Web Fonts vs. Web Safe Fonts: What’s the Difference Part One

After a long and gruelling search of the best web fonts and web safe fonts for your brand, you’ve finally found the perfect one: it’s Comic Sans. But alas! Comic Sans is too perfect!

Your visitors will be so busy admiring the subtle beauty of Comic Sans that they won’t pay any attention to what you’re actually saying. What other fonts can make your website look amazing without stealing all the glory for themselves? 

To help you find the right fonts for your website, we’ve collected all the best web fonts and the best web safe fonts for you to browse. 

Web Fonts vs. Web Safe Fonts: What’s The Difference? 

Before we begin, let’s clear up a little terminology. What is the difference between the fonts already installed on your device and the ones you have to download? One is known a “web safe font” and the other a “web font”: 

Web safe fonts: also known as “system fonts” or “browser fonts,” web safe fonts are the fonts installed on all devices and browsers. 

Web fonts: although vague, web fonts refer to all fonts that are not web safe fonts, particularly commercial and independently designed fonts that you can use for your sticker printing. 

So web safe fonts are the ones that are most common, available on Windows or Mac, Chrome or Safari. Web fonts, then, would be the ones that aren’t as readily available, and typically you have to download and install them themselves.