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Clean sans-serif fonts for app interfaces

Open-license sans-serif families that stay clear in buttons, menus, tables and settings screens, with the weights an interface needs.

18 open-license familiesUpdated

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Set in Inter. Select “Show it here” on any font below to set this line in it.

An interface asks more of a typeface than a headline does. Most of its text is short and small: labels at 12 or 13 pixels, table cells, helper lines under a field. At those sizes the things that matter are open apertures in letters such as a, e and s, a generous x-height, and figures that are easy to tell apart. A capital I, a lowercase l and the number 1 should not look alike in a password field.

Weight range matters almost as much. A product usually needs a regular for running text, a medium or semibold for buttons and a bold for emphasis, each with enough difference to be seen at a glance. Families with a variable weight axis let you pick exact steps instead of settling for the nearest named style. Italics are less important in interfaces than in articles, so a few upright-only families are listed here and marked as such. If your product ships in several languages, check the script coverage noted beside each family before you commit.

  1. Inter

    Drawn for screens, with nine weights, italics and an optical size axis that adjusts the letters between small and large settings.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Inter

  2. Roboto

    Nine weights with italics plus a width axis, so one family covers dense tables, body copy and large titles.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Roboto

  3. Figtree

    Made for web and mobile apps: seven weights from Light to Black with italics on one variable axis.

    Sans Serif 14 styles · variable OFL Try Figtree

  4. DM Sans

    Low-contrast geometric letters with an optical size axis from 9 to 40, for labels and headings alike.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try DM Sans

  5. Plus Jakarta Sans

    Open counters and a slightly tall lowercase keep small labels legible; seven weights from ExtraLight to ExtraBold with italics.

    Sans Serif 14 styles · variable OFL Try Plus Jakarta Sans

  6. Manrope

    A variable weight axis from ExtraLight to ExtraBold with Cyrillic and Greek for multilingual products; upright styles only.

    Sans Serif 7 styles · variable OFL Try Manrope

  8. IBM Plex Sans

    Seven weights with italics and a width axis that narrows the letters for compact panels.

    Sans Serif 14 styles · variable OFL Try IBM Plex Sans

  9. Source Sans 3

    Designed as an interface sans: eight weights from ExtraLight to Black with italics, Cyrillic and Greek.

    Sans Serif 16 styles · variable OFL Try Source Sans 3

  10. Work Sans

    Tuned for on-screen text at 14 to 48 pixels, in nine variable weights with italics.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Work Sans

  11. Ubuntu

    Made for a desktop interface and hinted by hand for screens; four weights with italics.

    Sans Serif 8 styles UFL Try Ubuntu

  12. Nunito Sans

    Four variable axes, including optical size and lowercase height, let you tune density without changing family.

    Sans Serif 16 styles · variable OFL Try Nunito Sans

  13. Geist

    A tall lowercase and counters that stay open even in Black, so heavy labels remain clear; nine weights with italics and Cyrillic.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Geist

  14. Public Sans

    A neutral sans made for a government design system, in nine variable weights with italics.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Public Sans

  15. Onest

    Sits between geometric and humanist, with letters meant to stay distinct in small navigation text; Thin to Black with Cyrillic, upright styles only.

    Sans Serif 9 styles · variable OFL Try Onest

  16. Albert Sans

    Near-circular bowls and almost even strokes in nine weights with italics; Latin only, with complete Turkish and Polish letters.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Albert Sans

  17. Be Vietnam Pro

    Aimed at technology products, with Vietnamese diacritics drawn as a priority; nine weights with italics as static files.

    Sans Serif 18 styles OFL Try Be Vietnam Pro

  18. Hanken Grotesk

    Nine variable weights with italics, tuned for signage, books and interfaces.

    Sans Serif 18 styles · variable OFL Try Hanken Grotesk

  19. Wix Madefor Text

    The text cut of a product type system, built for interfaces: five weights with italics and Cyrillic.

    Sans Serif 10 styles · variable OFL Try Wix Madefor Text

Samples load a basic Latin subset of each family. Every family here carries an open license; its page states the terms and offers the original files.

Questions about clean sans-serif fonts for app interfaces

Can I ship these fonts inside a commercial app?

Each family here carries an open license, in most cases the SIL Open Font License, which allows use in commercial products and embedding in apps. The license text comes with every download; read the page of the family you choose for its exact terms.

Should an interface use a variable font or static files?

A variable file gives every weight in one download and lets you set in-between values, which helps when a design system needs a 450 or a 550. Static files are still a sound choice when you only use two or three weights.

Do I need italics for interface text?

Rarely. Interfaces lean on weight and color for emphasis. Italics become useful when the product shows long-form content, such as articles or documentation, inside the same type family.

How do I pair an interface sans with a code font?

Several families listed here have a monospaced sibling drawn to the same proportions. Using the sibling keeps heights and stroke weight consistent between prose and code.