Use & Modify

Curated catalogue of 191 libre typefaces you may legally modify and redistribute

Tier A · StrongTypefaceDirectoryReferenceusemodify.com

Use & Modify is Raphael Bastide's hand-picked catalogue of open-source typefaces, admitted only if the licence lets you use, modify and redistribute the font. Each entry is a plain server-rendered page at /fonts/<slug>/ with the designer, the licence and a download link to the original source. Browse dimensions are Fonts (191), Authors (193), Licences (26) and Keywords (48 style tags such as monospace, didone, reverse-contrast, variable, pixel). It is for designers and developers who want genuinely free type outside the Google Fonts default set.

For an agent

Reach for this when a project needs a distinctive typeface and the licence must permit modification or self-hosting — that is the whole admission rule here, so every hit is safe to ship, unlike a Google Fonts search where you still have to check. The site is static HTML with predictable /fonts/<slug>/, /keywords/<slug>/ and /licenses/<slug>/ paths, so you can crawl it directly; the homepage alone carries the full 191-font index in one response. It hosts no webfont CDN — you still download from each font's upstream repo and set up @font-face yourself, and 26 distinct licence strings mean you must read the individual entry, not assume OFL.

Why it is here. It is the counterweight to the Google Fonts monoculture: a curated, licence-audited set of libre type that includes weird and experimental faces no font service will surface. The 'modify' half of the name is the point — these are fonts you are allowed to fork.

Install command, framework, licence and component list.

Facts

License: SIL Open Font License, MIT, CC0 / public domain, GPL family, Apache 2.0, CC BY-SA, Mozilla Public License 2.0
Pricing: Free, Open source
Framework: Not applicable
Styling: Not applicable
Distribution: Direct download / asset pack, Browse-only gallery or archive
Platform: Web, Print / static document, Platform agnostic
Content type: Fonts / typefaces
Agent readiness: Structured documentation
Accessibility: Not applicable
Maturity: Stable

Notable for

191 libre typefaces
modification-permitted licences only
48 style keywords
static crawlable HTML
curated by Raphael Bastide

Provenance

Verified 2026-08-16. HTTP 200. https://usemodify.com (raw HTML parsed: 191 /fonts/ slugs, 193 /authors/, 26 /licenses/, 48 /keywords/), https://usemodify.com/about

Also in Typography

usemodify.comTier A