Free alternatives to Whitney

The closest free alternatives to Whitney are Source Sans 3 and Fira Sans, compact humanist sans serifs that read well at small sizes.

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

At a glance

FontMatchWeightsItalicsBest for
Source Sans 3Close match200 to 900YesInterfaces and long text
Fira SansClose match100 to 900YesReadable UI text
PT SansSimilar feel400 to 700YesSmall text and UI
HindSimilar feel300 to 700NoUI text
CabinSimilar feel400 to 700YesFriendly body text

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. Fira Sans

    Close match

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

  3. PT Sans

    Similar feel

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

  4. Hind

    Similar feel

    A plain humanist sans with weights from 300 to 700. Good for UI text.

  5. Cabin

    Similar feel

    A humanist sans with weights from 400 to 700 and italics. Friendly and easy to read.

Pair it with

Curated pairings that use these alternatives.

About Whitney

Whitney was designed by Tobias Frere-Jones and released by Hoefler & Frere-Jones in 2004.

Designed by
Tobias Frere-Jones, 2004
License
Paid
Best free match
Source Sans 3
See Whitney on Fontpair

Questions about Whitney

Is Whitney free?

No. Whitney needs a paid license for websites, apps and commercial work.

What is the closest free font to Whitney?

The closest free alternatives to Whitney are Source Sans 3 and Fira Sans, compact humanist sans serifs that read well at small sizes.

Is Whitney on Google Fonts?

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

What font pairs well with Source Sans 3?

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

More font alternatives

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