long-awaited update to their free font manager.
Unfortunately, it's no longer free. Linoptype has stepped-up the competition in the professional font management arena with this latest release, offering the standard desktop client, as well as a server version for larger shops.
I'm sure many people aren't going to be too happy about the fact that it's not only no longer free, but costs nearly as much as the much more mature Suitcase Fusion2 by Extensis. The free version is still available for download, but will no longer be updated or supported - nor will it work with the new server version.
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That's sad. I thought their business model relied on selling their fonts through this software. Just like iTunes relies on the iTMS. Oh, well.
Quick glance, tells me it's not much different. I downloaded the 30-day demo and ran it. The sidebars and interface look like the new iTunes, but the app sure seems to act the same.
Maybe if I were running CS4 I'd care?
It was quite generous of Linotype to offer this exceptional program for free for so long. Having said that, I think the $39 intro price is reasonable, but the projected $79 price seems a little steep.
sadly i saw this one coming, and Jim only confirmed it more and more in the last font manager review he did with the comment about having some news in regards to FEX. I'll have to agree with Ivan though that i thought the free app was a good way to push their online store for fonts. from free to $39 to $79 is nuts, I'm sorry to say it.
There's no way I'm going to pay that much for this application as much as i do enjoy it. I know that's money I could spend on something else of more use (possibly even Suitcase Fusion2)
I'm rather disappointed in Linotype on this one.
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FontExplorer X Pro is still cheaper, but not by much. But Suitcase is a much more mature application. And, Extensis relies HEAVILY on sales of Suitcase, so you know they're going to continue to develop it and add more features. Linotype makes money off fonts. They could kill the app at any time, or change the pricing structure (as we now see).
If I'm going to pay for a mission-critical app like a font manager, I would certainly want to stick with the big boys (Suitcase or FontAgent).
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I'm with you on this one. FEX was the winner for me when it was free, but if I'm going to pay anything for an application I'd rather buy one from a tried and tested company who, as you say, relies on it as a key revenue stream.
FEX may well be a viable solution again in the future, but I'll give it a few more iterations before I think about switching back.
I've been an avid user of Fontexplorer for a good 2 years now, and it has served me well.
Now that I have to pay for the plug-ins to work with CS4 I don't know if I should stick with FontEX or move over to Suitcase 2. Are there any extra bells and whistles i should know about in Suitcase that makes it a clear winner?
I would try the demo out but I just don't have the time to start messing around with my font management at the moment.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I recently wrote a full review of Suitcase Fusion 2 for Macworld that you might want to take a look at. Perhaps it will offer enough info for you to make a decision either way.
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So does that mean the free version will not work with CS4? I just upgraded to CS4 the other day, but haven't used it at home yet (where I use Linotype), but at work, we don't use LT, so I haven't noticed either way.
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The free version of FontExplorer does not contain plugins for CS4. Of course it will still manage fonts just fine, as far as turning them on and off, but it won't auto-activate fonts, or any other features the plugin may provide, under CS4.
I've been a big fan of FontExplorer X since it was released. I've recommended it to many designers over Suitcase. Although I don't blame them for charging for more features, they should be charging half that price while still offering a free option. Unfortunately, I'm on the fence and I think many users will jump ship.
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You can continue to use the free version, it just wont auto-activate fonts in Adobe CS4 and Quark 8. That being said, you know it's probably going to stop working completely with the next major Mac OS upgrade anyway... so might as well switch to a paid font manager now.
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Linotype is breaking the tried and true rule of sales: "You can't raise your prices".
They will find a seriously huge drop off in usership. I'd imagine after a year of little to no sales they will change their tune. Of course I haven't upgraded past CS2 so this change doesn't affect me yet.
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sigh... imagine my disappointment after converting 15 some artists to FEX this year. Gonna wait to tell the boss.
We'll be buying the new version of FEX. We believe it is more user friendly and stable than the other options out there. PHEW. Glad the boss thought so too!
I see this as a good thing. Sure, it costs more... but one thing some people worried about was the fact that it was free and so there was no guarantee that it would be upgraded, etc along with the OS. This kind of reassures that notion.
Do you have any specific input on how the new FEX version compares to Suitcase Fusion 2 in terms of features and performance?
I liked it don't get me wrong but it's just not worth upgrading until it doesn't work with newer OSs. I've always thought that surely Adobe should have a font manager in their CS arsenal, ATM used to be pretty reliable under OS9. surely instead of coming up with hairbrain rubish like Adobe Media Player and Adobe Drive they should get back into font management and bundle something..... After all they are one of the biggest proprietors of font licenses out there and could probably flog a few fonts through it, would be much more worth while than crap like "Adobe Stock Photos".
No way am I upgrading.