FontExplorer X Pro 2 vs Suitcase Fusion 2

[212rikanmofo]

Has anyone used both of these font managers extensively and can chime in to which one does the job better overall? I am a graphic designer with a decent font collection (nothing too outrageous). I want one that has a very mac like interface and is powerful enough to handle my fonts.

What do you guys think is the better one and why.

 

[bay2sacto]

Hello. I've used the previous Font Explorer X 1.23 since about May of 08. Its been a great font manager. The only problem I had is that it didn't support auto-activation of fonts in CS4. THat has been fixed in the new non-free Pro ver 2. I have downloaded the trial for the new version and the interface has been refreshed which is nice. I haven't had time to put it to a real test yet. I'm a bit disappointed that this new version is no longer free. But through the end of February they are offering it at 50% off which makes it around $40 which isn't bad, especially compared to Suitcase.

I haven't used Suitcase in several years. The last time I used it was Suitcase for Windows on XP. Which it was the only professional font manager that allowed sets, font activation and auto activation. So I can't compare how it performs compared to the new FEX. Linotype seems to of built a great program in FEX. And the few times I've had a product related question they've responded within a day or so and were very kind and courteous. I'm glad Extensis has some competition again. Now if both would work on a Windows version of their respective font managers that is on par with the Mac version...not that I need win versions anymore but that is one sore spot for the Windows based designers out there.

 

[ehmjay]

funny I was just going to post a similar question.

I've got a rather extensive font collection on my mac and am looking for a way to manage it beyond folders in the finder. Currently I keep all my fonts on my External drive, and add them to fontbook as I need them. However it can be a pain to find them through finder (the search never really works well). I'd like an app that allows me to see all my fonts (while keeping them on the external), preview them, and then allowing me to install the ones I need easily (and also uninstall them if I no longer want them). I tried fontexplorer x in the past but could never figure out how to set it up to do what I wanted. Any thoughts?

Again, I want to keep all my fonts on my external until I find one I want to install.

 

[Kwill]

I have them both. What bugs me about Suitcase Fusion (12.1.7) is the inability to move sets that have painstakingly been created from one computer to another or from one login user to another. On a network, Suitcase offers a much more expensive solution that can keep track of sets by storing all fonts in a centralized repository accessed by all computers.

For the average user though, virtually anything that can be done with Suitcase Fusion can be done in Linotype FontExplorer X. And in some cases the later is even more advanced. For example, on a computer with multiple users, you can view which fonts are active for each user. You can also create an account and purchase Linotype fonts from within the application. Both utilities support auto font activation for major graphics programs.

Download FontExplorer and test it out. If you think you need more, pay for Fusion.