Tired of Helvetica? It’s time to break free from the same old font and try out new fonts like Helvetica!
In this blog, we’ll explore fantastic alternatives that will breathe new life into your designs.
Whether you’re designing a logo, crafting a poster, or revamping your website, these fonts are sure to add a touch of pizzazz to your projects.
From sleek and modern to quirky and bold, these fonts are here to spruce up your creative projects.
So, if you’re ready to spruce up your designs and stand out from the crowd, join us as we explore the wonderful world of fonts that look like Helvetica!
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What Is Helvetica Font?
Helvetica is one of the most famous and commonly used fonts in modern typography history. It was created in 1957 by Swiss designers Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann. It quickly became very popular in the mid-20th century.
Designers loved Helvetica because it was neutral and could be used for many different projects. It has been used on US tax forms, EU tobacco warnings, and logos for companies like American Airlines, BMW, Sears, and Microsoft.
You can also find Helvetica on road signs and in movies. Since the rise of digital technology, it’s been everywhere—on software, apps, and websites.
However, some designers think Helvetica is overused. They want something different to make their designs stand out. That’s why we’ve put together a list of Helvetica alternatives. These fonts offer the same clear, simple style as Helvetica but with a unique twist to make your designs more memorable.
Awesome Helvetica Alternatives
1. Inter Font
Inter is a font that works well on screens, especially for UI design. It’s even better than Helvetica in this context. Inter has more space between letters compared to Helvetica, which means you can make the letters spread out a bit more at larger sizes.
The main difference between Inter and Helvetica lies in how their letters end. In Helvetica, the letterforms have almost strictly horizontal or vertical endings, giving them a very sharp and clean look. Inter, on the other hand, doesn’t have that same level of crispness. However, Helvetica is slightly less readable than Inter.
Check out: Is There A Place For Serif Fonts In The Digital Age?
2. Roboto Font
Roboto is one of the best free Helvetica alternatives, with two sides. On one hand, it has a structured, mechanical skeleton and mostly geometric shapes. But at the same time, it also has friendly, open curves.
Unlike some other fonts that twist their letters to fit a strict pattern, Roboto doesn’t do that. It lets the letters keep their natural width, which creates a smoother and more comfortable reading experience.
You’ll find this kind of rhythm in other fonts, like humanist and serif types.
3. Nimbus Sans Font
Nimbus Sans is a Helvetica look alike. They share similar features, like the way their letterforms end in horizontal and vertical lines.
For example, the “R” has a graceful bend, and the “G” has a little descending spur. However, there’s one significant difference: Nimbus Sans is darker.
In terms of typography, this means its letterforms are thicker at a given size, which makes them appear slightly darker when you read large blocks of text. If you use Nimbus Sans, you might want to adjust the line height or lighten the text color to balance it out. But that’s entirely up to you!
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4. Aktive Grotesk Font
Just like Helvetica, Aktiv Grotesk is a sans-serif font that looks clean and simple. The designers made this font because they thought Helvetica was used too much and had some limitations in design. They wanted a font that was as flexible as Helvetica but better for modern digital design.
Aktiv Grotesk has a few differences from Helvetica. For example, the ends of the ‘c’ and ‘s’ letters are straight across instead of diagonal, like in Helvetica. This makes Aktiv Grotesk feel more geometric.
Also, Aktiv Grotesk usually has lines that are the same thickness, unlike Helvetica, where they vary. Some letters in Aktiv Grotesk, like ‘a’ and ‘g’, only have one loop instead of two, like in Helvetica.
Check out: How To Use Fonts Efficiently In Web Design
5. Lorin Font
Lorin is a modern sans-serif font with a rounded look, designed by the Fontastica foundry. It’s more rounded and trendy compared to fonts like Helvetica.
Lorin is great for projects where you want to add some charm and personality, like making logos for stores or designing product packages.
6. Montserrat Font
Montserrat is a free font similar to Helvetica that brings back the style from the early 1900s, but it’s not as formal and sleek font as some others, like Futura. Right now, Montserrat has three different versions available.
There’s the regular one, a version with alternate capital letters, and one called “Subrayada” that has built-in underlining.
