Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toGill Sans
Set in Average Sans, its closest free match
The closest free alternative to Gill Sans is Average Sans, 67% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. Commissioner and Amulya come next.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Average Sans
67%Same spiritGoogle 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.
Commissioner
62%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 11% taller x-height
- Sets 9% wider
- A touch lighter
- Same stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Amulya
61%Same spiritFontshare · ITF Free Font License
- 12% taller x-height
- Sets 16% wider
- Lighter
- Same stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Afacad
60%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 7% shorter x-height
- Sets 3% narrower
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Molengo
60%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Same width
- A touch lighter
- Same stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Kumbh Sans
59%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 9% taller x-height
- Sets 14% wider
- A touch lighter
- Same stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Gill Sans against Average Sans, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Average Sans comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Gill Sans Average Sans
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Gill Sans for Average Sans and nothing reflows. This sets Average Sans at Gill Sans’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Average Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 0.985em; /* down to Gill Sans’s x-height */
letter-spacing: 0.006em; /* to Gill Sans’s line length */About Gill Sans
A humanist sans that grew out of Roman inscriptions and Edward Johnston’s London Underground lettering. It was the voice of British railways and, for decades, the BBC.
Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Gill Sans?
Average Sans. Measured letter by letter, it’s 67% alike: same x-height, same width, same weight, same stroke contrast. Commissioner, Amulya, Afacad, Molengo and Kumbh Sans are also close.
Is there a free version of Gill Sans?
No. Gill Sans is a paid sans serif from Monotype. Every alternative on this page is free for commercial use, under the SIL Open Font License and ITF Free Font License.
How were these alternatives chosen?
By measuring the letters, not by comparing names or tags. Gill Sans 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 Average Sans change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Average Sans 1.5% smaller with a touch more letter-spacing, so text written for Gill Sans keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Gill Sans 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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