Free fonts similar to Avenir
Avenir is Frutiger’s answer to Futura: geometric in spirit but adjusted by eye, with a two-storey a and strokes that vary just enough to feel human. It is a common choice for brands that want to look clean and warm at once.
Short answer: the closest free alternative to Avenir is Nunito Sans. Figtree and Mulish are also worth a look. All are open source and free for commercial use.
Avenir is not installed on this device, so it cannot be drawn here. The free alternatives below are live. On a device that has it, this row shows the original and unlocks the overlay.
/* Nunito Sans is open source. Self-host it or load it from Google Fonts. */ font-family: "Nunito Sans", Avenir, "Avenir Next", system-ui, sans-serif;
The alternatives in detail
1. Nunito Sans
Why it works. Shares Avenir’s balanced proportions and gentle, open feel, with a wide range of weights.
What differs. Marginally rounder and softer. Body text looks a touch friendlier and less refined.
2. Figtree
Why it works. Clean geometric shapes with humanist warmth, which is exactly Avenir’s territory.
What differs. Slightly more compact, with simpler details in letters such as y and t.
3. Mulish
Why it works. A minimalist sans with similar proportions that works well for both text and display.
What differs. A little wider and more neutral, with less of Avenir’s elegance at large sizes.
How to recognize Avenir
Adrian Frutiger, 1988, Linotype. Avenir Next followed in 2004, drawn with Akira Kobayashi.
- Round letters that are not quite perfect circles, and a two-storey a.
- Vertical strokes slightly thicker than horizontals.
- Open, calm spacing that stays readable in paragraphs.
In a site’s CSS it may appear as Avenir Next, Avenir LT, Avenir Next LT Pro. Not sure what you are looking at? Identify the font on the live page first.
Is Avenir free?
Commercial, from Linotype (Monotype). Avenir and Avenir Next come preinstalled on macOS and iOS, so Apple users may see it while everyone else sees a fallback.
The alternatives on this page are open source, so you can use them on commercial sites, self-host the files and ship them in products. Read more in font licensing in plain English.
Use Nunito Sans in your CSS
Put the free font first and keep sensible fallbacks behind it. Self-hosting the files is the most private and usually the fastest option.
@font-face {
font-family: "Nunito Sans";
src: url("/fonts/nunito-sans-400.woff2") format("woff2");
font-weight: 400;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: "Nunito Sans";
src: url("/fonts/nunito-sans-700.woff2") format("woff2");
font-weight: 700;
font-display: swap;
}
body {
font-family: "Nunito Sans", Avenir, "Avenir Next", system-ui, sans-serif;
}Saw a font you can’t place, or can’t afford?
Font Inspector names the font on any website in one click. For popular paid and system fonts it suggests free look-alikes right in the panel.
Questions & answers
What is the closest free font to Avenir?+
Nunito Sans is the closest free alternative to Avenir. Shares Avenir’s balanced proportions and gentle, open feel, with a wide range of weights. Figtree and Mulish are also worth testing.
Is Avenir free to use?+
Commercial, from Linotype (Monotype). Avenir and Avenir Next come preinstalled on macOS and iOS, so Apple users may see it while everyone else sees a fallback.
What Google Font looks like Avenir?+
On Google Fonts, the nearest matches are Nunito Sans, Figtree and Mulish. All are open source and free for commercial use. None is an exact copy, so compare them with your own text first.
How can I tell whether a website uses Avenir?+
Inspect the text. Browser DevTools show the rendered font in the Computed tab, and the Font Inspector extension shows the family, the rendered font and free look-alikes in one click.
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