The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Best free alternatives to
Helvetica Now
Monotype released Helvetica Now in 2019. Type director Charles Nix led a Monotype Studio team that started planning it in December 2014. It was the first full reworking of Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann's 1957 Haas design since Neue Helvetica in the early 1980s. Every character was redrawn and respaced, alternates were added, and the family was split into three optical sizes: Micro for tiny text, Text for reading and Display for headlines. Monotype calls it a modern Helvetica rather than a revival. The result is the familiar neo-grotesque, tuned for screens. These free typefaces work the same Swiss neo-grotesque register without the license fee.
The closest font to Helvetica NowThe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Display + body that work together
Letters that hold their nerve
A pairing is a relationship: one voice speaks first, the other answers, and the contrast between them sets the tone for the whole page.
Modern · Editorial Inter + EB Garamond
Pages that earn the read
Crisp, even strokes give the display its punch. Quiet serifs underneath stay readable across thousands of words — used together by editors at the kind of paper that still prints corrections.
Editorial · Modern Bodoni Moda + Inter
Fonts like Helvetica Now
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Common questions about Helvetica Now alternatives
- Is Helvetica Now free?
- No — Helvetica Now is a commercial typeface from Monotype. Helvetica Now is a commercial Monotype typeface licensed through MyFonts, Monotype's Mosaic subscription or bespoke agreements. It is not free to download. The closest free alternative is Inter, available on Google Fonts.
- What font is similar to Helvetica Now?
- Inter is the closest free match. Inter is a screen-first neo-grotesque with a large x-height, closed apertures and Helvetica-like horizontal terminals. It shares Helvetica Now's goal of a neutral Swiss sans that works in UIs. Its forms are slightly more open and squarer, and it has an optical-size axis for text and display use.
- Can I use Inter in commercial projects?
- Yes — Inter is published under a free license on Google Fonts and can be used in commercial work. Confirm the license text at the source before shipping.