Stop guessing which one. Put them side by side.

The grid says what these tools are. This says what builders did about it — one decision per person, changeable whenever you change your mind.

# Tool comparison — tldraw vs Fontshare vs Google Fonts

Source: Kbaise, a directory of tools that work with Lovable projects.
Pick one and tell me why before writing any integration code.

## tldraw (tldraw)
- URL: https://tldraw.com
- Category: Design tools, color & type
- Cost: mixed — tldraw.com free · SDK free with watermark · business licence quoted by sales
- What it is: Infinite-canvas whiteboard and, more importantly, a React SDK for putting a real canvas inside your own product. Shapes, arrows, multiplayer and an extensible custom-shape API are all exposed. The hosted app is free; the SDK is free to embed as long as the watermark stays visible.
- Why builders pick it: The default answer when your app needs a canvas — node editors, floor plans, moodboards — because you inherit production-grade panning, zooming and hit-testing without writing any of it.
- Trap: The SDK is not open source. The licence forbids removing, hiding or interfering with the watermark or its licence-key check; shipping watermark-free needs a paid business licence priced by sales. A free hobby licence covers non-commercial use.
- Wiring: npm i tldraw
- Full dossier: /api/public/tools/tldraw

## Fontshare (fontshare)
- URL: https://www.fontshare.com
- Category: Design tools, color & type
- Cost: free — Free
- What it is: Free font service from the Indian Type Foundry offering a small, tightly curated set of contemporary families — Satoshi, General Sans, Clash Display, Cabinet Grotesk and similar — many with variable versions. Serve from their CDN or download the files and self-host.
- Why builders pick it: The quickest way to stop looking like every other Google Fonts site. A handful of these faces read as expensive typography while costing nothing, which is exactly the trade a solo builder wants.
- Trap: The ITF licence covers personal and commercial use and embedding in sites and apps, but you may not resell or redistribute the font files themselves. Check the terms per family — some are free cuts of larger paid families.
- Full dossier: /api/public/tools/fontshare

## Google Fonts (google-fonts)
- URL: https://fonts.google.com
- Category: Design tools, color & type
- Cost: free — Free
- What it is: Library of open-source typefaces, almost all under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 with a handful under Apache 2.0. Serve them from Google's CDN, self-host the files, or bundle them into a native app. Includes variable fonts and the Material Symbols icon set.
- Why builders pick it: Zero-cost, zero-friction type that is legally safe in commercial products, including ones you sell. Self-hosting a subset via Fontsource or next/font also kills a render-blocking third-party request.
- Trap: Serving from Google's CDN sends visitor IP addresses to Google, which a German court ruled a GDPR violation — self-host the files if you have EU traffic. The OFL also bars selling the font files on their own and reserves certain names for modified versions.
- Wiring: npm i @fontsource/inter, or import from next/font/google
- Full dossier: /api/public/tools/google-fonts

## Quick read

- Free with no card: Fontshare, Google Fonts.

## Rules
1. Prefer the free tier when no budget was stated, and say what the ceiling is.
2. Read the full dossier before integrating.
3. Fetch /api/public/models before writing any AI model ID.

Agents can fetch the same thing: GET /api/public/compare?slugs=tldraw,fontshare,google-fonts