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 straightforward plugin designed to host Google Fonts locally, enhancing site performance and privacy. Compared to other similar plugins, it offers a simple and effective solution without extra frills.
Strengths
- Hosts Google Fonts locally to improve site speed and privacy.
- Easy to configure with automatic font loading option.
- Lightweight and unobtrusive, focusing solely on font hosting.
Weaknesses
- Limited to Google Fonts only, no support for other font providers.
- Lacks advanced customization options for font management.
- No premium version means fewer features compared to some competitors.
User Sentiment Analysis
User feedback on Local Google Fonts is generally positive, highlighting its effectiveness and simplicity, though some users report difficulties or prefer alternatives.
Positive highlights
- "Does what I need it to. Thanks!" - Chris Lovie-Tyler
- "Très efficace, merci au concepteur !" - fbarret
- "Works like a charm... fonts are hosted locally." - toxicum
- "Einwandfrei... it just does what it should." - reneewelz
- "Unkompliziert und übersichtlich." - furkansenturk
Common complaints
- Some users find it less reliable compared to similar plugins.
- Initial setup can be unclear without guidance.
- Limited features due to absence of a pro version.
Weaknesses
- Occasional confusion about configuration steps.
- No support for fonts beyond Google Fonts.
- No advanced font customization options.
Who Should Use This?
Best for
Users seeking a simple, no-fuss solution to host Google Fonts locally for improved privacy and site speed.
Not ideal for
Those needing support for multiple font providers or advanced font customization features may find this plugin insufficient.
Pricing & Value
Free version includes
The free version includes full functionality to host Google Fonts locally with easy setup and automatic font loading.
Final Verdict
Local Google Fonts is an effective and lightweight plugin that fulfills its purpose of hosting Google Fonts locally without complications.
While it lacks advanced features and a premium version, it remains a solid choice for users prioritizing simplicity and privacy.
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.
