Add to ChromeBraveFree alternatives toHeldane Text
The closest free alternative to Heldane Text is Castoro, 82% alike by measurement, free from Google Fonts. Crimson Text and Spectral come next.
Heldane Text, by Kris Sowersby for Klim Type Foundry, 2018. Measured on klim.co.nz, October 23rd, 2026.
The six closest.
- 01
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Castoro
82%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 6% taller x-height
- Sets 8% wider
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 02
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Crimson Text
79%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 6% shorter x-height
- Sets 5% narrower
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 03
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Spectral
78%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Sets 7% wider
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 04
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Libre Baskerville
77%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 18% taller x-height
- Sets 24% wider
- Same weight
- More stroke contrast
- 05
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Petrona
77%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- Same x-height
- Sets 4% wider
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
- 06
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Typography is what language looks like.
Libertinus Serif
76%Close matchGoogle Fonts · SIL Open Font License
- 4% shorter x-height
- Same width
- Same weight
- Same stroke contrast
Measured, side by side.
Heldane Text against Castoro, from the letters themselves. These numbers are why Castoro comes first, and what the CSS below corrects for.
Heldane Text Castoro
Keep your line breaks.
Swap Heldane Text for Castoro and nothing reflows. This sets Castoro at Heldane Text’s x-height and line length, so headings, buttons and paragraphs break where they did.
font-family: "Castoro", serif;
font-size: 0.943em; /* down to Heldane Text’s x-height */
letter-spacing: -0.007em; /* to Heldane Text’s line length */About Heldane Text
Heldane Text is a paid serif designed by Kris Sowersby, published by Klim Type Foundry in 2018.
See Heldane Text on klim.co.nz ↗Questions, answered.
What is the best free alternative to Heldane Text?
Castoro. Measured letter by letter, it’s 82% alike: 6% taller x-height, sets 8% wider, same weight, more stroke contrast. Crimson Text, Spectral, Libre Baskerville, Petrona and Libertinus Serif are also close.
Is there a free version of Heldane Text?
No. Heldane Text is a paid serif from Klim Type Foundry. 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. Heldane Text was measured as klim.co.nz, 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 Castoro change my layout?
Not if you use the CSS on this page. It sets Castoro 5.7% smaller with a touch less letter-spacing, so text written for Heldane Text keeps its x-height and its line lengths, and lines break in the same places.
Spot Heldane Text 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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