Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toDarby Sans
The closest free alternative to Darby Sans is Commissioner, 79% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. Lato and Proza Libre come next.
Darby Sans, by Paul Barnes & Dan Milne for Commercial Type. Measured on commercialtype.com, October 23rd, 2026.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Commissioner
79%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Same width
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 02
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Lato
77%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Sets 4% narrower
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Proza Libre
75%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 3% taller x-height
- Sets 6% wider
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
DM Sans
73%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Sets 3% wider
- Same weight
- Less stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Instrument Sans
73%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Same width
- A touch lighter
- Less stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Belleza
73%Same spiritGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 10% shorter x-height
- Sets 12% narrower
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Darby Sans against Commissioner, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Commissioner comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Darby Sans Commissioner
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Darby Sans for Commissioner and nothing reflows. This sets Commissioner at Darby Sans’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Commissioner", sans-serif;
font-size: 1.009em; /* up to Darby Sans’s x-height */About Darby Sans
Darby Sans is a paid sans serif designed by Paul Barnes & Dan Milne, published by Commercial Type.
See Darby Sans on commercialtype.com ↗Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Darby Sans?
Commissioner. Measured letter by letter, it’s 79% alike: same x-height, same width, same weight, less stroke contrast. Lato, Proza Libre, DM Sans, Instrument Sans and Belleza are also close.
Is there a free version of Darby Sans?
No. Darby Sans is a paid sans serif from Commercial Type. 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. Darby Sans was measured as commercialtype.com, October 23rd 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 Commissioner change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Commissioner 0.9% larger, so text written for Darby Sans keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Darby 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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