Yes. The SIL Open Font License (OFL) allows you to use fonts in apps, documents and sites, including commercial ones. The main rules: you cannot sell the font by itself, and when you redistribute it you must include the copyright notice and license text, except when it is embedded or bundled in a program.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Definition: what the OFL covers
The OFL applies to font software. Using a font to make a logo, poster or other graphic does not make that artwork subject to the license. The OFL FAQ says you remain the author and copyright holder of the new graphic. The license matters when you redistribute, bundle or modify the font itself.
Using versus redistributing
| Action | What the OFL FAQ says |
|---|---|
| Make logos, print, video titles with the font | Allowed, no extra permission needed |
| Embed the font in a document or file | Allowed, in full or as a subset |
| Bundle the font inside a program | Allowed; the license text need not travel separately |
| Distribute the font as its own file | Include copyright notices and the OFL text |
| Sell the font on its own | Not allowed; it must be part of a larger software package, bundle or subscription |
| Host fonts on a website for others to download | Allowed if you make the full font package available |
The FAQ defines embedding as inclusion in a document or file in a way that makes extraction and redistribution difficult or clearly discouraged. It says embedding does not change the license of the document itself.
Why you cannot sell the font alone
The FAQ explains the intent: to keep people from making money by simply redistributing the fonts. Selling a font bundled with software is acceptable. Selling the raw font file is not.
Steps for a mobile or web release
- List the fonts in your repository, including ones pulled in by UI kits.
- Find each font's license. Many ship an OFL text file next to the files.
- For fonts you ship as separate files to users, such as web font downloads, keep the license text and copyright notices with them.
- If you modify a font, check the FAQ rules on Reserved Font Names before you rename or redistribute it.
- Add each font to your open source notices screen or file, which keeps your attribution in one place.
- Do not offer the font file itself as a paid download.
Try it yourself
Fonts do not appear in every dependency scan, but icon and font packages do. Open the inventory demo and look at how a package entry records its license, because that is the record you copy into your notices file.
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen.
Safeguard's SBOM and dependency scanning list the packages in your build, including font and icon packages published through package managers. A free scan is available at gold.safeguard.sh/scan.
Quick check
Does an OFL font make my app open source?
No. The FAQ says embedding or referencing an OFL font does not change the license of the document or program.
Can I charge for an app that includes an OFL font?
Yes. The font must be part of a larger software package, bundle or subscription, not sold alone.
Do I need to ship the OFL text inside my app?
The FAQ says an OFL font can be distributed without the license text when embedded or bundled within a program. Any other delivery should carry the notices and text.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
