Free fonts similar to Garamond
Garamond is the classic book face: graceful, economical and easy on the eyes over long reading. On the web it signals literature, luxury or tradition. Because the name covers many different revivals, check which one a site actually uses.
Short answer: the closest free alternative to Garamond is EB Garamond. Cormorant Garamond and Crimson Pro are also worth a look. All are open source and free for commercial use.
Garamond 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.
/* EB Garamond is open source. Self-host it or load it from Google Fonts. */ font-family: "EB Garamond", Garamond, "Adobe Garamond Pro", Georgia, serif;
The alternatives in detail
1. EB Garamond
Why it works. A faithful open source revival based on a 1592 specimen of Garamond’s types, with italics and several weights.
What differs. Closer to the historical model than Adobe’s version, so it looks a little more delicate on screens.
2. Cormorant Garamond
Why it works. A display interpretation with the same heritage, striking in large headings.
What differs. Much higher contrast and a tiny x-height. It is too fine for body text at small sizes.
3. Crimson Pro
Why it works. A sturdy old-style text face when you need the bookish feel to survive at 16px.
What differs. Less Garamond-specific and a bit darker on the page.
How to recognize Garamond
Based on the 16th-century types of Claude Garamond. Popular revivals include Adobe Garamond by Robert Slimbach (1989) and Garamond Premier.
- A small x-height and long, elegant ascenders.
- Slanted stress in round letters and a small, tilted bowl on the e.
- Moderate contrast with soft, bracketed serifs.
In a site’s CSS it may appear as Adobe Garamond, Adobe Garamond Pro, Garamond Premier, ITC Garamond. Not sure what you are looking at? Identify the font on the live page first.
Is Garamond free?
There is no single Garamond. Adobe’s versions come with Adobe Fonts, and a Monotype version ships with Microsoft Office. Each revival has its own license.
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 EB Garamond 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: "EB Garamond";
src: url("/fonts/eb-garamond-400.woff2") format("woff2");
font-weight: 400;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: "EB Garamond";
src: url("/fonts/eb-garamond-700.woff2") format("woff2");
font-weight: 700;
font-display: swap;
}
body {
font-family: "EB Garamond", Garamond, "Adobe Garamond Pro", Georgia, 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 Garamond?+
EB Garamond is the closest free alternative to Garamond. A faithful open source revival based on a 1592 specimen of Garamond’s types, with italics and several weights. Cormorant Garamond and Crimson Pro are also worth testing.
Is Garamond free to use?+
There is no single Garamond. Adobe’s versions come with Adobe Fonts, and a Monotype version ships with Microsoft Office. Each revival has its own license.
What Google Font looks like Garamond?+
On Google Fonts, the nearest matches are EB Garamond, Cormorant Garamond and Crimson Pro. 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 Garamond?+
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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