Local Google Fonts Review - In-Depth Analysis
Host your Google fonts on your server for better GDPR compliance. This plugin helps you avoid legal issues related to font usage.
Performance Overview
User Rating
4.6/5 (based on 83+
reviews)
Active Installations
100,000+
Update Frequency
Below Average
It is calculated using the weighted average of same category
plugins.
Security Score
1 / 10
(Very Low Risk)
It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.
What It Does
Host your used Google fonts on your server and make your site more GDPR compliant.
About 50 million sites use Google Fonts and in January 2022 a German court ruled that using Google Fonts is a violation of Europe’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
Learn more about this ruling and its implications for website owners.
Comparing to Alternatives
Local Google Fonts is a popular plugin for hosting Google Fonts locally, with several alternatives available that offer similar functionality.
Strengths
- High user satisfaction with 88% five-star ratings.
- Simple and straightforward setup process.
- Effectively hosts Google Fonts locally to improve site performance and privacy.
- No known security vulnerabilities, ensuring safe use.
- Free to use without a pro version, making it accessible to all users.
Weaknesses
- Lacks a pro version with advanced features.
- Some users find it less clear or less effective compared to other similar plugins.
- Limited customization options compared to alternatives.
- Minor percentage of users report it as not working for their needs.
User Sentiment Analysis
The plugin enjoys overwhelmingly positive reviews with 88% five-star ratings, though a small minority of users express dissatisfaction.
Positive highlights
- "Unkompliziert und übersichtlich - was will man mehr bei diesem lästigen Thema." – furkansenturk
- "Does what I need it to. Thanks!" – Chris Lovie-Tyler
- "Très efficace, merci au concepteur !" – fbarret
- "It works like a charm." – toxicum
- "Einwandfrei, weils still und leise einfach tut was es soll." – reneewelz
Common complaints
- Plugin is unclear and considered useless by some users compared to similar options.
Weaknesses
- No advanced features due to absence of a pro version.
- Some users find it less intuitive or effective than alternatives.
- Limited customization and configuration options.
Who Should Use This?
Best for
Users seeking a simple, reliable, and free solution to host Google Fonts locally for improved privacy and performance without needing advanced features.
Not ideal for
Users who require extensive customization, advanced font management features, or prefer plugins with dedicated premium support and updates.
Pricing & Value
Free version includes
The free version includes full functionality to host Google Fonts locally with easy setup and no cost.
Final Verdict
Local Google Fonts is a highly rated plugin that effectively addresses the need to host Google Fonts locally, enhancing site privacy and performance. Its simplicity and reliability make it a great choice for users who want a straightforward solution without extra cost.
While it lacks advanced features and a pro version, it remains a solid option with no known security issues. Users needing more customization or premium support may consider alternatives, but for most, this plugin delivers excellent value.
Other Notable Features
Here are a few other notable features of this free
Local Google Fonts plugin.
FAQ
Yes, if you check the option to load fonts automatically. Otherwise each font set must be manually triggered.
Yes. The open source fonts from Google Fonts are published under a licenses that allow you to use them on any website, no matter if it’s commercial or personal.
It’s easy to check if your site is loading fonts from a third party source (check 2nd screenshot above):
- Open the dev tools (Cmd + Opt + I on Mac or F12, or Ctrl + Shift + I on Windows)
- Go to the Network tab and select the Fonts type
- Reload your page to see all fonts loaded on your site.
- Check the Domain column if it contains domains from a third party (Google is fonts.gstatic.com)
If you host your fonts locally with Local Google Fonts there should be no fonts loaded from the Google servers.
Fonts are discovered once they are used. Try to browse your front end first and get back to the settings page.
The plugin currently only checks fonts embedded via wp_enqueue_style if you use Google fonts via @import you have to change that first.
The DIVI theme has a custom implementation of Google Fonts. To use LGF with DIVI disable Improve Google Fonts Loading on the Performance Settings page of DIVI.
Woff2 is the successor of the woff format and and offers a 30% average compression gain over the original format. It is also supported by over 96% of browsers (source).
Slider Revolution uses it’s own way to load Google Fonts and LGF cannot handle them. Slider Revolution has a built in feature for their sliders.
- Goto Slider Revolution
- Click on “Global” in the top navigation
- Find the “Fonts” section and Choose “Cache Fonts Local” on “Enable Google Fonts download”
- Save your settings.
You may have loaded a subset which doesn’t included required characters. Check additional subsets on the settings page and reload your font.
Contributors and developers
“Local Google Fonts”
is open source software. The following people have
contributed to this plugin.
