About Fonts Ninja
Fonts Ninja is the font finder for people who want to know not just what a font is called but whether they can use it. Hover over text on any page and it shows the font name, styles, foundry and price, then lets you try, bookmark or buy the font. It says its Font DNA method analyses the real font file rather than only reading the CSS, which helps when a site uses renamed or custom web fonts.
It also lists every font on a page, shows CSS properties, suggests similar typefaces, and has a font search with filters for letter shapes, licence and price. The extension is free on Chrome and Firefox, and on Safari it comes through a free App Store app.
The trade-off is data. Its privacy policy says that when you request a font identification it may collect the URL of that page. It says it does not use those URLs to track browsing or build a history, and does not transfer, sell or rent personal data. Chrome's privacy panel also lists personal information, authentication information and location as handled. It is closed source and needs access to all websites. If you choose fonts for a living, it is the most capable option here.
Pros and cons
- Shows foundry, styles and price, then lets you try or bookmark
- Analyses the real font file, not just the CSS, it says
- Lists every font on a page and suggests similar ones
- Free, in Chrome, Firefox and Safari
- Closed source
- Collects the page URL when you request an identification
- Needs access to all websites
Permissions
In Firefox it asks for access to all http and https sites, plus tabs, navigation and scripting, so it can read the fonts on whatever page you hover over. It sends the page URL to identify a font when you ask it to.
