Free fonts similar to Futura
Futura is the original geometric sans: circles, triangles and straight lines, drawn with more subtlety than it first appears. It feels both vintage and futuristic, and it is a favorite for fashion, film titles and headlines.
Short answer: the closest free alternative to Futura is Jost. League Spartan and Outfit are also worth a look. All are open source and free for commercial use.
Futura 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.
/* Jost is open source. Self-host it or load it from Google Fonts. */ font-family: "Jost", Futura, "Century Gothic", sans-serif;
The alternatives in detail
1. Jost
Why it works. An open source design made in direct homage to 1920s German geometric type. It keeps the pointed capitals and single-storey a.
What differs. Slightly larger x-height and a full variable weight axis, which actually makes it easier to use on screens.
2. League Spartan
Why it works. A bold, compact geometric that captures Futura Bold’s headline punch.
What differs. Heavier and tighter by design, with shorter ascenders. Best kept to headlines.
3. Outfit
Why it works. A softer contemporary geometric for when you want the feel without the sharp points.
What differs. Flat apexes and a taller x-height, so the vintage character is mostly gone.
How to recognize Futura
Paul Renner, 1927, Bauer Type Foundry. Many foundries sell their own versions today.
- Sharp, pointed apexes on A, M, N, V and W that poke past the cap height.
- A single-storey a and a perfectly round o.
- A low x-height with long ascenders. The lowercase looks small next to the capitals.
In a site’s CSS it may appear as Futura PT, Futura Std, Futura Now. Not sure what you are looking at? Identify the font on the live page first.
Is Futura free?
Commercial, in several competing versions. Futura PT is included with Adobe Fonts, and a version of Futura comes preinstalled on macOS.
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 Jost 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: "Jost";
src: url("/fonts/jost-400.woff2") format("woff2");
font-weight: 400;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: "Jost";
src: url("/fonts/jost-700.woff2") format("woff2");
font-weight: 700;
font-display: swap;
}
body {
font-family: "Jost", Futura, "Century Gothic", 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 Futura?+
Jost is the closest free alternative to Futura. An open source design made in direct homage to 1920s German geometric type. It keeps the pointed capitals and single-storey a. League Spartan and Outfit are also worth testing.
Is Futura free to use?+
Commercial, in several competing versions. Futura PT is included with Adobe Fonts, and a version of Futura comes preinstalled on macOS.
What Google Font looks like Futura?+
On Google Fonts, the nearest matches are Jost, League Spartan and Outfit. 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 Futura?+
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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