DIN vs Barlow
Choosing between DIN and Barlow comes down to whether you want the original tone or a practical open-source substitute. With 78% similarity, Barlow brings California infrastructure aesthetics that parallel DIN's German signage heritage. Both are comfortable in signage and wayfinding contexts, where clarity beats personality.
78% Similarity
Visual Comparison
DIN
PremiumPremium font preview not available
Visit the foundry website to see samples
Barlow
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
Feature Comparison
| Feature | DIN | Barlow |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Premium | Free |
| Classification | sans-serif | sans-serif |
| Variable Font | No | No |
| Weights | Multiple | 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 |
| Italics | Yes | Yes |
| License | Commercial License Required | OFL-1.1 |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic | latin, latin-extended, vietnamese |
| Source | Linotype | Google Fonts |
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Barlow
- Free to use with open-source license
- No licensing costs for commercial projects
- Can be self-hosted or loaded from Google Fonts