When comparing Envy Code R vs Apple San Francisco Mono, the Slant community recommends Envy Code R for most people. In the question“What are the best programming fonts?” Envy Code R is ranked 23rd while Apple San Francisco Mono is ranked 38th. The most important reason people chose Envy Code R is:
This font offers very distinct programming characters that help differentiate the following clashing pairs: {} vs. (), "0" vs. "O", and "1" vs. "l".
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Clashing characters are easily distinguishable
This font offers very distinct programming characters that help differentiate the following clashing pairs: {} vs. (), "0" vs. "O", and "1" vs. "l".
Pro Easy on user's eyes
Envy Code R is quite narrow (like Anonymous Pro) but at the same time squarish. The letters are easy to read and offer a pleasant reading experience.
Pro Fills out the space well
Envy Code R also fits more into a given width when compared to Source Code Pro.
Pro Bold font is the same width as the regular weight font
The bold version has the same width as the normal version which is useful for syntax highlighting.
Pro Clear and dis·tin·guish·a·ble
Code is very readable at both big and small sizes.
Pro Beautiful with high pixel density
Pro Best legible font
This font is legible in every condition.
Pro Visible punctuation
Punctuation is prominent and easily visible.
Pro Looks good on low and high PPI displays
SF Mono looks good on external monitors and Retina Displays. Large and small font sizes.
Cons
Con No Cyrillic glyphs
There are no Cyrillic glyphs in Envy Code R which may be an issue for Russian users.
Con Lowercase "w" is distracting
The lowercase "w" is a bit distinct looking due to the narrow nature of the font. This could cause a distraction to some users.
Con Apple is locking down this font
It's not open in any sense of the word. It even gives warnings if you try to rip it out of the Terminal.app or Xcode bundles. Obviously, Apple only wants it on their tools. This is such a shame. It should work in other editors, too. It's a beautiful font. Apple open sourced swift, why can't they be open with a monospace font?
Con No Ligature support
Does not support Ligatures so it doesn't play well with some terminal themes.
Con Lowercase l (ell) is similar to 1 (one)
Con Slightly difficult to use outside of Xcode, Terminal, or Console
The typeface isn't available in Font Book, etc. unless the user imports the files embedded in the apps above.