Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toSentinel
Set in Literata, its closest free match
The closest free alternative to Sentinel is Literata, 76% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. Besley and DejaVu Serif come next.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Literata
76%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same 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.
Besley
74%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Same width
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
DejaVu Serif
74%Same spiritOpen source · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Sets 5% wider
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Playfair
73%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 18% shorter x-height
- Sets 12% narrower
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Montagu Slab
73%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Same width
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Piazzolla
73%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 4% shorter x-height
- Sets 11% narrower
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Sentinel against Literata, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Literata comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Sentinel Literata
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Sentinel for Literata and nothing reflows. This sets Literata at Sentinel’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Literata", serif;
letter-spacing: 0.018em; /* to Sentinel’s line length */About Sentinel
Sentinel is a paid serif designed by Jonathan Hoefler & Tobias Frere-Jones, published by Hoefler&Co. in 2009.
See Sentinel on typography.com ↗Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Sentinel?
Literata. Measured letter by letter, it’s 76% alike: same x-height, sets 4% narrower, a touch heavier, same stroke contrast. Besley, DejaVu Serif, Playfair, Montagu Slab and Piazzolla are also close.
Is there a free version of Sentinel?
No. Sentinel is a paid serif from Hoefler&Co.. 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. Sentinel was measured as typography.com draws it: 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 Literata change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Literata 0.2% larger with a touch more letter-spacing, so text written for Sentinel keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Sentinel 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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