Free alternatives to Lucida Grande

The closest free alternatives to Lucida Grande are Source Sans 3 and PT Sans, humanist sans serifs that read clearly in interfaces.

  • 5 free alternatives
  • Free for commercial use
  • Updated November 2026

At a glance

FontMatchWeightsItalicsBest for
Source Sans 3Close match200 to 900YesInterfaces and long text
PT SansClose match400 to 700YesSmall text and UI
Fira SansSimilar feel100 to 900YesReadable UI text
Open SansSimilar feel300 to 800YesReadable body text
Noto SansSimilar feel100 to 900YesMany languages

The 5 best free alternatives

Same widths: drawn to the same letter widths, so nothing reflows. Close match: nearest look. Similar feel: same mood, different details.

  1. Source Sans 3

    Close match

    Best alternative

    A clear humanist sans with weights from 200 to 900 and italics.

  2. PT Sans

    Close match

    A humanist sans with regular, bold and italics. Clear at small sizes.

  3. Fira Sans

    Similar feel

    A humanist sans with weights from 100 to 900 and italics. Very readable on screens.

  4. Open Sans

    Similar feel

    An open, friendly sans with weights from 300 to 800 and italics. Very easy to read.

  5. Noto Sans

    Similar feel

    A neutral humanist sans with weights from 100 to 900, italics and support for many languages.

Pair it with

Curated pairings that use these alternatives.

About Lucida Grande

Lucida Grande was designed by Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes. It was the macOS interface font for many years and still comes with macOS.

Designed by
Charles Bigelow and Kris Holmes
License
Ships with macOS. Webfont use needs a license.
Best free match
Source Sans 3
See Lucida Grande on Fontpair

Questions about Lucida Grande

Is Lucida Grande free?

It comes with macOS, so you can use it in your own documents. Serving it as a webfont or embedding it in an app needs a license.

What is the closest free font to Lucida Grande?

The closest free alternatives to Lucida Grande are Source Sans 3 and PT Sans, humanist sans serifs that read clearly in interfaces.

Is Lucida Grande on Google Fonts?

No. Source Sans 3, PT Sans and Fira Sans are the closest Lucida Grande-style fonts on Google Fonts.

What font pairs well with Source Sans 3?

Source Sans 3 pairs well with Source Serif 4 or Yrsa.

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