# Which font license do you need? Desktop, web, app and broadcast

Most projects need only the standard desktop license. What it covers, when you need a webfont, app or broadcast license, and what each one costs.

By Måns Grebäck · Published 2026-11-05 · Updated 2026-11-09 · Source: https://mansgreback.com/journal/which-font-license-do-you-need-desktop-web-app-and-broadcast

Tags: Licensing, Guide

## Key points

- The standard license is desktop use: one designer, five computers, unlimited projects, perpetual. It costs €79 per font.
- Logos, print, posters and social media graphics all count as desktop use.
- Webfont, app, broadcast and server licenses are only needed when the font file is served or embedded, or the work is broadcast.

Buying a font license sounds more complicated than it is. On this site there is one license, and you adjust it to the project: how many fonts, how many designers, and for how long.

## Desktop: the standard license

The standard license lets one designer install the font on up to five computers and use it in unlimited projects, with every style and the full character set. It is perpetual: you pay once and it never expires. For one font it costs €79.

Desktop use means you make something with the font installed on your computer: a logo, a poster, a book cover, a social media post, a printed menu. The result is an image, a PDF or something printed. The font file itself never leaves your computer.

### More than one designer

If several people will use the font, set the number of designers on the font page. The price grows with the square root of the number of designers,[^root] so each extra person costs less than the one before.

| Designers | One font, perpetual |
|---|---|
| 1 | €79 |
| 2 | €112 |
| 5 | €177 |
| 10 | €250 |

### Shorter terms

If the work has a known end, such as a campaign or a single season, a term costs less: €45 for one year or €59 for five years. When a term ends, you stop using the font in new work and take it off live sites and apps after a 30-day grace period. Nothing already printed, shipped or published has to be recalled.

## Beyond desktop

These licenses are only needed when the font file itself is used outside your computer, or the work is broadcast. Each runs for a fixed term; the prices below are for five years.

| License | You need it when | From |
|---|---|---|
| Webfont | Your website loads the font file through CSS | €100 for 10,000 pageviews a month |
| App or software | The font file is embedded in an app or a program | €200 for 10,000 downloads |
| Broadcast | The font appears in film, television or streaming | €400 |
| Server | The font is installed on a server that makes artwork for others | €300 |

Webfont and app prices double for every tenfold increase: 100,000 pageviews a month cost €200, and a million cost €400.

> A website that only shows *pictures* of text, such as a logo saved as a PNG or as SVG outlines, does not need a webfont license. The desktop license covers it.

## Non-profits

Registered non-profit organizations pay 60 % of the price, so the standard license is €47.

## Several fonts, or all of them

For more than a few typefaces, the [Artist Bundle](https://mansgreback.com/bundle) covers every font in the library, including new releases while the license runs. It is a desktop license, like the standard one.

## When to ask first

Film, games, product lines, exclusive rights and company-wide agreements are arranged directly. Describe the project on the [Custom](https://mansgreback.com/custom) page.

All prices are in euros without VAT and were correct in November 2026. The [licensing page](https://mansgreback.com/licenses) always shows the current ones.

[^root]: Two designers cost √2, about 1.41 times the price for one; ten designers cost √10, about 3.16 times.

## Questions

**Do I need a license for a logo?**
Yes, the standard desktop license. For a logo, choose the perpetual license so it never has to change.

**Do I need a webfont license to use a font on Instagram?**
No. A post is an image you made on your own computer, which is desktop use.

**Can I move from a term to perpetual later?**
Yes, and you pay only the difference between what you have already paid and the perpetual price.

**Is VAT included in the prices?**
No. EU customers pay their own country's VAT rate, EU businesses with a valid VAT number in another member state are reverse-charged, and outside the EU no EU VAT is charged.