Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toAvenir
Set in Kumbh Sans, its closest free match
The closest free alternative to Avenir is Kumbh Sans, 81% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. Wix Madefor Text and Afacad come next.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Kumbh Sans
81%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 4% taller x-height
- Sets 3% wider
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 02
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Wix Madefor Text
80%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 5% taller x-height
- Sets 3% wider
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Afacad
77%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 11% shorter x-height
- Sets 12% narrower
- A touch heavier
- Same stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Cantarell
74%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 3% taller x-height
- Sets 3% wider
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Varela
74%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 9% taller x-height
- Sets 6% wider
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Jost
73%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Sets 6% narrower
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Avenir against Kumbh Sans, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Kumbh Sans comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Avenir Kumbh Sans
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Avenir for Kumbh Sans and nothing reflows. This sets Kumbh Sans at Avenir’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Kumbh Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 0.958em; /* down to Avenir’s x-height */
letter-spacing: 0.006em; /* to Avenir’s line length */About Avenir
Frutiger’s warmer answer to Futura (avenir is French for “future”). It’s geometric, but every stroke is adjusted by eye so it reads comfortably as text.
Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Avenir?
Kumbh Sans. Measured letter by letter, it’s 81% alike: 4% taller x-height, sets 3% wider, same weight, same stroke contrast. Wix Madefor Text, Afacad, Cantarell, Varela and Jost are also close.
Is there a free version of Avenir?
No. Avenir is a paid sans serif from Linotype. 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. Avenir 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 Kumbh Sans change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Kumbh Sans 4.2% smaller with a touch more letter-spacing, so text written for Avenir keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Avenir 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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