Arial® alternatives. Closest free font by our measurements: Rag, score 87.
Rag (87) edges out Kecal (84) as the free font nearest Arial; Miedinger comes third at 82 of the 24 we measured.
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Score 87 · closest by measurements
Rag
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow
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Arial
Against Arial: x-height 0.3% taller, 12% wider, 4.2% lighter, and 2.5% less stroke contrast.
Letters that differ most from Arial: M, Q, and d.
Styles: 3 weights, with italics.
- ✓Web
- ✓Logo
- ✓Selling
- OFL 1.1
Arimo keeps Arial’s character widths, and so its line breaks, at score 74.
Which Arial alternative to pick
Choose Rag for Arial if measured similarity leads your decision: its score 87 is the highest here, with ink 4.2% lighter and letters 12% wider. If an Arial document must keep its line breaks, Arimo has the same character widths; for headings that need a broader family, Kecal offers 7 weights, though it has no italics.
Where Rag and Arial differ
01 / Where the difference shows
M, Q, and d: Rag parts from Arial most here
Rag keeps Arial’s x-height within 0.3%; the widest gap is 12% wider.
The lab labels Rag against Arial: 12% wider.
- x-height+0.3%
- Width+12%
- Weight−4.2%
- Contrast−2.5%
Every free font measured against Arial
| Free font | Score | x-height | Width | Weight | Contrast | Letters that differ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rag | 87 | +0.3% | +12% | −4.2% | −2.5% | M Q d |
| Kecal | 84 | −1.7% | +2.5% | +3.2% | +0.2% | Q t |
| Miedinger | 82 | +1.2% | −1% | +0.2% | none recorded | d j 7 |
| BDO Grotesk | 80 | +8.9% | +13% | +1.5% | −6.1% | d O t |
| Ronzino | 80 | +2.6% | +1.7% | −3.5% | +1.8% | Q d 0 |
| Almarai | 79 | −0.9% | −1.6% | −1.7% | −9.1% | 7 3 2 |
| Opening Hours Sans | 78 | +0.3% | +1.4% | −0.6% | +4% | 1 l d |
| Aspekta | 78 | +0.3% | +4.8% | −4% | −7.1% | l d t |
| Liter | 78 | +0.3% | +1.9% | −2.2% | −9.1% | a t 7 |
| Gothic A1 | 77 | +1.3% | +2.7% | −15% | −3.7% | c t D |
| Scoutie Sans | 77 | −0.7% | +7.2% | −2.2% | +4.8% | g I d |
| Geist | 77 | +2.2% | +9.1% | −9.2% | −12% | d l 0 |
| Switzer | 77 | +2.4% | +4.3% | −2.8% | −5% | 1 d G |
| Rag Narrow | 77 | +0.3% | −4.1% | +6.2% | −3.7% | O d Q |
| Glide | 76 | +2.6% | +5.8% | +9.7% | −4.3% | d i c |
| Zalando Sans | 76 | −0.9% | +6.7% | −2.5% | −0.5% | 1 J Q |
| Special Gothic | 75 | −2.8% | −3.1% | −3.4% | +1% | g G d |
| Inter | 75 | +5.3% | +9.6% | −8% | −9% | i j 7 |
| Instrument Sans | 75 | −1.7% | +7.2% | −12% | −3.2% | Q o 0 |
| Radio Canada Big | 75 | +2.2% | +3.2% | +11% | −7.2% | 3 j i |
| Pliant | 75 | +0.3% | +9.6% | +1.5% | +3.4% | a 0 d |
| Arimo | 74 | +1.9% | 0% | −3.7% | +14% | d J b |
| Plainsound | 74 | +0.3% | +3.4% | −1.7% | −9.7% | Q G d |
| Hedvig Letters Sans | 74 | +0.3% | +5.9% | −5.2% | +8.9% | Q d i |
Can I use these Arial alternatives for…
| Free font | Web | App | Logo | Selling | Commercial | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rag | ✓ | !* | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kecal | ✓ | !* | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Miedinger | ✓ | !* | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
- * Rag, Kecal, and Miedinger, Arial alternatives inside an app: include the copyright notice and licence with the font files.
- OFL 1.1 text
- Full conditions for Arial alternatives
Arial alternatives: questions
What is the closest free alternative to Arial?
Rag scores 87 against Arial, ahead of Kecal (84) and Miedinger (82) among 24 free fonts.
Which free font keeps Arial’s line breaks?
Arimo, drawn to Arial’s widths, so documents keep their lines and pages; it scores 74, with 14% more stroke contrast the largest gap against Arial.
How does Kecal differ from Arial?
Kecal scores 84 against Arial: x-height 1.7% shorter, 2.5% wider, 3.2% heavier, and 0.2% more stroke contrast. Its Q and t differ most from Arial’s.
Which Arial alternative has the most weights?
Kecal has the most of the Arial picks here, 7 weights; BDO Grotesk has 7 weights, Arimo has 4 weights, and Ronzino has 3 weights.
Can I use the Arial alternatives commercially?
Yes, all 6 free alternatives to Arial here allow commercial work.
Is Arial an open font?
No. Arial ships with Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and macOS Tahoe.
Paid fonts that share free alternatives with Arial
- Microsoft Sans Serif → MiedingerShares Miedinger with Arial. Microsoft Sans Serif against Arial: x-height 0.1% shorter, 0.2% wider, 2.8% heavier, and 5.9% more stroke contrast.score 86
- Franklin Gothic Medium → Quilon4 free fonts measured against both, none among the closest to Arial. Franklin Gothic Medium against Arial: x-height 4.9% shorter, 2.8% narrower, 21% heavier, and 3.4% more stroke contrast.score 81
- Bahnschrift → Alte DIN 1451 MittelschriftOne free font measured against both, none among the closest to Arialscore 100
About Arial
Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders designed Arial for Monotype in 1982, a neo-grotesque sans serif.
Besides Arial, Robin Nicholas designed Cambria.
Beside Arial, the same font lists carry Arial Black (Windows 11 and Microsoft 365) and Arial Nova (Windows 11 optional fonts).
Arial® is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation; FontForThat is not affiliated with The Monotype Corporation; this is an independent comparison.