Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toIowan Old Style
Set in Average, its closest free match
The closest free alternative to Iowan Old Style is Average, 85% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. Trykker and Andada Pro come next.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Average
85%Near twinGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 5% shorter x-height
- Sets 6% narrower
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 02
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Trykker
83%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 3% taller x-height
- Sets 8% wider
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Andada Pro
82%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 3% taller x-height
- Same width
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Castoro
81%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Same width
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Libertinus Serif
81%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 10% shorter x-height
- Sets 8% narrower
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Crimson Text
80%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 12% shorter x-height
- Sets 13% narrower
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Iowan Old Style against Average, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Average comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Iowan Old Style Average
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Iowan Old Style for Average and nothing reflows. This sets Average at Iowan Old Style’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Average", serif;
font-size: 1.05em; /* up to Iowan Old Style’s x-height */
letter-spacing: 0.005em; /* to Iowan Old Style’s line length */About Iowan Old Style
A sign painter’s take on the Venetian old styles, by John Downer. Apple Books offers it as a reading face.
Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Iowan Old Style?
Average. Measured letter by letter, it’s 85% alike: 5% shorter x-height, sets 6% narrower, same weight, same stroke contrast. Trykker, Andada Pro, Castoro, Libertinus Serif and Crimson Text are also close.
Is there a free version of Iowan Old Style?
No. Iowan Old Style is a paid serif from Bitstream. 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. Iowan Old Style 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 change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Average 5% larger with a touch more letter-spacing, so text written for Iowan Old Style keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Iowan Old Style 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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