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Fira Code vs SF Mono
Choosing between SF Mono and Fira Code comes down to whether you want the original tone or a practical open-source substitute. With 88% similarity, Fira Code captures SF Mono's clean aesthetic while adding one of the most comprehensive programming ligature sets available. One practical difference: Fira Code supports ligatures, which changes the feel in code-heavy UIs.
88% Similarity
Visual Comparison
Fira Code
FreeAa Bb Cc 123
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
0123456789 !@#$%^&*()
SF Mono
Premium
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Fira Code | SF Mono |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Free | Premium |
| Classification | mono | mono |
| Variable Font | Yes | No |
| Weights | Variable (100-900) | Multiple |
| Italics | No | Yes |
| License | OFL-1.1 | Commercial License Required |
| Language Support | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, cyrillic-extended, greek, greek-extended | latin, latin-extended, cyrillic, greek |
| Source | Google Fonts | Apple |
Performance Comparison
| Metric | Fira Code | SF Mono |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 64/100 | N/A |
| File Size | 215.2 KB | N/A |
| Weights | 9 (var) | N/A |
| Italics | No | N/A |
| Variable Font | Yes (1 axes) | N/A |
| Language Groups | 6 | N/A |
| CDN Delivery | Yes | N/A |
| x-Height Ratio | 0.527 | N/A |
| Cap Height Ratio | 0.689 | N/A |
Where You'll See These Fonts
SF Mono
- Xcode
- macOS Terminal
- Apple developer documentation
- iOS development
- Swift Playgrounds
Which Should You Choose?
Recommended: Fira Code
- Shares SF Mono's modern character
- Particularly suited for web development and any code editor
- Variable font with continuous weight adjustment
- Supports 6 scripts including cyrillic and cyrillic-extended
- Delivers a clean, modern, simple aesthetic
Consider: SF Mono
- Original design with refined typographic details
- Designed specifically for code-editors and terminal
- Used by Xcode, macOS Terminal
- Commercial license with professional support
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Free Alternatives to Consider
Other free alternatives to SF Mono