Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toAthelas
Set in Buenard, its closest free match
The closest free alternative to Athelas is Buenard, 86% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. Castoro and Crimson Text come next.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Buenard
86%Near twinGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Same width
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 02
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Castoro
82%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 12% taller x-height
- Sets 8% wider
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Crimson Text
81%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Sets 5% narrower
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Spectral
81%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 6% taller x-height
- Sets 7% wider
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Vollkorn
79%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 8% taller x-height
- Sets 5% wider
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Radley
79%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 3% taller x-height
- Sets 5% wider
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Athelas against Buenard, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Buenard comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Athelas Buenard
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Athelas for Buenard and nothing reflows. This sets Buenard at Athelas’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Buenard", serif;
letter-spacing: 0.001em; /* to Athelas’s line length */About Athelas
A book serif from TypeTogether, made for long reading, with quiet, elegant details.
Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Athelas?
Buenard. Measured letter by letter, it’s 86% alike: same x-height, same width, same weight, same stroke contrast. Castoro, Crimson Text, Spectral, Vollkorn and Radley are also close.
Is there a free version of Athelas?
No. Athelas is a paid serif from TypeTogether. Every alternative on this page is free for commercial use, under the SIL Open Font License.
How were these alternatives chosen?
By measuring the letters, not by comparing names or tags. Athelas was measured from a licensed copy: its proportions, the width of every letter and figure, its weight, its stroke contrast and the shapes of telling letters like a, g, R and Q. The same measurements were taken of 1,506 free fonts, and these came closest. Each match was then checked by eye.
Will Buenard change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Buenard 0.5% larger with a touch more letter-spacing, so text written for Athelas keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Athelas in the wild?
Point Fontsight at any text on any website. It names the font, and offers a free look-alike you can try on the page, line breaks intact.
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