Methodology. What the numbers mean.
Our similarity scores come from letter-by-letter laboratory comparisons. Task selections use separate rules and style scores; licence answers come from the recorded licence text. Here is how to read each kind of evidence.
How to read the similarity score
A score ranks the tested font shapes within the paid font’s kind. It is not a percentage of matching letters, a probability, a licence guarantee or an assessment of which design is better.
0 · an ordinary pair
The median pair of fonts of the same kind provides the zero point.
100 · a strong reference match
The upper reference is a best match closer than nine fonts in ten find. Values are rounded to whole numbers and clipped to 0–100.
DejaVu Sans scores 92 against Verdana.
This is the same recorded result shown on the alternative page. Changing the preview words does not recalculate the laboratory score.
See the measured alternatives to VerdanaPublished measurement method: dinov3-512-v2
Calculation date: 2026-10-06. Current measured coverage: 27 paid fonts.
01
Render the letters.
The laboratory renders the tested font letters at 512 px and compares them letter by letter using DINOv3 ViT-B/16 visual vectors. These are measurements of a defined rendering, not a live scan of text entered here.
02
Correct and rank.
The letter vectors are centred and corrected with CSLS to reduce the tendency for a few fonts to appear close to many unrelated fonts. Candidates are ranked within the paid font’s kind, such as serif or sans serif.
03
Scale the result.
The laboratory maps the resulting similarity to the reference scale above. A shape score and width compatibility answer different questions: a metrically compatible alternative can preserve widths without leading the visual ranking.
What the measurements tell you
Each percentage difference uses the paid font’s measured value as its denominator. The sign matters: a negative value is smaller, a positive value is larger. These are average laboratory properties, not the width of the words you type.
| Measure | What the value describes |
|---|---|
| Lowercase height | The height of the lowercase body. It helps explain why two fonts at the same nominal size can feel different in scale. |
| Width | The measured letter-width property. A near-zero value does not promise identical wrapping for every sentence. |
| Weight | The share of the letter box covered by ink. It is not a CSS font-weight number. |
| Stroke contrast | The measured contrast between strokes. It is distinct from colour contrast or text accessibility contrast. |
For example, a stored difference of −0.05 is 5% less than the paid font’s value. A missing measure is left absent; it is never silently treated as zero.
How fonts are picked for a task
A style score such as elegant, gothic or bubble is a separate laboratory ranking. It combines visual resemblance to selected example fonts with a direction score describing the style, then adds supporting metadata signals from tags, names and descriptions. The visual components use standard-deviation units across the catalogue.
The result is an unbounded style score, not the 0–100 similarity scale and not a percentage. A higher elegant score means more typical of that style under this method. An elegant score of 4 cannot be compared with a gothic score of 4 to decide which font is more suitable.
Each style has its own threshold, checked against the ranked samples. Borderline members are excluded from task selection. A font may belong to more than one style. Practical task rules can also require width, weight, a distinct lowercase, available weights, or a licence suitable for the use.
Task lists use Latin-capable fonts with a known licence and an available preview. The selection rules remove colour fonts and the CJK-focused candidates unsuitable for these particular lists. Narrow tasks claim fonts before broader tasks, so the same font does not fill multiple task pages. A short list is a rule-based starting point, not a universal ranking.
How brand lettering is matched
A brand page describes a specific piece of lettering and names the source for any fact about its original typeface. Its free picks are visually checked on a specimen sheet. Additional candidates can come from measured neighbours of the selected free fonts.
A score between two free fonts does not become a score against the brand’s lettering. We show no brand logos, promise no exact recreation and explain why a candidate was retained or left out. A known original typeface is named only with its documented role, such as a wordmark base, a title treatment or an earlier interface font.
What a font licence allows
The checker joins the font’s recorded licence to the intended use. Yes means the recorded licence permits that use; no means it prohibits it; with a condition means a requirement must be met. The explanation includes the relevant clause and an official text link.
The font file and a design made with it are different things. Redistributing or embedding a font can require notices even when selling a printed design is permitted. A font licence does not settle trademark rights, rights in a logo, platform terms or every possible redistribution arrangement.
Fontshare’s ITF Free Font License has specific restrictions. Its fonts are not used here to render visitor-entered text. For a conditional result, read the condition below and the official licence for the release you obtain. Some conditions apply to a whole group of uses; they are listed once with all those uses named.
Licence summaries are information, not legal advice. Read the linked licence for the font and version you use.
| Licence | Website | App | Logo | Print & PDF | Products to sell | Commercial work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIL Open Font License 1.1 | ✓ | ! | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apache License 2.0 | ✓ | ! | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ubuntu Font Licence 1.0 | ✓ | ! | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ITF Free Font License 2.0 | ! | ! | ✓ | ✓ | ! | ✓ |
| CC0 1.0, public domain | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MIT License | ✓ | ! | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Unlicense, public domain | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| DejaVu Fonts licence | ! | ! | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
SIL Open Font License 1.1
App
ship the copyright notice and licence with the font files (a text file or the files’ own metadata).
Clause: Condition 2
Apache License 2.0
App
ship the licence and any NOTICE file; mark files you changed.
Clause: Section 4
Ubuntu Font Licence 1.0
App
ship the copyright notice and licence with the font files.
Clause: Permission & Conditions
ITF Free Font License 2.0
Website
your own site; not offered to visitors as a font to pick or type with.
Clause: 01; 02(4)App
your app’s own text; never offered to users as a font, even if the file cannot be pulled out.
Clause: 01; 02(4)Products to sell
products you design; not a tool where buyers set their own text.
Clause: 01; 02(4)
CC0 1.0, public domain
The data records no additional condition for these six use categories. The licence text still governs the font.
Read the official licence ↗MIT License
App
keep the copyright and permission notice with the files.
Clause: Permission notice
The Unlicense, public domain
The data records no additional condition for these six use categories. The licence text still governs the font.
Read the official licence ↗DejaVu Fonts licence
Website · App
retain the copyright, trademark and permission notices with the font files; modified fonts must avoid Bitstream, Vera, Tavmjong Bah and Arev names.
Clause: Bitstream Vera and Arev: permission grant, notice retention, modified-font names and sale restriction
Where the facts come from
Typeface facts come from recorded foundry and manufacturer pages, the Microsoft typography catalogue, font project documentation and supplementary sources identified on the relevant page. The records retain the source and retrieval date; the initial typeface-fact review was on 2 October 2026.
Free font sources and licence identifiers are joined to the exported catalogue. The measurements published on 6 October 2026 and the editorial selection are separate records. A page’s update date reflects a real content or data change, not the time a server was built.
The original paid fonts are not downloadable from this site. Live original previews use only a font already installed on your device. Where the record permits a specimen image, its caption identifies its origin and rendering date. Otherwise we describe the letterforms in words.
Read the result at the tested weight and script. Differences in font version, hinting, browser rendering and language coverage can affect a real design. Try the supplied preview and check the actual release before relying on a result.
Report an error
A useful correction record includes the page address, the font or measure in question, the proposed change, and a source that supports it. For a licence issue, note the exact release and clause. For a rendering problem, note the browser, device and whether the original font is installed. Compare those details with the cited record before relying on an answer.