FontLab is the most commonly used professional tool now, and is probably the best bet. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative, and don't need all the features of FontLab, you might find their TypeTool to be appropriate.

FontLab or DTL's FontMaster.
The former is very powerful, the latter is designed by type designers.

hhp

So what are the pros and cons of both then?

I have spent only the last couple of weeks using FontLab, and I am quite addicted. It is a very intuitive program, and very user friendly. The bezier operations
are so smooth and natural to use. I know it has a truck
load more features to it, but I will get around to them. In
short, it is probably the most kick a$ program I have
ever used. I am very much a beginner, with no
experience of Fontlab or Fontmaster. (Man cannot live
on fontlab alone...)

And DTL have a free download version of their
software, so you could give them a blast and see what
you think.

>FontLab or DTL's FontMaster.
>The former is very powerful, the latter is designed by type >designers.

With the amount of feedback given by the type design community in the development of FontLab, I think you can say that FontLab is designed by type designers as well

I'd just add that DTL FontMaster is really designed for a full-on production environment, for use by people who are designing fonts full time. Even more so than FontLab.

T

Read this recent thread: FontLab versus Fontographer >

There's also recent and more indepth comparison under Build: FOG vs. FL >