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Free Alternatives to Helvetica LT for Editorial
Looking for a free sans serif font for editorial projects? Helvetica LT by Linotype is a popular choice, but its licensing cost can be prohibitive. We've curated 4 free alternatives that work well in editorial contexts. Each alternative is scored by visual similarity and contextual relevance, and ships under an open-source license for both personal and commercial use.
Top Picks
Comparison Table
| Font | Relevance ⓘ
How well this alternative fits the specific context (use-case or trait) of this page. Score 0–100 based on matching keywords, industries, and font characteristics. Alternatives scoring 25+ are highlighted.
| Similarity ⓘ
How visually similar this free font is to the premium original. Score 0–100 based on x-height, width, stroke contrast, use-case overlap, and language coverage.
Learn more → | Weights | Variable | License | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nimbus Sans | 9 | 90% | 2 | No | GPL-2.0-with-font-exception | fontsquirrel ↗ |
| Inter | 8 | 78% | Variable | Yes | OFL-1.1 | Google Fonts ↗ |
| Roboto | 7 | 72% | Variable | Yes | Apache-2.0 | Google Fonts ↗ |
| Source Sans Pro | 7 | 68% | Variable | Yes | OFL-1.1 | Google Fonts ↗ |
All Alternatives (4)
[fontsquirrel] · GPL-2.0-with-font-exception · 2 weights
URW's metric-compatible Helvetica clone — identical character widths and spacing
[Google Fonts] · OFL-1.1 · Variable
Modern neo-grotesque with similar neutral character and extensive weight range
[Google Fonts] · Apache-2.0 · Variable
Google's neo-grotesque shares proportions and neutral tone
[Google Fonts] · OFL-1.1 · Variable
Adobe's humanist sans offers comparable professional versatility