The alternate capital letters are a bit more fun and are probably better for big titles or signs. Julia, the designer, says they were made to show the diversity and spirit of Buenos Aires.
Check out: Alphabet Fonts: The Ultimate Guide
7. Avenir Font
Avenir is a font made by a famous Swiss designer named Adrian Frutiger in 1987. He wanted it to be a more natural version of beautiful geometric fonts, so it’s smoother and better for long paragraphs.
Frutiger thought it was his best creation. The name “Avenir” means “future” in French, hinting that another font called Futura inspired it.
But unlike Futura, Avenir isn’t entirely geometric. It has thicker vertical lines, ‘o’ isn’t a perfect circle, and some letters are shorter.
8. Maison Neue Font
Maison Neue is a font created by Timo Gaessner and launched by Milieu Grotesque in 2012.
It’s a newer version of the original Maison font, redesigned to work better with modern technology for displaying and printing. Maison Neue comes in five different weights: light, book, medium, demi, and bold, each with italic versions too.
Plus, there’s a cool monospaced version available as well.
Check out: How To Use Large Web Typography To Stand Out
9. Arimo Font
Arimo is a font family that works well in any size. Steve Matteson designed it to be a modern, easy-to-read font without fancy decorations.
It’s similar to Arial, so you can switch between them without messing up your layout. Arimo is great for reading on screens and includes characters from many European languages.
It’s perfect for developers who want a font that works across different devices and platforms.
10. Proxima Nova Font
Proxima Nova is a font that mixes modern shapes with a geometric style, kind of like a mix between Futura and Akzidenz Grotesk.
Since the middle of the 2010s, it’s been the most popular font that you have to pay for on the internet, and lots of websites use it. There are seven different versions of Proxima Nova, each with slanted versions too, plus some other styles like small caps and condensed versions.
It works great with lots of other fonts, like Helvetica Neue, Adobe Garamond, and Lucida Grande.
11. Herz Font
Looking for perfect fonts like Helvetica? Herz is your match! It’s a bit narrower and has extra space between letters, giving it a neat and straightforward feel like Helvetica.
With its modern twists and straightforward design, Herz stands out while still being practical and neutral. It’s a great choice for different projects, like the Jeep font and many others, where you need something simple yet stylish.
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12. Univers Font
Univers is a timeless font made by Adrian Frutiger from Switzerland.
It came out in 1957, which is when other famous fonts like Folio and Helvetica were also created. Univers looks a bit like Helvetica because they’re both based on an old font called Akzidenz Grotesk from 1896. But Univers offers a lot more options than Helvetica.
You can choose from many different thicknesses and widths, making it super versatile for all kinds of projects.
Check out: The Best Practices For Mobile Typography
13. Grotte Font
Grotte is a font that comes in three different styles and can be used for many languages, like Spanish, Portuguese, German, Danish, French, and Cyrillic.
It’s a great font for designers who want a font that works well with different languages. Grotte has a friendly, rounded look, giving it a more youthful feel compared to other Swiss-style fonts.
14. Work Sans Font
Work Sans is a font that’s freely available and inspired by early Grotesque fonts. It’s made simpler and works really well on screens, like on computers and phones.
For example, accents and marks on letters are bigger than they would be in printed text. The regular versions of the font are best for reading on screens at medium sizes, while the bolder versions are better for big titles or signs.
You can also get a version of Work Sans that’s made specifically for use on desktop computers from the Github project page.
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15. Stag Sans Font
Stag is a font family made by Commercial Type. It started as a slab serif font made for big titles in Esquire magazine.
The sans-serif version is great font for headlines because it stands out but isn’t too busy for smaller text. It has a good mix of rounded and straight edges that go well with its serif sibling, making the whole family look strong and straightforward.
In Conclusion – Best Fonts Like Helvetica
With these fantastic font similar to Helvetica, you have a world of creative possibilities at your fingertips.
Whether you’re crafting a logo, designing a poster, or revamping your website, these fonts offer a fresh twist on a classic style, helping you stand out from the crowd.
So go ahead, experiment, and let your creativity soar as you elevate your designs to new heights with these remarkable alternatives to Helvetica. Your next masterpiece awaits!
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