Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toOptima
Set in Libertinus Sans, its closest free match
The closest free alternative to Optima is Libertinus Sans, 70% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. Belleza and Quattrocento Sans come next.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Libertinus Sans
70%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 9% shorter x-height
- Sets 4% narrower
- A touch heavier
- Same stroke contrast
- 02
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Belleza
69%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 4% shorter x-height
- Sets 8% narrower
- A touch heavier
- Less stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Quattrocento Sans
67%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 3% shorter x-height
- Same width
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Tenor Sans
65%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 6% taller x-height
- Sets 12% wider
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Proza Libre
61%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 9% taller x-height
- Sets 12% wider
- A touch heavier
- Less stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Amulya
61%Same spiritFontshare · ITF Free Font License
- 6% taller x-height
- Sets 10% wider
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Optima against Libertinus Sans, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Libertinus Sans comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Optima Libertinus Sans
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Optima for Libertinus Sans and nothing reflows. This sets Libertinus Sans at Optima’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Libertinus Sans", sans-serif;
font-size: 1.095em; /* up to Optima’s x-height */
letter-spacing: -0.019em; /* to Optima’s line length */About Optima
A sans serif with flared, tapering strokes, inspired by inscriptions Hermann Zapf sketched in the floor of Santa Croce in Florence. It’s on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Optima?
Libertinus Sans. Measured letter by letter, it’s 70% alike: 9% shorter x-height, sets 4% narrower, a touch heavier, same stroke contrast. Belleza, Quattrocento Sans, Tenor Sans, Proza Libre and Amulya are also close.
Is there a free version of Optima?
No. Optima is a paid sans serif from Stempel. 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. Optima 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 Libertinus Sans change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Libertinus Sans 9.5% larger with a touch less letter-spacing, so text written for Optima keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Optima 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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