The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Neue Montreal vs Gilroy
Two commercial sans-serifs that dominate contemporary branding, one from each side of the grotesque-geometric divide. Neue Montreal (Mathieu Desjardins, Pangram Pangram, 2018) is a tight-set neo-grotesque in the Helvetica lineage, while Gilroy (Radomir Tinkov, 2016) is a geometric-leaning sans and the sibling of Qanelas. Both are paid, so licensing cost is a factor for either choice.
Neue Montreal is a commercial font, so it is shown here in Switzer, its closest free alternative. All free alternatives to Neue Montreal → Gilroy is a commercial font, so it is shown here in Poppins, its closest free alternative. All free alternatives to Gilroy →
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
- Neue Montreal is modeled on neo-grotesques like Helvetica but with tighter spacing and slightly closed apertures, which is why it reads best in display settings.
- Gilroy's construction has a clear geometric touch, with rounder bowls that give it a softer, friendlier voice than Montreal's cooler Swiss tone.
- Gilroy ships 20 styles (10 uprights from Thin to Heavy with matching italics) with Cyrillic coverage, ligatures and tabular figures; Neue Montreal's foundry family runs 14 styles, Latin only.
- Licensing differs in shape: Gilroy sells per style from $25 or $180 for the full family on MyFonts, and its Light and ExtraBold weights are free; Neue Montreal licenses start at $30 from Pangram Pangram, with a free Regular trial for personal use only.
Neue Montreal
Reach for Neue Montreal when you want a modern Swiss-grotesque voice for headlines, editorial layouts and brand identities that should feel neutral and sharp.
Gilroy
Reach for Gilroy when you want a warm, rounded geometric for startup branding, logotypes and marketing sites, or when you need Cyrillic support and a very wide weight range.