Consolas vs JetBrains Mono

Here’s how JetBrains Mono compares to Consolas when you care about day-to-day usability more than pedigree. With 85% similarity, JetBrains Mono offers similar readability and professional character to Consolas while adding programming ligatures for enhanced code display. One practical difference: JetBrains Mono supports ligatures, which changes the feel in code-heavy UIs.

85% Similarity

Visual Comparison

Consolas

Premium

Premium font preview not available

Visit the foundry website to see samples

JetBrains Mono

Free

Aa Bb Cc 123

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()

Feature Comparison

Feature Consolas JetBrains Mono
Type Premium Free
Classification mono mono
Variable Font No Yes
Weights Multiple Variable (100-900)
Italics Yes Yes
License Commercial License Required OFL-1.1
Language Support latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, greek latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, cyrillic-extended, greek, vietnamese
Source Microsoft Google Fonts

Which Should You Choose?

Recommended: JetBrains Mono

  • Free to use with open-source license
  • Variable font offers flexible weight adjustment
  • Broader language support
  • No licensing costs for commercial projects
  • Can be self-hosted or loaded from Google Fonts
View JetBrains Mono →

Consider: Consolas

  • Original design with refined details
View Consolas →

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