Free fonts similar to Helvetica
Helvetica is the default idea of a neutral sans serif: even color, tight spacing and no personality getting in the way. Designers reach for it when the content should speak and the type should not. A web license costs money, and visitors without it installed see a fallback anyway.
Short answer: the closest free alternative to Helvetica is Inter. Arimo and Roboto are also worth a look. All are open source and free for commercial use.
Helvetica 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.
/* Inter is open source. Self-host it or load it from Google Fonts. */ font-family: "Inter", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;
The alternatives in detail
1. Inter
Why it works. The closest free match in overall color and neutrality, and it holds up far better at small sizes on screens.
What differs. Apertures are more open and the x-height is taller, so body text looks slightly larger and airier at the same size.
2. ArimoMetric-compatible
Why it works. Built to match Arial’s character widths, which are themselves modelled on Helvetica, so layouts barely move when you swap it in.
What differs. Letter shapes follow Arial, with diagonal stroke endings on t, r and a instead of Helvetica’s flat cuts.
3. Roboto
Why it works. A widely available grotesque with a similar upright, businesslike tone.
What differs. More mechanical curves and a narrower rhythm. It reads as Android rather than Swiss poster.
How to recognize Helvetica
Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann, 1957, Haas Type Foundry. Now published by Linotype, part of Monotype.
- Stroke endings are cut perfectly horizontal or vertical. Look at c, e and s.
- Apertures are tight, so c and e nearly close into circles.
- The uppercase R has a curved, almost vertical leg, and G carries a small spur.
In a site’s CSS it may appear as Helvetica Neue, Neue Helvetica. Not sure what you are looking at? Identify the font on the live page first.
Is Helvetica free?
Commercial. It comes preinstalled on macOS and iOS, but not on Windows or Android, which is why a Helvetica page usually shows Arial to Windows visitors.
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 Inter 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: "Inter";
src: url("/fonts/inter-400.woff2") format("woff2");
font-weight: 400;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: "Inter";
src: url("/fonts/inter-700.woff2") format("woff2");
font-weight: 700;
font-display: swap;
}
body {
font-family: "Inter", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, 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 Helvetica?+
Inter is the closest free alternative to Helvetica. The closest free match in overall color and neutrality, and it holds up far better at small sizes on screens. Arimo and Roboto are also worth testing.
Is Helvetica free to use?+
Commercial. It comes preinstalled on macOS and iOS, but not on Windows or Android, which is why a Helvetica page usually shows Arial to Windows visitors.
What Google Font looks like Helvetica?+
On Google Fonts, the nearest matches are Inter, Arimo and Roboto. All are open source and free for commercial use. None is an exact copy, so compare them with your own text first.
Which alternative keeps my layout from changing?+
Arimo is metric-compatible with Arial, whose widths follow Helvetica. Each character has the same width, so line breaks and page counts stay the same when you swap fonts.
How can I tell whether a website uses Helvetica?+
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.
Helvetica Neue
Try Inter, Arimo and Hanken Grotesk
GEOMETRIC GROTESQUE HYBRIDProxima Nova
Try Montserrat, Figtree and Nunito Sans
GEOMETRIC SANS SERIFGotham
Try Montserrat, Outfit and Figtree
GEOMETRIC SANS SERIFFutura
Try Jost, League Spartan and Outfit
GEOMETRIC HUMANIST SANS SERIFAvenir
Try Nunito Sans, Figtree and Mulish
GEOMETRIC GROTESQUE SANS SERIFCircular
Try DM Sans, Plus Jakarta Sans and Outfit