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Suitcase Fusion vs FontExplorer X

almost 3 years ago from , Digital Product Designer at Trek

So with CC 2018 here, Suitcase Fusion needs an update for font auto-activation in CC 2018 applications (a must-have for me).

Before I go ahead and do that, I was wondering is anyone else had experiences to share with either application for font management. Thanks folks!

20 comments

  • Sean HillSean Hill, almost 3 years ago

    https://rightfontapp.com/ works for me!

    9 points
  • Ragnar FreyrRagnar Freyr, almost 3 years ago

    I think I am done with paying for Suitcase Fusion upgrades. I've spent so much money on it for a software that sits in the background 95% of the time and in all honesty, doesn't do very much.

    On my work machine I've just started using Apple Font Book. It's refreshingly simple and working with a limited number of fonts is making me consider the details of each typeface more and increasingly seeking indie foundries.

    I have a license for RightFont. I might use that in the future.

    6 points
  • Twelve Royal, almost 3 years ago

    I have owned Suitcase for just under ten months, single man shop, and they are pushing me in to a paid update. I do not have any issue with a developer getting paid but this is silly. Their corporate line is that Suitcase 7 has been out for 17 months. My response is again I have owned it for ten months, in the same calendar year. I am looking for any option but Extensis.

    2 points
    • Eric Weir, almost 3 years ago

      So far I haven't found the alternatives (RightFont, FontBase etc.) to be adequate. For example, FontBase was having a hard-time with some older PostScript fonts I have from the Adobe Font Folio collection. Deal breaker. In a perfect world I'd have my entire collection as OTF but it ain't a perfect world.

      0 points
  • Ted Kusio, almost 3 years ago

    I too am tired of the perpetual updates to $uitcase.

    Any feedback on FontAgent?

    I tried FontBase but it seemed too low-featured, even in "Awesome" mode. RightFont looks promising (and better price point).

    1 point
  • BAKA .kidBAKA .kid, almost 3 years ago

    I have recently moved to Fontbase. its free for most features, and $3 a month or something for all the features. it is still in active development and i don't have any issues with it. it isn't as full featured as suitcase or fontex, but it does what i need. http://fontba.se

    1 point
  • Brian BellissimoBrian Bellissimo, almost 3 years ago

    I am so sick of Suitcase Fusion. Its kinda nice to hear that a lot of my concerns are echoed in these comments.

    1 point
  • Eric Weir, almost 3 years ago

    Same boat here. Kinda' sick of Suitcase and their constant full paid upgrades. I just did that to get to 7, and now again to 8. And upgrade for wha?t Continued auto-activation? I'm all for paid software, but I think they're just resting on their laurels now. The app is bloated and feels dated. I've checked out some of the newer font mangers but nothing seems right.

    Are we just stuck or are there some better alternatives I'm not finding?

    1 point
    • Chris Aalid, almost 3 years ago

      It's starting to feel like a yearly $50-ish dollar upgrade. If it was subscription software that's one thing, but it's got a $120 price tag for the initial purchase.

      It does look like they've added some new stuff, and a nicer font preview option in this new release, though. I guess I've always been curious if FontExplorer X is any better? I have some performance issues with Suitcase Fusion 8 from time to time.

      1 point
  • Stuart McCoyStuart McCoy, almost 3 years ago

    I have lots of fonts as O do both digital and print design so my opinion is skewed a little. If you only need a handful of fonts for digital work then Apple's Font Book is probably just fine. That being said, I used Suitcase Fusion for a long time, long before FontExplorerX was even available and I hated it. There were so many issued with fonts getting corrupted, not activating, or any number of other issues. When FontExplorerX came out I jumped right in and have been happy ever since. It integrates with Typekit, SkyFonts, and give me the ability to manage fonts how I choose. Sure, it looks a little dated (it was supposed to be the iTunes of fonts) but I don't spend very much time activating/de-activating fonts to care that much. I haven't bothered seeing if I can update my auto-activation plug-ins without updating but here's why; if you use software like this for professional purposes then a yearly upgrade at ~$30-40 isn't bad at all. You should be able to tuck that into a small project and still come out ahead, even if you're a freelancer.

    0 points
  • Dean HaydenDean Hayden, almost 3 years ago

    Gah! I’ve been on and off Suitcase Fusion for almost a decade. I switched to FontExplorer X, it worked and served me well until a CC update; the same situation you’re in now.

    Switched back to Fusion and, it works and is serving me well. This time round I’m enjoying cloud integration and being able to use typekit to build sets of fonts.

    Between the two, I feel Fusion has the edge.

    0 points